Legal Commentary

Dickie Scruggs Pleads Guilty to Corruption in Miss.

By Jeralyn

Mississippi lawyer Dickie Scruggs, brother-in-law of former Sen. Trent Lott, pleaded guilty today to corruption charges.

Powerful plaintiffs' attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs and a co-defendant pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to bribe a judge for a favorable ruling in a case involving legal fees from a post-Hurricane Katrina lawsuit.

....One of the best-known trial lawyers in the country, Scruggs was indicted along with his son and three associates in November. They were accused of conspiring to pay a Lafayette County Circuit Court judge $50,000 for a favorable ruling in a dispute over $26.5 million in legal fees from a mass settlement of Hurricane Katrina cases.

Scruggs pleaded to a five year count. There are no sentence concessions, each side can argue for the sentence they deem appropriate. The Government may ask for the 5 years. The plea agreement is here (pdf) and factual basis for the plea here (pdf).

The AP says it was a surprise plea. Trial was set at the end of the month. I don't think Scruggs had much choice. [More...]

The court docket shows the judge had already denied his motions to suppress the wiretap and dismiss the case on grounds of outrageous government conduct. The judge also agreed that "other acts" evidence from another case could come in.

Scruggs' son and law partner Zach, also charged in the case, did not plead and is expected to go to trial.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on March 14, 2008 (boomark / email).