Dallas Lawyer Sues Judge over Stalking Comments
A Dallas lawyer has filed a libel suit against a judge overseeing a case involving the dissolution of his law firm for expressing concerns that the lawyer was stalking him.
Lawyer Evan Lane “Van” Shaw claims in the Dallas County suit that the judge made false statements about stalking to the sheriff’s department and in an e-mail to judges in his courthouse, Texas Lawyer reports. The e-mail by Judge Carl Ginsberg asked judges to be careful about allowing Shaw access to a hallway behind the courtrooms, according to the judge’s own account of his actions in referring a recusal request by Shaw to the court’s presiding judge.
The referral says Ginsberg called sheriff’s police after he saw Shaw loitering outside his townhouse, and then saw him at a 7-Eleven, according to the story. The incident occurred the same day that Ginsberg was set to hear a motion in Shaw’s case. No charges were filed against Shaw.
Shaw claims Ginsberg is not entitled to judicial immunity because his statements to police and other judges were nonjudicial acts. Shaw’s lawyer, Dan Hagood, told Texas Lawyer that Shaw was looking at real estate around Ginsberg’s home and was not stalking him.
