[Eugene Volokh] More on the Judge, the Lawyer, and When the Grandfather Died

[The saga of Richard Liebowitz (alleged "copyright troll," though that's tangential to this particular controversy) continues.]

I wrote about the case last week; there are now more developments, reported by The Smoking Gun under the headline, "Federal Judge Pummels Lying Litigator In Unrelenting Courtroom Beatdown":

In a remarkable courtroom pummeling, a federal judge today branded a notorious copyright lawyer an inveterate liar who undertook a "concerted campaign of deception" that has left her questioning the attorney's "fitness to practice."

In a 70-minute hearing in her White Plains, New York courtroom, Judge Cathy Seibel this morning delivered a blistering denunciation of Richard Liebowitz's behavior in connection with a civil lawsuit he brought last year on behalf of a photographer.

As detailed in a TSG story published Monday, Liebowitz (seen at right) lied to Seibel when asked to explain why he failed to show up for an April 12 court hearing. Liebowitz claimed that his grandfather had died on the morning of the hearing, and that, "I needed to immediately arrange to be with my family during this difficult time." Liebowitz told Seibel, "In the Jewish religion certain customs needed to be done before the Sabbath that I needed to assist in. I truly hope the Court understands this emergency."

Read the story (and follow the links) for more. Thanks to reader Theodore Shulman for the pointer.