A.G. says Chickasaw case not similar to State Farm tactics
He blamed what he termed State Farm’s ‘P.R. Machine’ for the negative publicity he�s been getting for his dealings with the company.
But it’s not the first time Hood has wrapped criminal and civil tactics into a legal disagreement.
Back in 2002, he did so in a personal case with $2,101.17 at stake.
“I wasn’t going to let them run over me,” he said Tuesday, referring to a dispute with Progressive insurance.
However, legal experts say that using a criminal claim to leverage a civil case can be a problem.
It’s not proper or ethical, said two lawyers, one an ethics professor at the University of Mississippi Law School and the other the general counsel for the Mississippi Bar Association.
The first, Lisa Roy, termed such wrangling “a misuse of the civil process.”
“It’s definitely wrong,” she noted.
Adam Kilgore with the Bar said that while he couldn’t speak specifically, in general such behavior isn’t appropriate, although no set penalties exist. The Bar investigates when such complaints are filed with it against attorneys, he said.
NE MS Daily Journal
2/18/8
Magnolia Tribune
