Lawyer in Trouble for Refusing to Take Off Watch for Courthouse Scanner
The Madera County Sheriff’s department in California says it’s not going to let a Fresno defense lawyer off the hook for refusing to take off his watch for a courthouse security scanner.
High-profile lawyer Richard Berman is accused of refusing to put his watch on the scanner belt, the Fresno Bee reports. “This is a $30,000 watch,” Berman reportedly said. “I am not going to take it off.” Sheriff’s police also claim Berman slipped past a guard who tried to block Berman’s entrance to the courthouse with her outstretched arms.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Erica Stuart told the Fresno Bee that the department plans to ask the district attorney to file a complaint against Berman for battery and avoiding courthouse security. A report of the Sept. 2 incident has also been forwarded to the state bar.
Berman told the Bee the incident is “silly, very, very silly.”
Defense lawyers have criticized the courthouse security policy because prosecutors can evade the scanners by entering through their offices in the same building.
