Scruggs’ attorney withdraws from judge bribery case

Published 10:39 pm Wednesday, January 9, 2008

JACKSON (AP) — Members of a law firm that was searched by federal agents last month have resigned as defense attorneys in the high-profile bribery case involving wealthy lawyer Richard ‘‘Dickie’’ Scruggs.

U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers on Tuesday granted the request by Joey Langston and Billy Quin of the Langston Law Firm to withdraw as attorneys for Scruggs, according to court records filed Tuesday in federal court in Oxford.

Scruggs, his son Zach and three others were indicted Nov. 28 on charges they conspired to bribe a judge in a case involving disputed fees related to lawsuits from Hurricane Katrin. The elder Scruggs, a brother-in-law of former Sen. Trent Lott, is best known for making millions from tobacco litigation.

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Zach Scruggs’ lawyer, Anthony Farese, also asked to withdraw from the case on Wednesday, but Biggers declined to approve the request because Scruggs hasn’t named a replacement yet.

In court papers, Farese said Scruggs has ‘‘terminated his services’’ and intends to hire a new lawyer. He didn’t elaborate.

Biggers suggested that allowing Zach Scruggs to proceed without an attorney could delay a trial, so he wouldn’t let Farese withdraw until Scruggs appoints a new lawyer.

One of Langston’s former law partners, Timothy Balducci, pleaded guilty Dec. 4 to conspiracy in the bribery case and is helping investigators.

On Dec. 10, the FBI searched the Langston Law Firm. FBI officials would not say what they were looking for, but an attorney for Zach Scruggs said they took records from cases that Balducci had worked on before he left the firm.

FBI officials would not say what they were looking for.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Sanders, in a response filed Tuesday to Scruggs’ request documents from the government’s investigation, declined to release copies of the application and affidavit related to the search warrant issued for Langston’s law office.

‘‘These documents concern an entirely separate investigation, and thus, cannot be produced,’’ Sanders said in court documents.

Langston and Quin did not say specifically in court records why they wanted to withdraw but noted that other attorneys have appeared in court on behalf of Scruggs and Scruggs’ defense would not be harmed by their withdrawal.

Quin and Langston did not respond to several messages left Tuesday by The Associated Press. John Keker of San Francisco, another attorney for Scruggs, would not comment on why the two would no longer be working on the case.

Also on Wednesday, Oxford attorney Kenneth Coghlan notified Biggers that he intends to represent Richard Scruggs in the bribery case. Biggers refused to allow him, however, because Coghlan represented a different defendant in the case — former state auditor Steven Patterson — before withdrawing last month.

Biggers said allowing Coghlan to represent Scruggs could be a conflict of interest if one of the defendants winds up testifying against the other.

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Associated Press reporter Michael Kunzelman in New Orleans contributed to this report.