In news that is HUGE in Mississippi and kinda interesting everywhere else, Dickie Scruggs plead guilty a few days ago to conspiracy to bribe a judge. Here's what the New York Times article on the case said:
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One of the best-known plaintiffs’ lawyers in the country, Richard Scruggs, unexpectedly agreed to plead guilty on Friday to a criminal charge of conspiracy in the attempted bribery of a judge.
Mr. Scruggs was accused of an effort to obtain a favorable ruling in a lawsuit brought by a rival over legal fees in litigation related to Hurricane Katrina. Sidney Backstrom, a lawyer charged along with Mr. Scruggs, also pleaded guilty. Their pleas came in federal court in Jackson, Miss.
The single charge — five others were dismissed under the agreement — carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the agreement.
Mr. Scruggs’s son, Zachary, who was also named in an indictment handed up in November, did not plead and so is expected to go to trial beginning March 31.
Mr. Scruggs and his lawyer, John Keker, could not immediately be reached for comment, nor could lawyers for Mr. Scruggs’s son or Mr. Backstrom.
The trial of Mr. Scruggs, famous for his role in tobacco litigation portrayed in the movie “The Insider,” has transfixed the legal community in Mississippi and nationwide. He is widely credited with developing the legal strategy of gathering mass of clients and suing not just individual companies, like makers of asbestos or cigarettes, but entire industries for damages. In the process he became wealthy and unpopular in the eyes of big business.
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In related news, Hillary Clinton, previously welcoming of Mr. Scrugg's millions towards her campaign, recently announced that she has no idea who Dickie Scruggs is.
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