So just who should pay the legal bills of Scott Rothstein's criminal defense attorney, Marc Nurik, who is sitting with the Ponzi crook during his two-week deposition?
That was a question posed to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Raymond Ray. As a federal inmate, Rothstein doesn't have the money to pay for an attorney. A proposal was made to require all the law firms involved in the deposition to pony up funds "on a pro rata basis."
Ray agreed Tuesday, saying he would conduct a hearing after the deposition ends and bill attorneys according to how much each benefits from the deposition and how much time each is given to question Rothstein.
Many lawyers objected, saying Rothstein's fraud victims should not have to pay for his attorney, but perhaps his wife, Kim, should pay.
"I don't think she has any money left," Ray responded.
Another proposal generated some chuckles from the gallery. The judge proposed news media should pay a portion of Nurik's fee in exchange for transcripts.
"Won't they be selling extra newspapers from this?" he asked.
Conrad & Scherer attorney Jim Silver said, "I'm not going there, judge." He had asked permission to produce daily transcripts.
Holland & Knight attorney Sanford Bohrer, who was hired by the Daily Business Review and Sun-Sentinel to argue for timely access to daily transcripts, immediately jumped up to ask, "Then can they attend the depositions?"
Ray responded that the U.S. Marshals Service would not permit that. Reporters were barred by Ray's order based on federal security concerns.
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