Balch, RICO, and “Terroristic Lawyering”
The headlines from Georgia in January were crushing:
Federal Jury Finds Atlanta Lawyer Engaged in Civil Racketeering
Georgia Lawyer Liable for Civil Racketeering in Child Custody Case
Jury finds Millard Farmer engaged in civil racketeering
And who won this civil RICO case? Buddy Parker, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, and renowned expert on civil RICO legal actions and money laundering.
Parker is now representing Burt Newsome in his civil RICO action surrounding the conspiracy case allegedly spearheaded by a Balch & Bingham partner and relentlessly defended by Balch & Bingham in a corrupt and unconstitutional Star Chamber presided by Judge Carole Smitherman. Smitherman and her husband have received over $30,000 in questionable political contributions.
In the Georgia case, Parker said he told the jury that the lawyer’s litigation tactics amounted to “terroristic lawyering” designed to “exert as much financial pain and emotional pain” as possible, according to news reports.
Although Balch and their stooges may claim and boast of the artificial, superficial, and staged “glorious victories” they have gained in the corrupt Star Chamber, the ugly, slimy, and repugnant can of worms not only against Balch but the corrupt and improperly influenced legal system will spill wide-open once Parker files his action in federal court.
Will “terroristic lawyering” be highlighted in Newsome’s RICO action against Balch and cronies?
Alabama’s legal system is way overdue for a cleansing enema, and Parker will undoubtedly bring it.
As the ABA Journal reported Buddy Parker’s win in Georgia:
Jurors awarded treble damages of nearly $243,000 on Friday to litigant John Murphy in his racketeering suit against Millard Farmer, according to the Daily Report. Farmer had represented Murphy’s ex-wife in the child custody case. He was previously known for his aggressive stance in fighting the death penalty.
According to the article, jurors found that Farmer had furthered his civil racketeering enterprise by:
• Attempted bribery of a judge and intimidation of a court officers. Farmer was accused of committing those acts by filing litigation against the court reporter and offering to dismiss the case if she could persuade the judge to recuse himself.
• Influencing witnesses. Farmer was accused of tampering by making inflammatory accusations against witnesses through litigation, threats to sue, or filing complaints to their licensing or ethics boards.
•Trying to extort funds. Farmer was accused of trying to extort money from Murphy and his current wife by trying to harm their professional reputations by making false statements about them.
• Interfering with custody.
• Traveling interstate in aid of racketeering.
The civil claims against Farmer appear to contain similar elements when compared to the severe allegations against Balch & Bingham in the Newsome matter. Parker is a perfect fit for Newsome.
Are Balch partners ready to go down this path? Are their clients? Would Balch survive a civil judgment of this magnitude?
Grab a bucket of popcorn. This 6 year-old show is about to get even more interesting.
