Pennsylvania lawyers ghost clients without penalty
The gist
ProPublica reported Pennsylvania judges rarely sanction appointed lawyers who abandon clients' appeals.
The piece asks who the system serves when lawyers argue against their own clients.
How it unfolded
- 2019Marissa Boyers Bluestine, a longtime post-conviction lawyer, left court with her newly exonerated client Willie Veasy while working for the Pennsylvania Innocence Project.
- 2021Lawyer Earl Kauffman wrote a Finley letter stating "The fault lies with [my client,] not the courts"; Pennsylvania's Superior Court rejected his determination in a 2023 opinion.
- Over the last six yearsThe state Superior Court criticized attorney Douglas Dolfman's post-conviction work six times, finding he abandoned two clients and deprived another of meaningful representation; the state bar directory shows no disciplinary action followed.
Key terms
- Superior Court
- An intermediate appellate court in some U.S. states, hearing appeals from lower trial courts.
Source: Wikipedia