Armed Security Guards in Depositions?

UPDATE: Bottom of post — LAT says the guard “flashed” his gun. That is a threat, and a former cop should know that.

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This is outrageous. Is Bush just a complete tool?

Lloyd Lake walked out of a deposition with Reggie Bush after an unknown person brandished a gun.

Reggie Bush’s attorney is on the offensive.

“I’m concerned when a convicted felon runs around the nation telling his story for books, radio, print and television shows, then masquerades as a plaintiff, but is unwilling to sit down to testify under oath,” Cornwell said.

Well that is a concern until …

Cornwell said Bush has no plans to give a deposition on Feb. 25, the date Lake’s attorney, Brian Watkins, said he worked out with a member of Bush’s legal team.

So Bush is not going to be deposed either? Seems awfully arrogant to accuse someone of not doing what you are not willing to do either. Even more bizarre is this:

According to Watkins, he and Lake aborted Tuesday’s deposition because of the presence of an armed man in the downtown San Diego conference room where the meeting was held.

“He was trying to intimidate Lloyd Lake, because they don’t want this information to come out,” Watkins said. “I didn’t think they’d go so far as to bring a gun to the deposition.”

The Bush team is saying it was only for protection. From whom? Clearly they assumed Lake was a threat, and it seems to me that they were trying to intimidate him. Spare me the “attorney’s wouldn’t do that nonsense”.

Maybe some one should ask Reggie Bush whey he too $300,000 dollars from an Agent — against the rules — and a felon? I would like to know the answer to that. I also wonder if USC will go after Bush if the NCAA decides they broke the rules. To my thinking he is culpable.

Cornwell declined comment when asked why Bush has not cooperated with NCAA and Pac-10 investigators.

Interesting.

Maybe they are just interested in his work study jobs.

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UPDATE: The LAT says the attorney is calling Lake a “documented” gang member. It gets better.

Bush’s attorney, David Cornwell, said he felt the need for protection because Lloyd Lake, the man suing his client, is a convicted felon and documented gang member.

Lake’s attorney said the “big, heavyset” security guard flashed a holstered handgun and initially refused to identify himself.

“Flash”-ing a gun is a big no-no. That’s an implied threat.

“If you’re going to have a security guard there . . . have a licensed security guard with a uniform and a business card,” lawyer Brian Watkins said. “Why bring this secretive guy who won’t tell us who he is? That’s witness intimidation.”

Oh yeah, that also. This is going to get ugly, and could be big trouble for Bush. Sure seems like his a thug himself.

USC’s image is about to take a beating, also.

UPDATE 2: Yahoo has picked up the gun brandhishing news item

“I’m stunned by their conduct,” said Lake’s other attorney, Paul Wong. “We take this matter very seriously. You shouldn’t be able to bring a gun to a deposition and threaten people. We don’t even allow police officers to bring their guns to their own depositions.

“If they were afraid for any reason or concerned about security, they should have raised that or notified the court in advance, and they didn’t. We could have done the deposition in the courtroom if they were worried about security.”

Like I said previously, this is serious and for an attorney to do this is idiotic.

Attorney Brian Bieber, who has 14 years’ experience in civil, criminal, state and federal court cases, said it was extremely odd for someone to come to a deposition with a gun.

“It is nearly unheard of,” said Bieber, who has taken part in more than 700 depositions in South Florida. “Clearly, this was done as an intimidation factor. … If an attorney was aware of the presence of a firearm on the premises of the deposition and didn’t let everyone in the room know about it, you could be looking at a serious bar violation.

“It’s preposterous.”

Wong said he and Watkins would file a motion for an order of protection from the court in hopes of preventing “further intimidation” when the deposition is rescheduled.

Seems to me that the Bush team is assuming the position of haughty and arrogant tough guy. This is going to turn out badly.

Tags: usc, ucla, reggie bush, lloyd lake, david cromwell, brian watkins, ncaa, football