He is a legendary trial lawyer, and one of the richest men in Mississippi. His name graces the music building at his alma mater, Ole Miss. He is the brother-in-law of Republican Sen. Trent Lott, and a friend of the Democratic state attorney general.
Attorney Richard F. "Dickie" Scruggs once vowed to use his expertise, stature and money to fight the insurance industry's alleged mishandling of homeowners' claims after Hurricane Katrina.
But now he may be fighting for his freedom.
This week, the lawyer was indicted by a federal grand jury, accused of attempting to bribe a state judge presiding over a lawsuit involving millions of dollars in legal fees. He and four other defendants, including his lawyer son, could face up to 75 years in prison if convicted.
The news is sending shock waves throughout the legal community -- and the state.
On the Mississippi coast, some of Scruggs' clients were wondering what the news would mean for the scores of pending cases that his law group brought against their insurance carriers.
"I feel like I'm sitting on top of a barbed-wire fence," said Lyman Cumbest, a neighbor and client of Scruggs who is suing State Farm Insurance. "I don't know if our lawsuit will continue to be pushed through the court or not."
Meanwhile, Scruggs' fellow lawyers were wondering why a man of such wealth would allegedly risk so much for a quibble over a few million dollars.
"It just boggles the mind," said Jack Denton, a trial attorney in Biloxi, Miss. "Here is a man who has had an enormous amount of success, who reached a level very few attorneys, if any, have reached. Why would he risk everything over a legal dispute over attorneys' fees?"
The case was even reverberating in the realm of national politics: The Associated Press reported Thursday that a fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) scheduled for Dec. 15 at Scruggs' Oxford, Miss., home had been canceled by her presidential campaign. Former President Clinton had been slated to appear.
Scruggs, 61, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Nor could his defense attorney, John W. Keker. The San Francisco lawyer is storied in his own right. He successfully prosecuted Oliver L. North in the Iran-Contra scandal, and defended Chief Financial Officer Andrew S. Fastow in his Enron trial.
Scruggs originally hired Keker to defend him in another criminal case, in which he has been charged with contempt for allegedly defying the orders of a federal judge. An arraignment date in that case has not been set.
