Richard Scruggs

Richard Scruggs
Born (1946-05-17) May 17, 1946 (age 78)
Brookhaven, Mississippi, U.S.
Other namesDickie
EducationUniversity of Mississippi
Occupation(s)Former attorney, philanthropist
Known forClass action lawsuits against the asbestos, tobacco and insurance industries
SpouseDiane Thompson
Partner(s)Helen, Houston Scruggs
Children2

Richard F. "Dickie" Scruggs (born May 17, 1946) is an American former naval aviator and disbarred trial lawyer. He is the brother-in-law of former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. Scruggs first came to the public eye after successfully suing the asbestos industry on behalf of ill shipyard workers. He later represented the state of Mississippi in the tobacco litigation of the 1990s.[1][2] He also represented hundreds of homeowners in lawsuits against insurance companies following Hurricane Katrina,[2] and a national class action of patients against HMOs in the early 2000s.[3]

Scruggs' legal career was derailed by his indictment in a judicial bribery scheme in 2007. Scruggs pled guilty to conspiracy to bribe Circuit Judge Henry L. Lackey in 2008.[4][5] He also entered a 2009 guilty plea for a scheme to influence Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter.[6]

Scruggs was sentenced to five years in prison on June 27, 2008, by U.S. District Judge Neal Brooks Biggers Jr.; and on February 10, 2009, Judge Glen H. Davidson sentenced him to seven years for the second scheme, to run concurrently.[7] He served six years in federal prison and was released in 2014.[8]

Kings of Tort, by Alan Lange and Tom Dawson, released in 2009, documents the rise and fall of Scruggs.[9] The Fall of the House of Zeus: The Rise and Ruin of America's Most Powerful Trial Lawyer, by veteran journalist Curtis Wilkie, was published in 2010.[10]

  1. ^ Fausset, Richard; Jarvie, Jenny (2007-11-30). "Katrina lawyer at the eye of a storm". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ a b Treaster, Joseph (2007-11-29). "Lawyer Battling for Katrina Payments Is Indicted". New York Times. pp. C2.
  3. ^ "Who's Afraid Of Dickie Scruggs?". Newsweek. December 5, 1999. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  4. ^ Pettus, Emily (14 March 2008). "Miss Attorney Pleads in Bribery Case". Associated Press. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  5. ^ Biggers, Neal (August 3, 2011). "U.S. v. SCRUGGS". Leagle. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  6. ^ Brumfield, Patsy (April 29, 2013). "Dick Scruggs, headed back to prison, says he's found new life". djournal.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  7. ^ "Disgraced lawyer Scruggs granted return to prison". Associated Press. April 17, 2013. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference blog.gulflive.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Lange, Alan; et al. (2009). Kings of Tort. Pediment Publishing. p. 255. ISBN 978-1-59725-244-7.
  10. ^ Wilkie, Curtis (2010). The Fall of the House of Zeus: The Rise and Ruin of America's Most Powerful Trial Lawyer. Crown Publishers. p. 400. ISBN 978-0-307-46070-7.