The Commercial Dispatch, 10/29/7
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said his opponent’s allegations of corruption are unfounded.
Noting Hood has contracted with attorneys to win high-risk lawsuits and big money for the state, Republican Al Hopkins has criticized Hood for taking campaign donations from the same attorneys.
“He’s complaining about something he would do himself,” Hood Friday told the Dispatch editorial board. “We have about 3,400 active civil cases and only eight assistant attorney generals in our civil litigation division. Of 3,400 cases, only 18 cases were ones in which we hired a plaintiff’s lawyer on a contingency basis.”
Hood explained the state contracts with about eight plaintiffs’ lawyers firms – chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis -“capable of handling larger cases.”