Molloy’s signs order denying defense motions to dismiss W.R. Grace case due to allegations of prosecutorial misconduct
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009The show must go on.
Here’s the order.
Judge Molloy will not dismiss W.R. Grace case on grounds of misconduct
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009A federal district judge in Missoula ruled Tuesday that allegations of prosecutorial misconduct were not sufficient to scrap the environmental crimes case against W.R. Grace & Co.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy is still grappling with defense motions to acquit based on the government’s failure to prove its charges, however, and earlier in the morning heard [...]
And then there were four; feds dismiss charges against one W.R. Grace defendant
Monday, April 27th, 2009Robert C. Walsh, a former president of Grace’s construction products division, makes a telephone call outside of the Russell Smith Courthouse in Missoula. Earlier in the day, prosecutors dismissed criminal charges against the former official, telling a judge that they could not prove allegations of a conspiracy to defraud the government.
Prosecutors in the W.R. Grace [...]
Grace trial: 53 exhibits submitted by prosecution; only 7 admitted
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009Of the 53 exhibits prosecutors recently submitted as evidence in the W.R. Grace & Co. trial, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy excluded all but seven in an order signed Thursday.
The proposed exhibits are mostly documents and memoranda written by and dispersed to high-ranking W.R. Grace officials, including the five former executives on trial. The communique [...]
Grace: Prosecutors’ “repeated and intentional misconduct” grounds for dismissal
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009Lawyers for W.R. Grace and five former executives filed a tide of legal motions Thursday asking a federal judge to dismiss criminal charges and acquit their clients due to the government’s “repeated and intentional misconduct.”
The government’s response is due tomorrow, so prosecutors will inevitably be pulling a red eye tonight in their downtown offices.
Attorney Thomas [...]
ATC interview – 4.5 minutes of fame
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009Here’s a link to my interview with National Public Radio’s Melissa Block, which aired last week on “All Things Considered.” It’s a vague and rambling synopsis of the W.R. Grace trial, but due to the show’s massive audience I received phone calls and e-mails from friends who I hadn’t spoken with in years.
Most importantly, it [...]
Defense urges dismissal of charges in W.R. Grace case
Monday, April 20th, 2009Defense lawyers in the W.R. Grace & Co. trial on Friday said the purported misconduct of federal prosecutors is symptomatic of an errant, win-at-all-costs Justice Department, and urged the presiding judge to dismiss the case.
Dozens of spectators squeezed into the federal courtroom in Missoula on Friday morning to observe what promised to be a heated [...]
Molloy to Jurors: “This case is probably on Facebook.”
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy gave his usual admonition to jurors before dismissing them from the W.R. Grace trial for the day.
“Don’t read any news accounts, don’t listen to any radio reports, don’t look at the newspapers, don’t read any blogs, don’t do any of your own research,” he said dryly, before adding. “I don’t [...]
Tax day “tea protesters” converge outside federal building
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009Although most attendees gathered to decry tax increases, corporate bailouts and rampant government spending, one protester was holding a sign that said “Smoke more weed.”
A security officer observing the spectacle from the federal courthouse across the street, where I’ve been covering the W.R. Grace trial, wondered if the guy might be at the wrong demonstration.
Hey, [...]
Government’s case against Grace winding down
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009Last week, a federal prosecutor assured a dubious judge that the government would present “many more” witnesses before resting its environmental crimes case against W.R. Grace & Co.
On Wednesday, the same prosecutor announced his decision to drop a key expert witness from the lineup, adding that the move would curtail the government’s case in chief.
Given [...]