A three-day estate sale of David and Anna Roberson’s personal possessions begins this Friday, October 11th near Mountain Brook, the elite enclave next to downtown Birmingham.
The estate sale appears to be the greatest disgrace for Drummond Company and Balch & Bingham, the embattled law firm that has yet to apologize to David Roberson and the North Birmingham African-American community for the criminal conduct of their Balch-made millionaire and now ex-partner Joel I. Gilbert.
A year ago, after David Roberson was convicted along side Gilbert in the bribery scheme, Drummond Company vowed to defend the Drummond executive and appeared to blame the law firm for bad legal advice.
David Roberson was allegedly told repeatedly that the bribery scheme born at Balch & Bingham was legal when it was not. Roberson appears to have been grossly misled.
In February, Mike Tracy, the CEO of Drummond fired Roberson and allegedly provided no financial security for the Roberson family. Twelve days later, Tracy disgracefully eliminated Roberson’s charity of choice, a school for autistic children, as a recipient of Drummond resources.
Convicted of money laundering and bribery, Gilbert did apologize to David Roberson during his sentencing hearing, but the law firm’s leadership has foolishly stuck its head in the sand.
Having lost 17 of their 18 major Washington, D.C. lobbying clients, Balch continues to wear blinders as competitors look like they are ready to cherry-pick some of the brightest talent at Balch.
Besides financial ruin, David Roberson now faces 30 months in federal prison.
Instead of privately resolving the mishandled Roberson matter, Drummond Company has sadly goose-stepped with Balch in response to a $50 million lawsuit Roberson filed against Balch and Drummond.
After being publicly denounced for cuddling Balch & Bingham, Drummond CEO Mike Tracy retired unexpectedly as CEO in August (effective the end of this month.)
Maybe the leadership at Balch, Mike Tracy, and Joel I. Gilbert can go to the Estate Sale this weekend and buy everything up to help “their old pal” Roberson provide food for his family while he sits in the federal pen.
The address is 2421 Arlington Crescent in Birmingham.
Come one, come all— what a disgraceful lot!
