Lawyer is jailed for contempt for refusing to answer federal judge's questions about client
A California lawyer representing a woman who won a $1.5 million settlement in a high-profile police case was jailed for contempt Monday for refusing to answer a federal judge’s questions.
U.S. District Judge Otis Wright II said attorney Caree Harper will be released when she answers his questions about how she met her client, Marlene Pinnock, and at what point she learned the 51-year-old might be mentally incompetent, reports the Los Angeles Times (sub. req.).
Pinnock won the settlement last year in a federal civil rights suit. The evidence in the case included a videotape taken by a passing motorist of Pinnock being punched by a uniformed California Highway Patrol officer. Pinnock reportedly is bipolar and may not have been taking her medication at the time of the July 2014 incident.
Wright had earlier ordered Harper to appear in court on Monday with a copy of her contingency fee agreement with Pinnock in the Los Angeles case. He also banned the attorney from incurring any further expenses or spending any more money from Pinnock’s portion of the settlement.
The newspaper’s requests for comment from Harper’s law firm, her client’s family, opposing counsel and the judge did not receive an immediate response on Tuesday. Attorney John Burris, who is Harper’s co-counsel on the case, told the Times he doesn’t know what specific concerns led the judge to press Harper for information about her agreement with Pinnock.
The Associated Press also has a story.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Woman punched by highway patrol officer in videotaped incident will get $1.5M settlement”
Updated at 4:21 p.m. to state that Pinnock received a $1.5 million settlement.
