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Thursday, October 08, 2009

Ind. Courts - Disciplinary complaint filed against Marion County prosecutor Carl Brizzi [More]

This news first appeared late yesterday afternoon in Terry Burns Indianapolis Times Blog. I checked the Roll of Attorneys for verification - and found this information.

Today Jon Murray has this story in the Indianapolis Star - some quotes:

The Indiana Supreme Court's Disciplinary Commission has leveled charges against Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi for public comments about two cases, including the 2006 Hamilton Avenue slayings.

The commission accuses Brizzi, a Republican, of making comments in a 2006 news release and during a 2008 news conference that went beyond informing the public of his decisions to file charges.

The complaint cites several comments by Brizzi that condemn the two defendants accused of killing seven people on Hamilton Avenue, including, "They weren't going to let anyone or anything get in the way of what they believed to be an easy score." He said the crime merited the death penalty.

Last year, Brizzi speculated about accused serial killer Bruce Mendenhall's mindset and discussed evidence against him in an Indianapolis slaying.

The commission says in its Oct. 1 verified complaint that such comments outside the courtroom violate professional rules of conduct and could prejudice a case. * * *

"I think the timing is suspicious," Brizzi said Wednesday. "I will reserve comment until I see the complaint."

Interesting comment from Mr. Brizzi re the Disciplinary Commission ...

[More] I took a look at the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission website to see how the process works. This section about "Complaint Screening and Investigation" is informative:

What happens if I file a grievance against a lawyer? We review your grievance and may dismiss it if it does not raise a substantial question of misconduct. If so, you and the lawyer will be notified. Otherwise, the grievance is investigated. This includes notifying the lawyer of the grievance and requiring the lawyer to respond in writing to the grievance. After our investigation, we again review the matter and decide whether or not there is probable lawyer misconduct. If not, we dismiss the grievance with written notice to you and the lawyer.

What happens if the investigation reveals probable misconduct? If we believe there is probable lawyer misconduct, the full Disciplinary Commission will review the matter. If the Commission believes that th e lawyer has engaged in misconduct for which he or she should be disciplined, we file a complaint with the Clerk of the Supreme Court formally charging the lawyer with misconduct. If not, it will be dismissed, and you will be notified.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 8, 2009 07:23 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts