Lord Have Mercy …
Just when you thought South Carolina couldn’t get any more scandalous, along comes a story that literally blows the doors off of the joint …
A disgraced former judge, a Supreme Court hopeful and the Catholic Diocese of Charleston, S.C. all stand accused of collusion in an “altar boy” case that’s poised to rock this state’s judicial establishment to its core – and force S.C. Chief Justice Jean Toal into perhaps the most precarious position of her career.
At issue is the startling accusation that attorneys who represented victims of sexual abuse colluded with a Circuit Court judge and the Charleston Diocese to pocket $2.5 million in legal fees and “steer away” future molestation charges.
From reporter Adam Parker of the Charleston Post and Courier:
The complaint, filed in December by Greenville lawyer J. David Flowers, alleges negligence and breach of fiduciary duty by class counsel; civil conspiracy by class counsel, the diocese and Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein; and “outrage against all Defendants.”
“Collusion by a church, lawyers and a judge to harm the rights and interests of victims of sexual abuse constitutes extreme and outrageous conduct which exceeds all possible bounds of decency and which must be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community,” the complaint states.
Larry Richter and David Haller, the two attorneys who represented the class of victims, strongly denied the allegations. Goodstein did not return phone and e-mail queries by The Post and Courier.
Wow.
Of course they “strongly denied” the accusations. And of course the judge refused to comment.
That’s because in meticulous detail, Parker’s article highlights how allegations of shady billing practices, undisclosed conflicts of interest and a questionable change in venue contributed to what could be the most explosive judicial scandal this state has ever seen – and one that has now fallen directly in Chief Justice Toal’s lap.
Not surprisingly, the Chief Justice has cozy relations with two people who are neck deep in this scandal – attorney Larry Richter and Judge Diane Goodstein.
Toal’s Office of Attorney Discipline has previously ignored complaints against her good friend Richter, a former Circuit Court Judge who gave up his seat two decades ago after he was accused of offering cocaine to a female law school student.
Those charges resurfaced in 2002 to help sink Richter’s aborted campaign for Attorney General.
Of course, a much bigger fish than Richter – and a much closer friend to Toal – is Dorchester Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein, who many felt was the front-runner to fill the next vacancy on the S.C. Supreme Court.
Not anymore.
“This is toxic,” said one Lowcountry lawmaker we spoke with. “You can stick a fork in (her Supreme Court candidacy).”
Comments
By Wes Wolfe on February 27th, 2009 at 12:45 am
Wait…rich people…cocaine…lechery…nahhhhhh. Never heard about that before, but color me shocked.
By GnuBerry on February 27th, 2009 at 1:15 am
“literally blows the doors off of the joint”
By fitsnews on February 27th, 2009 at 1:48 am
Gnuberry,
You caught that, huh? We didn’t think you were that quick on the uptake.
-FITS
By Thomas Michael Barnes on February 27th, 2009 at 9:16 am
I am a grandfather, a nonpracticing Catholic, a former seminarian and I was abused physically and sexually by nuns as a child and teenager. I grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area and was educated in the school system of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Do my brother and sister citizens in South Carolina truly think that South Carolina is the only state in the Union where this kind of judicial collusion has gone on relative to this issue? Pennsylvanians have not been able to get a law on the books to even get a chance to sue the RC Church for sexual abuse cases. The RC Church has successfully blocked this legislation for years. I live in Northern Virginia and have done so for almost 13 years now. This place is even worse for trying get these issues in front of a court.
No my friends, you are not alone in witnessing this hypocrisy. It is all over the country.
Tom Barnes
Alexandria, VA
By Todd on February 27th, 2009 at 10:25 am
An honest judicial and attorney disciplne system would have taken care of most of these problems years ago. It’s all backroom politics, guys. I predict this will disappear soon because it is too explosive and too complicated.
By Mab on February 27th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Kudos to FITS for putting this out in the public square BEFORE everything is rearranged and sanitized.
“Collusion.” It’s a word you don’t often hear — wonder why that is?!?
By Not Sayin', Just Sayin' on February 27th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Excellent reporting, Will. Shame La Socialista didn’t bother to give it any meaningful coverage.
Goodstein is toast after this. ODC is of course too corrupt and cowardly to pursue the charges. Coggiola, Toal, and Goodstein are all chummy and will look out for each other. No character or ethics among those three. Hopefully this will dethrone Queen Jean once and for all. Chief Justice Pleicones? Lord.
By Pat Hendrix on February 27th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Is this just an accusation from an attorney at this point?
By Just Checking on February 27th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
that’s all it is Pat. My guess is someone upset they didn’t get paid.
By fitsnews on February 27th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
PH & JC:
You guys amaze us. So typical of how SC responds to all of its problems …
“Keep moving. Nothing to see here.”
And we didn’t report this, the Charleston Post and Courier did. We’re simply bringing it to folks’ attention since La Socialista is – as always – asleep at the damn switch.
-FITS
By RedBank Bar on February 27th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
I know nothing of the allegations against Richter. He always had a reputation as an ass. A knowledable and very competent attorney, but still an ass.
That said, the truest statement in any of the coverage is Richter’s statement, “David Flowers is a strange man.” The dude is flat out bizarre. He takes every statement literally. When he hears something he wants to believe, he refuses to accept that there might be reason to doubt a statement, a prespective, or a bias. There is no nuance, no shade of grey with Flowers.
The Supremes will never accept original jurisdiction and with very good justification. Someone has to sort through all of the factual issues and conflicting testimony. Someone like a trial judge has to weigh the credibility of each witness, observe their demeanor, and consider any exhibits. The Supreme Court is not engineered to do that.
By Grey Day on February 27th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
“There is no nuance, no shade of grey with Flowers.”
RBB,
Then David Flowers would make a great cop. That situation needs a cop more than it needs an attorney or a judge, or more deliberate swirling of the black and the white to GET IT grey.
A cop. A jailer. An executioner. [Maybe a jury.]
Next case.
By Todd on February 27th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Anybody else notice that Flowers is relying on an opinion letter by Michael Virzi? Professor at the USC School of Law. Chairman of the SC Bar’s Ethics Committee. Formerly with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel until August 2006. Virzi’s sister is Barbara Seymour, number 1 assistant to Lee Coggiola, chief disciplinary counsel. This one is another mess. Politics and back room deals will prevail.
By James the Foot Soldier on February 27th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Well thank the good Lord we have an Attorney General that will get to the bottom of all this – oh, my bad, henri is as useless as tits on a nun (just going with the catholic theme folks).
By Not Sayin', Just Sayin' on February 27th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Todd, I see where you’re coming from, and I know Virzi’s sister works at ODC, but a Coggiola-Virzi backroom deal won’t happen for personal reasons.
By Mab on February 27th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Oh, so a family feud will be the only thing to preserve the integrity of Mr. Flowers’ complaint? That’s comforting.
By Todd on February 27th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
NS,JS: You think Coggiola runs the ODC? Interesting observation. If the personal reason you may be referring to with Virzi is the same one I have heard about, Seymour was in on it also. Why did the Supremes keep her? Seymour is supposed to be the heir apparent when Coggiola retires in 2010. My take is Seymour’s tenacles to the Gervais Street building are much stronger than Coggiola’s, having had 9 years to grow. Coggiola is the face person only, in my humble peasant opinion.
By frank on February 27th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
I predict that Chief Justice Troll will ask Judge Goodstein to take one for the team and give her a public reprimand. But the sad thing is Jean Troll would expect others to follow the Code of Judical Conduct but refuses to hold herself at the same level. What ever happen to her violating the Rules of Judical Conduct in the McMaster’s case and having the video of her violating those rules pulled from the internet?
By Not Sayin', Just Sayin' ... on February 27th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
The personal issue involving Virzi predated Coggiola’s move to ODC. I don’t thnk Coggiola runs anything — she does what Toal tells her to do. Otherwise, Barb runs things and Coggiola speaks at CLEs.
By Todd on February 27th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
NS,JS: We are on the same page. Time. It’s a matter of time….. Virzi took the fall for the family….
By Phillip Branton on February 27th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Colusion….WOW …shocking….?? You don’t say??
My Backside……..!!
Sic …did you catch the date for the LANDFILL Moratorium….DEC 2010!!
LOL…LOL
Heaven forbid NEW technology that comes along to fix a problem in this state that BENEFITS ……EVERYONE !!!
Sic ….I will be sending you a VIDEO with this website in view… along with other press sites from this state. It will be interesting to see if makes the EDITOR’s cut for free and OPEN Competition..?!?!
stay tuned…….
By Huh? on February 27th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Okay, I’m lost. What is this about Virzi taking the fall for the family? I love these references without context….. can someone explain it for me?
By CLEMSON09 on March 1st, 2009 at 2:30 pm
When all else fails, blame it on CLEMSON.
-FITS
By SUPRISE ME! on March 9th, 2009 at 9:57 am
WE WILL JUST CALL JUSTICE TOAL QUEEN ELIZABETH, JUDGE GOODSTEIN LADY DI, AND ARNOLD GOODSTEIN AS SIR LANSOLT TO SAVE THE DAY. I GUESS THAT WOULD MAKE ANNETTE YOUNG CAMILLA, THE LADY IN WAITING.
NOTHING SUPRISES ME WHEN IT COMES TO ANYTHING THE GOODSTEIN’S DO. THE ANSWER TO ALL OF THEIR PROBLEMS IS MONEY. ONE OF THE LADY DI’S FORMER LAW CLERKS ACTUALLY WORKED OR IS STILL WITH RICTHER AND HALLER, JOB COMPLEMENTED BY LADY DI HERSELF, PALS OF LANSOLT.
LADY DI LIKES TO HOLD SECRET CONFERENCES BY BUYING HER THE JUSTICES, JURY AND CONSTITUANTS LUNCH AND DINNER. BUT IT’S AGAINST HER JUDICIAL ETHICS TO ACCEPT ANY TOKEN OF APPRECIATION OR GIFTS. IT WOULD NOT SURPRISE ME IF A THICK ENVELOPE IS NOT SLIPPED UNDER THE TABLE (SHHHH) TO MAKE THINGS MAGICALLY DISAPPEAR. SHE HAS A NACK FOR MAKING THINGS AND PEOPLE DISAPPEAR. KIND OF MAFIA STYLE.
IF MY MATH IS CORRECT, 10% OF 2.5 MILLION IS ABOUT $250, 000.00 THAT A GREAT BAIL-OUT FOR SUMMERVILLE HOMES AND UNACCOUNTED FUNDS WITH NO INTEREST.