LETTER: Henry Ruggs DUI case drags on

Lawyer David Chesnoff claims his client, former Raider Henry Ruggs, was being treated differently than other DUI defendants (“Judge recuses self from Rugg’s DUI case,” Thursday Review-Journal). Fact is, Mr. Ruggs is extremely different than the huge majority of DUI offenders.

I’ve worked with many DUI offenders — none was traveling even close to 156 mph on a residential street in a new Corvette while under a $16 million work contract while a girlfriend in the passenger seat screamed in fear of her own life. Nor did any kill a young woman and her dog.

What ever happened to lawyers such as Lincoln and Gandhi? As a mediator, I feel sorry for Mr. Ruggs. A caring lawyer, I believe, would have had this beleaguered young man throw himself on the mercy of the court, apologize, beg forgiveness, vow to stay clean and sober and be tested while on parole for life and ask a highly qualified negotiator to help the client mediate the best deal possible. All this folderol switching court rooms and judges is simply delaying the inevitable. Mr. Ruggs has been under fire for over a year. The young man needs to pay his debt and get on with his life. He’s probably not a bad person.

But if he chose that route, there would be far fewer billable hours.

Both Lincoln and Gandhi had something magnificent to say about lawyers using mediation when it’s in the best interest of their clients.