FAMED TEXAS TRIAL LAWYER JOHN O QUINN DEAD AFTER SUV CRASH

****Breaking*****

Texas trial lawyer John O Quinn has died as the result of the SUV he was driving at high speed in the rain leaving the road, the ABA Journal Reports.

Quinn’s employee, Johnny Cutliff, was also killed in the crash.

According to media reports, Quinn was driving more than 30 miles per hour over the published 40 MPH speed limit at the time of the single vehicle accident.

John O'Quinn is widely acknowledged as one of the most accomplished trial lawyers of his time, holding some of the largest verdicts and settlements in the country.

PAGEANT LAWYER USES SEX TAPE TO FORCE EX-MISS CALIFORNIA'S LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT-SOURCES REPORT

From the ABA Journal

Former Miss California Carrie Prejean is accepting a lot less than the $1 million she sought in her lawsuit against pageant organizers because lawyers for the beauty pageant obtained, and used, a “solo sex tape” featuring the beauty in settlement negotiations—the ABA Journal, citing CNN reports.

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LAWYER WHO CHOKED DOG, BEAT WIFE IS STATE BAR PANEL MEMBER

Nevada State Bar hearing panelist, dog choker, wife beater, and common drunk Ed Miley, Esq.

We recently posted about the arrest of Vegas criminal defense lawyer Ed Miley for getting white-trash-drunk, choking the family dog, assaulting his wife, then discharging a firearm into the backyard (pretty much in that order)—our angle being the irony of the beaten spouse being Judge Stephanie Miley, the Vegas jurist who was voted in last year to replace disgraced (and later defrocked) Vegas Judge Elizabeth Halverson, whose husband also beat the 425-500 pound former jurist that everyone loves to hate. (See here and here.)

We now post to inform of the further irony in the case—that being the new info that thuggish wife beater, common drunk, and choker of gentle family pets Ed Miley, amazingly, for the last 12 years has served on a bar disciplinary panel that sits in judgment of Southern Nevada (i.e. Vegas) lawyers who allegedly transgress—er—get caught transgressing—Nevada bar ethics rules (such as they are in the "All For Our Country" state).

According to today’s article in the Las Vegas Sun news paper (that also describes the misdemeanor “citation” of a Vegas “attorney” who was disbarred in two Midwestern states, but never licensed in Nevada):

“[Mr. Miley] is well versed in how his profession deals with a lawyer who, like himself, winds up being charged with crimes.

“It turns out that for the past 12 years, Miley — who’s facing felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from an Oct. 1 altercation with his wife of 12 years, District Judge Stefany Miley — has been a member of the State Bar’s local disciplinary board.

“He’s among a pool of 49 lawyers in Southern Nevada who are called upon from time to time to hand out punishments to their colleagues who have run afoul of the standards of their profession.”

Why we are not surprised?

Read more.

IVY LEAGUERS TEAR PROFESSOR JONES TO PIECES OVER POORLY WRITTEN COMPLAINT AGAINST ABOVE THE LAW BLOG

11-4-2009 UPDATE, via Above the Law:
Breaking: Jones v. Minkin Dismissed!!!(Plaintiff voluntarily dismisses lawsuit against ATL.)

Apparently, Professor Jones tired of the 24 hours of verbal pummeling that he was receiving from all corners of the Blogosphere and saw the handwriting on the wall regarding where his suit was headed--i.e the world's most frivolous lawsuits bin. Anyhow, its over.


In case you missed the major blawg story of the day (and probably the year) University of Miami law professor D. Marvin Jones —who made the pages of this blog when he was arraigned on charges that he allegedly solicited a hooker—has the law Blogosphere’s panties in a twist over his lawsuit against the legal blog Above the Law and its founding editor David Lat.

Adding an additional layer of hilarity to the already embarrassing circumstances of professor Jones’ arraignment on criminal charges is the astounding fact that a law professor would file a federal court complaint riddled with spelling and grammatical errors (he misspells the President’s name in the fist paragraph and goes downhill from there), let alone that attempts to set forth a legal theory that the Supreme Court of his own home State of Florida refused to recognize just last year.

We are not big fans of the self described “most prestigious law school discussion board in the world”--AutoAdmit, but we could not make our way through even part of this thread without laughing so hard we nearly peed our pants.

Suffice it to say that the comments were, well, a tad harsh.

As once commenter posted:

“Before I read [professor Jones’ complaint], I expected to respond to your post by saying that pleadings are the one place where you can write like shit and get away with it. “But after reading that festering shit pile, I agree that UM should be deeply embarrassed.”

And another:

"This complaint is truly a disgrace, and I am not even talking about fucking typos. Apparently, he really believes that statements such as "Or Donald Marvin Jones." are sentences. This complaint is truly truly terrible. I hope he wrote it while completely intoxicated and then put it in a mailbox to the court for fling, forgetting that he had done so and leaving him no opportunity for sober reflection. It is the only excuse."

Our favorite:

"dear god. how the hell did this guy become a law professor"

Now go, read, laugh, cry. We did.

Congratulations kid, you broke your cherry….

Dear David Lat:

How can you call yourself a tabloidst™ if you have never been subjected to a ridiculous lawsuit by an apparently semi-literate pro se litigant who does not have a leg to stand on, and [in our opinion] cannot plead his way out of a proverbial paper bag?

Well, it is a badge of honor.

Wear it proudly, while you enjoy the support of the rest of us in the blogging community—all of us.

Blogonaut will have more, much more, to say about this hilarious Pearson-esque lawsuit later.

In the meantime, as we stated in our initial post, “it’s a hard life for a pro per.” Let alone a PUBLIC FIGURE, pro se litigant swimming upstream from the United States Supreme Court decision in Hustler Magazine v. Falwell. Let alone a constitutional law professor who can only come off as less than knowledgeable in his own [self-professed] field of expertise, should he, as we predict, lose this case.

Go David go!!!!!!

LAW PROFESSOR SUES ABOVE THE LAW BLOG FOR “NUTTY PROFESSOR” POST

Parody image reference--with apologies to Jerry Lewis and Eddie Murphy

University of Miami law professor D. Marvin Jones —who made the pages of this blog when he was arraigned on charges that he allegedly solicited a hooker—is back in the Blogosphere—this time for suing the law blog Above the Law for defamation over its “Nutty Professor” parody post about the legal scholar and author turned litigant.

Professor Jones’ lawsuit is particularly critical of a ATL’s publication of a Photoshopped image satirizing the professor’s arrest that the suit claims depicts Jones as a “drug dealer” and a “pimp”—thereby damaging his reputation to the tune of TWENTY TWO MILLION DOLLARS.

Jones’ suit also demands a jury trial “on all issues that are friable”. ("Friable"?!)

Apparently, in addition to eating too much Chinese take-out, the good professor is an admirer of another (now infamous) pro se litigant. Our advice for the legal scholar? To mangle the words of Djay f/ Shug, "it’s a hard life for a pro per."

Just ask (former) Judge Roy Pearson.

Read more:

Lawsuit of the Day: Jones v. Minkin (ATL)

Jones v. Minkin [Southern District of Florida (PDF)]Prior ATL coverage of D. Marvin Jones (scroll down to view all posts)Law Professor Sues Above the Law Blog, Alleging ‘Viciously Racist Series of Rants’[National Law Journal]Law Professor sues Above the Law blog; time to go back to complaint drafting school[Copyrights and Campaigns]UM Law Professor Files False Light Suit Against abovethelaw.com [Florida Legal Blog]Blog Sued: Abovethelaw.com not above the law [Law and More]

Congratulations kid, you broke your cherry….[Blogonaut opinion]
Prof. Donald Jones’ Lawsuit Against Above The Law (Volokh Conspiracy)
Above The Law Is Above This Lawsuit (Business Insider)
Above the Law Sued By Law Prof (And How It Should All End) [New York Personal Injury Law Blog]

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/siliconalley/media/law_professor_sues_above_the_law_2009_11.html (CNN)

“Law Professor Sues Above the Law Blog” (Overlawyered)

Law Professor Sues Over 'Above the Law' Blog Posts--Jones v. Minkin (Technology and marketing Law Blog)

Law Professor Sues "Above the Law" (Pointof Law.com)

LAWYER TRIES TO KILL LAWMAKER FOR SHUTTING DOWN FAMILY PORN BUSINESS—26 YEARS AGO

Fox News Video

Now this is a lawyer who knows how to carry a grudge—dating back 26 years.

You really could not make stuff like this up. (Maybe Boston Legal is real too…)

The short version of the story goes something like this: Augustus J. Mendenhall’s father’s porn shop was raided and shut down 26 years ago. Dad appealed to the Supreme Court and won, but went BK in the process.

Legal battle inspires son to go to law school.

Son continues to brood over father’s legal "enemies", including Rep. Edward DeLaney, an attorney and Democratic state representative—who once represented a shopping mall that joined in the effort to close down the family porn shop.

So Mendenhall, Esq.—who is now 38—makes an appointment with Rep. DeLaney for a “legal consultation”.

Mendenhall, Esq. pulls a gun, beats tar out of DeLaney (breaking facial bones), but turns out to be a lousy shot. Shots are fired, but none hit their mark.

Mendenhall, Esq. is currently in jail (until he can post a $3 million bail bond) charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

Read More:

Attorney Charged With Attempted Murder in Bizarre Attack on Lawmaker (ABA J.)

"Indianapolis Rep. DeLaney suffers broken facial bones in 'inexplicable' Carmel beating" (Indy Star)

Legal dispute may have led to attack on lawmaker (Indy Star)