In re Oberhellmann

748 F. Supp. 1344, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13962, 1990 WL 156821
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. Illinois
DecidedOctober 19, 1990
DocketNo. S-90-34
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 748 F. Supp. 1344 (In re Oberhellmann) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Oberhellmann, 748 F. Supp. 1344, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13962, 1990 WL 156821 (C.D. Ill. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION

RICHARD MILLS, District Judge:

A question of criminal contempt.

By an attorney.

On July 22, 1988, Douglas Payton filed an action against the City of Mattoon, Illinois, seeking to recover for severe personal injuries. Payton v. City of Mattoon, 88-3218 (C.D.Ill.1988). Mr. Payton’s only attorney of record was Howard B. Becker. Mr. Becker filed all documents on behalf of Mr. Payton and appeared for the final pretrial conference. Pursuant to our standing order on final pretrial conferences in civil eases, lead trial counsel are required to attend the final pretrial conference. See CDIL-1.

On April 30, 1990, after being notified that the action had been settled, we entered an order dismissing the case. Nine days later the Clerk’s Office received a document entitled “Withdrawal of Appearance,” purportedly signed by Mr. Becker. That document stated that Mr. Becker was withdrawing as counsel for Mr. Payton and informed the Court that Elmer C. Oberhell-mann, Inc., would “remain as counsel for Plaintiff.” Over the next several days we received a telephone call, letter, and affidavit from Mr. Becker — all of which indicated that he neither signed nor filed the purported withdrawal of appearance. Sensing a problem, we issued a Notice of Criminal Contempt Charges and ordered Respondent to appear and show cause why he should not be held in criminal contempt of court for filing a false and fraudulent pleading. See 18 U.S.C. § 401. Respondent refused to accept these documents by certified mail, requiring us to order the U.S. Marshal to serve them upon him.

On July 3, Respondent appeared without counsel and moved for a continuance of the show cause hearing which was denied. We thereupon proceeded with Respondent’s hearing wherein he admitted forging Mr. Becker’s name to the withdrawal of appearance and filing it with this Court. By way [1346]*1346of justification, Respondent argued that he represented Mr. Payton and that Mr. Becker stole the Payton file from Respondent’s office upon the termination of their association. Respondent argued that Mr. Becker did not have authority to settle the case and that the withdrawal of appearance was necessary to protect Mr. Payton from an unfairly low settlement.

We rejected Respondent’s justifications and found him guilty of filing a false and fraudulent pleading in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 401(1). On August 17, Respondent, having retained an attorney, filed a motion for new trial, or in the alternative to dismiss. When the parties appeared for sentencing on August 20, we allowed Respondent’s motion for continuance and granted him leave to file a supplemental motion for new trial. We now turn to that motion.

In our order allowing Respondent to file a supplemental motion for new trial, we directed the parties to specifically address the 7-day time limitation contained in Fed. R.Crim.P. 33. Specifically, a motion for new trial based on any ground other than newly discovered evidence must be filed within 7 days of the verdict or such further time as allowed by the Court within that 7-day period. Because neither Respondent’s original nor supplemental motions for new trial were filed within this 7-day period, we are foreclosed from considering any ground other than newly discovered evidence. Not surprisingly, Respondent bases his motion for new trial upon the discovery of new evidence.

MOTION FOR A NEW TRIAL

A motion for new trial is addressed to the sound discretion of the district court. United States v. Davis, 604 F.2d 474, 483 (7th Cir.1979). To obtain a new trial based upon newly discovered evidence, respondent must show that the evidence: (1) came to his knowledge only after trial; (2) could not have been discovered sooner had he exercised due diligence; (3) is material, and not merely impeaching or cumulative; and (4) would probably lead to an acquittal in the event of a new trial. United States v. Tucker, 836 F.2d 334, 336 (7th Cir.1988), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 109 S.Ct. 3154, 104 L.Ed.2d 1018 (1989).

I

Respondent cites two instances of “newly discovered” evidence which he argues entitle him to a new trial. First, Respondent has submitted the transcript of a conversation on April 28, 1990, which occurred between Mr. Becker and Mr. Pay-ton in Mr. Payton’s hospital room at the University of Missouri-Columbia Medical Center. In that conversation, Mr. Becker states that “the purpose of this proceeding is to enter into a contract between Douglas Payton and myself.” Mr. Becker and Mr. Payton then proceed to discuss their relationship and Mr. Becker’s continued representation of Mr. Payton in his lawsuit against the City of Mattoon.

Respondent argues that this conversation supports his position that Mr. Becker stole the Payton file from Respondent’s office and subsequently entered into a contract with Mr. Payton to represent him in his lawsuit against the City of Mattoon. Subsequent to the events underlying this action, the City of Mattoon filed an inter-pleader action in this Court seeking a judicial determination of the respective parties’ rights to the settlement money. City of Mattoon, Illinois v. Payton, 90-3160 (C.D.Ill.1990). Respondent obtained the transcript of the conversation between Mr. Becker and Mr. Payton on August 27, 1990, when it was produced by Mr. Becker’s attorney as discovery in the interpleader action. Conceding for the purpose of argument, as the Government does, that this transcript fulfills the first two elements required to obtain a new trial, see United States v. Feldman, 756 F.2d 556, 560 (7th Cir.1985), we turn to the third and fourth elements.

The transcript is ambiguous. Construing it in the light most favorable to Respondent, it supports his position that Mr. Becker did not, prior to April 28, have an independent attorney-client relationship with Mr. Payton. Construed in this manner, the transcript is merely cumulative and not material to the issues before this Court. Re[1347]*1347spondent argued at his show cause hearing that he was justified in filing the false withdrawal of appearance because Mr. Becker stole the Payton file from his office and did not have authority to settle the case. Respondent has failed to convince this Court, however, that Mr. Becker’s actions, if true, would constitute a legal justification for filing a fraudulent pleading with the Court. Thus, we must conclude that the transcript is not material to the issues currently before this Court.

Furthermore, we cannot conclude that the transcript, had it been before the Court at the time of the show cause hearing, probably would have resulted in an acquittal. A district court, when entertaining a motion for a new trial, may rely upon knowledge gained while presiding over the trial. United States v. Garrison,

Related

In Re Oberhellmann
873 S.W.2d 851 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1994)
United States v. Elmer C. Oberhellmann
946 F.2d 50 (Seventh Circuit, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
748 F. Supp. 1344, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13962, 1990 WL 156821, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-oberhellmann-ilcd-1990.