No Rest for the Wicked

[i]June 16-June 23, 2005[/i] NEWS OF THE WEEK BY CATHY MURILLO, ETHAN STEWART, and NICK WELSH, with Drew Atkins, Chris Cadelago, and Chelsea Lindman Photos Paul Wellman [b]No Rest for the Wicked[/b] Role Reversal for MJ’s Nemesis By Matt Kettmann Just three days removed from the unsuccessful end to the most publicized case in District Attorney Tom Sneddon’s career – last Monday’s not guilty verdict for pop star Michael Jackson – the veteran prosecutor found himself the target of questions about misconduct by his office. Fresh from giving TV interviews to international media, Sneddon was deposed last Thursday by the attorney representing lawyer Gary Dunlap, who is suing Sneddon’s department for $10 million in what will be Sneddon’s next big legal challenge. Dunlap claims that Sneddon’s staff – including Assistant DA Christie Stanley, who announced her candidacy for Sneddon’s seat last Saturday and who will be deposed on this matter in coming weeks – were actors in a vast conspiracy to misuse the legal process to bring him down. Dunlap, a successful if at times irksome criminal defense attorney from the North County, has charged that during a 2003 investigation against him, prosecutors – namely Deputy DA Jerry McBeth – enlisted the illicit help of attorneys, witnesses, and the FBI, as well as Judge Diana Hall. The latter’s deposition in this case, according to Dunlap, does not bode well for McBeth or the DA’s office. Indeed, the judge who presided over the 2003 case against Dunlap – which resulted in an acquittal – said that ethical standards were lacking from the prosecution, that “the government engaged in misconduct,” and that the “twists and turns [used] to gain evidence against Mr. Dunlap were worthy of a John Grisham novel.” Sneddon and Stanley both declined to comment, per county policy on not discussing ongoing lawsuits. Source: http://www.independent.com/news/now970.htm