Afternoon Briefs: Bar assault leads to suspension; lawyer reprimanded for punch threat
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Former prosecutor suspended for bar assault
A New York appeals court has imposed a two-month suspension on a former prosecutor in New York County after his conviction for getting into a physical fight with a woman at a bar. Eli Karl Cherkasky said he reacted after the woman hit him in the eye with her arm and threw a beer at him. According to stipulated facts, Cherkasky knocked the woman “against a railing, tackled her to the floor, kneeled on top of her, grabbed her neck and struck her in the face.” (Bloomberg Law, the Legal Profession Blog, the March 10 appellate opinion)
Lawyer reprimanded for confrontation with prosecutor
New Orleans criminal defense lawyer Ike Spears was reprimanded Monday for a confrontation with a prosecutor who called him a liar. According to a court transcript, Spears told the prosecutor he would “punch the [expletive] out of you if you call me a liar again.” The transcript also indicated Spears raised his fist at the prosecutor; Spears denied it but did admit to “a little ‘flex action.’” (NOLA.com)
Former federal prosecutor gets probation for falsified time cards
A former assistant U.S. attorney was sentenced to one year of probation last week for falsifying her time cards. Barbara Zoccola of Memphis had pleaded guilty to theft in November for misrepresenting time worked, costing the federal government at least $6,500. She is a former president of the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners and a former president of the Memphis Bar Association. (The Jackson Sun, Justice Department press release)
