Bribery case bigger than just Scruggs
The Hattiesburg American
January 15, 2008
Editorial
ONE MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY SAYS THE CORRUPTION investigation involving high-powered lawyer Dickie Scruggs could shake the foundations of the legal profession in Mississippi. He's right. But one has to wonder if it will also shake Mississippi politics.
Scruggs, who is a millionaire many times over thanks to his lawsuits against the tobacco and asbestos industries, faces charges that he tried to bribe a Mississippi judge in a $26 million legal-fees dispute. The bribery charges arose from a lawsuit filed by a Jackson law firm that claimed it was shortchanged by the Scruggs firm in a mass settlement with State Farm Insurance involving lawsuits filed by Hurricane Katrina victims. Scruggs, the brother-in-law of former U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, reportedly made $848 million for his role in brokering a multibillion-dollar settlement with tobacco companies in the 1990s. He is also heavily involved in state and national politics.
...
Should Scruggs and others in his firm be convicted, it would leave a stain on the legal profession that may never be removed. And it would open questions about other cases around Mississippi and the country that have been adjudicated.
