Subject:  Filing offers peek behind scenes at 'Fieger Law' |
Author:
Chris
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Date Posted: 06/27/09 10:38am
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Filing offers peek behind scenes at 'Fieger Law'
Paul Egan / The Detroit News
Geoffrey Fieger is a crack attorney frequently featured on national TV, but a recent federal court filing related to his bid to have his criminal record expunged was nowhere near ready for prime time.
Lawyers for Fieger had to scramble to get the document removed from the court record after inadvertently filing a marked-up version that had been sent back to a law firm secretary for retyping.
"Vera, Please do changes and let GNF (Geoffrey Fieger) see before it's filed," said a handwritten note at the top of the three-page document that included about 15 redactions, grammatical corrections and additions scribbled in ink.
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A federal jury acquitted Fieger in June 2008 on criminal campaign finance and obstruction of justice charges. The June 15 court filing was to support Fieger's request to U.S. District Judge Paul D. Borman to have the record of the charges against him expunged and his fingerprint cards and booking photographs returned.
The chase
Fieger attorney Michael Dezsi, who is handling the expungement request for his boss, was horrified when he learned about the errant court filing from a reporter.
"You're right, he'll be furious," Dezsi said of Fieger, who despite his omnipresent smile on TV commercials is known for his occasional flashes of temper.
Dezsi filed a motion to persuade to strike the file from the record, but not before The Detroit News saved a copy for posterity. He later said no one lost their job over the goof.
Why it matters
Getting a criminal record expunged is a contentious issue.
Although Fieger was acquitted of all charges, he says he's had trouble crossing the border into Canada and with seeking to represent clients in courts in other states.
Federal prosecutors oppose Fieger's motion to expunge the record of the charges against him, saying his criminal record accurately reflects his indictment and acquittal.
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