Rare occurrence: good legal news for Scruggs
This story by Patsy Brumfield of the Daily Journal says Dickie Scruggs has won a legal victory of sorts: the Mississippi Supreme Court has stayed proceedings in the Lafayette County lawsuit Jones v. Scruggs, and agreed to decide whether the case should be sent to arbitration.
If you recall, this lawsuit was the origin of the "earwigging" of Judge Lackey that landed Scruggs, his son and Sid Backstrom in the pokey. Earlier this year, the new judge presiding over the case, Judge Coleman, refused to send the case to arbitration and was considering whether and how much money sanctions should be assessed against Scruggs for unfairly tampering with the legal process. Having the state Supreme Court agree to take up the matter is a victory of a sort, I guess, but is kind of like standing in the charred, smoking remains of your burned-up house and finding that the box with your award ribbons from sixth grade music camp made it unharmed.
David, folo reported on 8/14/08 that Scruggs had settled this case with Jones but that two other fellow warriors intend to "press on"!
Could the parties in the case that Jones brought settle with Jones without benefit of arbitration?