Lawyer is fined $500 for unexcused absence at trial
A California lawyer who sought to adjourn his client’s murder trial for a day is facing the consequences for failing to show up after a judge turned down his request.
Lawyer Alonzo Gradford was fined $500 in a hearing on Thursday in which he said he didn’t show up on Oct. 20 because he didn’t want to miss his uncle’s funeral, the Modesto Bee reports. Gradford “stopped several times to compose himself,” the Modesto Bee says, as he told the judge his uncle was like a father to him.
Judge Dawna Reeves of Stanislaus County was also emotional, fighting back tears as she told Gradford he had inconvenienced those involved in the trial, including attorneys for co-defendants, the story reports.
Gradford sent Reeves an email on Friday, Oct. 17, saying he could not be in court on Monday, Oct. 20, because of a family matter, Reeves said. Reeves responded that the notice was insufficient for her to shut down the trial. On Sunday, Oct. 19, Gradford sent another email indicating he had to attend the funeral of his uncle, with whom he had a close relationship. Reeves said she doesn’t remember when she saw the email, but it may have been on Monday morning.
Reeves said she had let Gradford off with an apology when he didn’t show up in court as ordered in another criminal case. This time, she said, a sanction needed to be imposed.
The Sacramento Bee reports that a different judge has also fined Gradford $500. That case involved Gradford’s failure to appear at a sentencing hearing for a client.
