Arkansas Justice Has a Generous Lawyer Friend, Disclosure Forms Reveal
An Arkansas Supreme Court justice is dating a generous class-action lawyer, according to disclosure forms filed on Monday.
Justice Courtney Henry reported that Texarkana lawyer John Goodson gave her gifts valued at more than $99,000, according to the Associated Press and the Arkansas Blog of the Arkansas Times. She has pledged to recuse herself from any cases involving Goodson or his law firm.
The gifts include nine trips, earrings valued at $9,500; a watch valued at $22,500; several coats, including one valued at $6,700; several handbags; two iPads; and a Wii, according to the disclosure form (PDF posted by the Arkansas Times).
Goodman’s Avvo profile shows that he worked on a class action resulting in a $400 million payout to policyholders who had claimed insurers conspired with insurance software manufacturers to underpay bodily injury claims. LegalNewsline, operated by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform, had a 2008 story on the case and the big legal fees it is generating.
