Posted on 11/05/2007 3:46:59 PM PST by Libloather
Officials seek delay in Jefferson lawsuit
The U.S. Justice Department asked a Kentucky judge last week to delay pretrial discovery in a civil suit brought by a stockholder in iGate Inc. against the company's CEO, Vernon Jackson; Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans; and the congressman's wife, Andrea. The lawsuit seeks damages for what plaintiff Daniel Cradle says were illegal actions by the three defendants that wiped out almost all the value of Cradle's iGate stock holdings. The government has indicted Jefferson, accusing him of obtaining payments and stock from Jackson, funneled through a New Orleans company headed by Andrea Jefferson, in return for the congressman's help getting iGate telecommunications contracts in Nigeria and Ghana. The government said that allowing the plaintiffs to interview the Jeffersons and Jackson, who has already pleaded guilty to bribery-related charges, would negatively affect the upcoming criminal trial against Jefferson. "In addition to prematurely disclosing the government's trial strategy and evidence, such discovery increases the risk to Congressman Jefferson and Andrea Jefferson that they will be forced to make a choice between remaining silent and risking an adverse inference in the civil case, or choosing to provide sworn statements (during depositions, in response to interrogatories, or otherwise) and have their words potentially used against them in the criminal case," according to the Justice Department brief. In a separate filing, Jefferson's attorneys ask the Kentucky court to delay not only discovery, but all proceedings in the case until the criminal trial is completed.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
yup
NNaaaaahhhh, nothing to see here, time to MOVEON.yeehck.
I believe this is being delayed because it would expose links between Jefferson, Blanco, and eventually the Clintons.
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