It looks like old school knuckle-justice is catching on again in today’s most professional positions. The president of Ecuador is getting into shoving matches/gun battles with his own police force, the president of Bolivia is kicking his political opponents in the nuts, and one Portland lawyer is bringing the trend home.
The Oregonian reports that a Portland federal magistrate has ordered Tigard Social Security lawyer Daniel A. Bernath to attend anger management counseling, pay a small court fee, and avoid contact with Judge Dan R. Hyatt as penalty for a physical altercation between the two men in March.
Apparently, the two have been fighting verbally since 2007, when Hyatt accused Bernath of dishonesty about his bar suspension record.
In response, Bernath lampooned Hyatt as a Ku Klux Klansman on his Web site, attempted to out him as a tax cheat to the IRS, filed six bar complaints on him (all dismissed), emailed other lawyers to find dirt on Hyatt, and called him a cruel, dishonest racist. Finally, when nothing was working, he allegedly jumped on an elevator with the judge and the two got into a “chest bumping” match until security broke up the fight and arrested Bernath. Both men blame each other for starting it.
Sometimes courtroom procedure just isn’t as conducive to unbridled rage as a good old fashioned chest bumping. I think we’ve lost sight of those times when politicians would choose cane beatings over filibusters.
On second thought, what a douche bag.
You know this guy is going to run for Congress sometime in the next few years.
cough: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/or-supreme-cour…
So when you’re in trouble you want a lawyer w/o any balls or someone who will aggressively and zealous fight to keep you out of jail?
Your choice. The douch bag zealous advocate Bernath or the meek sniveling lawyer.
Bernath, by the way answered each of those “charges” by the Old Boys Club-the Oregon Bar. The Oregon Bar send their decision to the California Bar and California Bar investigated all the charges and said that OSB was full of beans-Bernath NEVER did any of the things the OSB accused him of of and dismissed the case.
By the way, Bernath at the trial revealed that Judge Hyatt lied-all the cases that Bernath filed were not dismissed on their merits. OSB said that they didn’t have jurisdiction over a administrative law judge. But one charge, stealing government property/lying to investigators/trying to coverup the crime…that one got the judge a 4 to 30 day suspension.
there is a video of the attack of Dan Hyatt upon the crutch grasping Bernath http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN5ebDHHxJk