The Prostitute, The Judge, And The Document Deletions
The Prostitute, The Judge, And The Document Deletions
August 22nd, 2006: How a Sydney sex worker went dumpster diving to embarrass a solicitor, and emerged with evidence that a High Court judge had altered documents regarding a rebuttal.
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that a prostitute going by the name of 'Marie', in what was apparently an attempt to embarrass lawyer, Joseph Michael Ryan, took documents from a bin outside his house. These documents related directly to misgivings related to a case involving Federal High Court Judge, Marcus Einfield, a speeding fine and one - apparently dead - female American professor.
Unlike previous cases, which have involved the deliberate destruction of documents, this recent wrinkle in the Einfield saga relates to written notes that were not destroyed - at least not 'properly'. According to the Herald these notes, comprise handwritten amendments to the Einfield's rebuttals to the allegations that he had misled the court. Notable among the amendments was the removal of the words, "I am protecting no one, not even myself".
Apparently 'Maria' only went into Ryan's trash in order to find any piece of evidence that would enable her to, 'get rid' of the lawyer, who she had first come into contact with in July of 2000.
Aside from the kind of angles that always make for a 'good' story: sex, conspiracy, the law, apparent gross stupidity, and a judge, the stunning element from our perspective is utter paucity of sense when applied to a client's documents in what is, presumably, a respected solicitor's office.
Ethical questions of client confidentiality, the probity of properly tracking amendments, and properly laid out retention policies aside, the fact that Ryan did took the documents home and then carelessly tossed them into the bin beggars belief.