Bbm
Except that plaintiffs tried to and could not obtain the unredacted documents from Fields’s criminal attorney because they could not be located. I’m not arguing with the judge’s decision, but I sure don’t blame a frustrated plaintiffs’ attorney in a civil case for being frustrated when the unredacted documents could not be located by the obvious other source.
Source:
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/65590626/111/adkins-v-fields/
Here is the text:
“Plaintiffs obtained heavily redacted records from the Attorney General’s office earlier this year and have shared these documents with the parties to this action. The redactioin of these records2 makes it difficult for Plaintiffs to ascertain the full breadth of information contained in these records which relate directly to Plaintiffs’ claims in the case sub judice. Plaintiffs worked
<RSBM for continuity>
diligently to obtain these documents through discovery from Defendant Fields, but have been told the Defendant Fields’ criminal attorney, who purportedly has had health issues recently, was unable to locate these documents. As such, and after much discussion with all counsel in this
action, the parties agreed that the best course was to obtain these records through subpoena to the Attorney General’s office.”
I think we all agree that the deputy’s actions were despicable. No doubt. But to the extent that there were significant redactions from the documents that appeared to directly apply to the civil case, and since the less redacted documents were provided to Fields’ criminal defense attorney but they could not be supplied by the criminal attorney to the civil attorney, it is also no doubt that the civil attorney’s curiosity was piqued.
However, I agree completely with
@Seattle1 ’s point that the parties were prepared to go to mediation immediately before the shooting of KM. Immediately after the shooting, however, a stay was requested by both parties and approved by the judge in the civil case.
That’s the long. The short is this: there very well could be material in those documents that connects MS to others. Or maybe there’s nothing there. Clearly, the plaintiffs in the civil case have decided to wait for their payout in the belief that *something* is there that would increase their chances for more money. Not at all sure if that could involve KM or not.
All Moo.
Edit for clarity
