DeLaughter’s ruling overturned, come under scrutiny

DeLaughter’s ruling overturned, come under scrutiny

DeLaughter’s decisions have come under increased scrutiny since he pleaded guilty in July to obstruction of justice charges for lying to the FBI about an unrelated lawsuit involving multimillionaire Dickie Scruggs, now serving seven years in prison on corruption charges. As of Friday, no date had been set for DeLaughter’s sentencing.

Since that plea, the high court has upheld nearly all of DeLaughter’s rulings in criminal and civil cases.

But in this case, the heirs of Jeff Wooley are accusing Tullos, the attorney for the estate’s administratrix, of fraud by telling them in 2000 that bids had been secured on 420 acres at $750 an acre and that the best bid had been made by Jackson lawyer Crymes Pittman.

The high court concluded DeLaughter erred “when he granted summary judgment as to the Pittman defendants and concluded that no genuine issues of material fact existed, without even a single denial of the allegations made by the heirs.”

Justices also found a motion for summary judgment requires a 10-day notice and that DeLaughter had not given the heirs that.

“I think DeLaughter was correct, but this opinion by the Mississippi Supreme Court doesn’t bother me,” Pittman said.

He doesn’t like to see himself or Tullos falsely accused of fraud, he said. “It’s aggravating more than anything else.”

Clarion-Ledger
10/26/9