Judge To McGuiness: ‘State Will Not Pay For High-Priced Lawyer For You’
For the first time, Kathy McGuiness will save the taxpayers some money. Just not of her own volition:
McGuiness hired Steve Wood, a former state prosecutor, who’s now a partner at McCarter & English LLP, a month before she was indicted. He petitioned the court to represent her in the case for $550 per hour in a cost he claimed should be paid for by the state. Wood cited a Delaware law that allows state employees facing charges tied to their public work to have a publicly funded attorney.
The attorney general’s office argued, instead, that under the statute McGuiness was entitled to a public defender at a much lower cost of $100 per hour to conserve taxpayer funds.President Judge Jan Jurden agreed, and in her denial, noted McGuiness would be appointed an attorney from the Office of Defense Services.
Of course, the millionairess is free to hire a high-powered attorney on her own dime. Maybe Mitch Crane will do some pro bono work for her…
Steve Wood needs to have his head shaved for filing such a frivolous request.
Or have that hair helmet peeled off…
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
On the other hand, if she can afford to move to Park City so her kid can ski, I’m pretty sure she can afford Steve Wood.
and taking this shot and buying himself more time to build his reasonable doubt. if it goes to trial that is all he needs
Still a fan of make her get a public defender, who in the grand tradition will tell her to plead guilty. Note in advance: The rich never admit guilt, they just hire more lawyers.
Despite the taxpayer-funded $112K salary, expensive house at the beach, and past jaunts to Utah for skiing, it’s entirely possible that money troubles were the root of some of this alleged misconduct.
It’s not outside the realm of possibility to imagine a hypothetical politician sticking a kid on the payroll to gross an extra $20K to cover an investment gone sour, a big repair at the mansion, or a need for emergency plastic surgery.
Just saying, it’s possible she’ll end up taking the PD because she really can’t afford Wood.
For fun, here’s how KMcG tried to lawyer things up when she was in court about 15 years ago fighting about her house. The attempts to redefine plain English basic words and phrases are just laughable – the court is clearly having none of this shit. https://casetext.com/case/mcguiness-v-bd-of-adjust-town-hen-lopen
(Also, media? Stop saying she’s from Rehoboth. She lives in Henlopen Acres, the tiniest town in the state, population 182.)
That ruling was great. Bottom line? 6000 feet is 6000 feet. You can’t exceed it.
While it’s possible she’s strapped for cash, If she lives in Henlopen Acres she’s either mortgaged to the hilt or can borrow against her very expensive home. According to Mr. Google, homes in Henlopen Acres range from $1.5 million to $5 million.
Is she married? if not she may be strapped. $112k aint much when you’ve got a big mortgage to keep up appearances and college bills
Check the link SussexWatcher provided. She and her husband wanted to build — not buy, build — a 7,000+ square foot house in Henlopen Acres. You can’t get that mortgage without significant cash flow.
He’s apparently a realtor with Jack Lingo. Their house is at 6 Broad Hollow St. in Henlopen Acres, and judging by the Google Maps aerial photo it’s toward the upper end of the community’s price range.
BTW, that court case isn’t an isolated instance of KKMcG acting as if rules were for others to follow and for her to break. Anyone could see she was a bad actor. Either Mitch Crane couldn’t see that, in which case he’s unfit, or he didn’t care, in which case he’s unfit.
without significant cash flow you can get that mortgage with a little help from friends. ergo, wilmington trust type deals
I don’t think so. Those were big commercial loans, not individual mortgages.
Isn’t her family wealthy? Not that she necessarily has access to that cash.
Also, I never got the point of mortgaging your house to pay for your defense. Even if you win you are screwed.
The poster child is probably Richard Korn, who was was accused and acquitted of having child porn on his computer. Before trial he was vilified for suing his own mother for a few hundred K that was his interest in some shared real estate (and winning). I always speculated he needed that money to hire computer experts and to pay for his successful defense in the porn case. Most accused of child porn are poor schlubs unable to mount a defense, so they get easily rolled over. But not Richard Korn, who is a legendary litigious bastard. A hollow victory, but at least he can say he isn’t a registered sex offender. Modern prosecutorial practice is not equipped to prevail against a robust defense.
“I never got the point of mortgaging your house to pay for your defense.”
Your stay in prison is rent-free, if that’s what you mean. I can’t see how you think staying out of prison is a “hollow victory.”
“Modern prosecutorial practice is not equipped to prevail against a robust defense.”
By design. If you have enough money to hire a team of all stars, you are the kind of person the system was set up to protect. That’s the amazing thing about Jeffrey Epstein ending up in the Federal Bureau of Prisons Metropolitan Correctional Center
It does make one wonder how many poor defendants would win their case if they could afford a strong defense, and not one designed to efficiently process plea bargains.
Epstein was in MCC to protect people who were even more privileged than Epstein.
I remember that story. Didn’t it actually come out that his ex-wife, Magda, planted the stuff on his computer because they were fighting over custody of their daughters? How messy
“planted the stuff on his computer”
That was the implication that created reasonable doubt, but not at all proven.
Wasn’t proven because she wasn’t investigated. It wasn’t his burden to prove it.
Tower Hill headmaster wouldn’t take a plea deal, got convicted, had the book thrown at him, appealed and got the evidence thrown out and walked.
Last I checked, Hartly’s population was 74. And, it has its own ZIP code.
Henlopen Acres is smallest by geographic size, I should have clarified.
6 Broad Hollow St, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971-1609 Henlopen Acres Town (Lewes Rehoboth Hundred) Tax ID 334-14.09-15.04
Public Records Tax History Sale & Mortgage Flood Report Last Listing Last Listing-Property History Maps
Record Date: 03/10/2003 Book: 2811
Settle Date: Page: 102
Sales Amt: $1,050,000 Doc Num:
Sale Remarks:
Owner Names:
Stephen J & Kathleen K McGuiness
Mort Rec Date: 07/20/2021 Lender Name: RESIDENTIAL MTG SVC INC RESIDENTIAL MTG SVC INC
Mort Date: 07/13/2021 Term: 30
Mort Amt: $1,747,800 Due Date: 08/01/2051
Remarks: Conv, Refinance
Mort Rec Date: 10/30/2019 Lender Name: M&T BK M&T BK
Mort Date: 10/11/2019 Term: 30
Mort Amt: $1,779,000 Due Date: 11/01/2049
Remarks: Conv, Refinance
Mort Rec Date: 03/17/2015 Lender Name: M&T BK
Mort Date: 03/10/2015 Term: 30
Mort Amt: $1,000,000 Due Date: 04/01/2045
Remarks: Conv, Refinance
Mort Rec Date: 06/05/2008 Lender Name: WILMINGTON TR CO
Mort Date: 04/11/2008 Term: 0
Mort Amt: $200,000 Due Date:
Remarks: Conv, Home Equity L
so they bought the house in 2003 for a mil and have taken a home eq loan and refinanced 3 times for well above the original sales price. either they have some really hot stock times or they are broke
For context the home is in an amazing location and my educated guess of current value is between 3.5 and 4 mil. That’s more than double the current mortgage. Not an indicator on it’s face of financial distress.
when you buy a house nearly 20 years ago for 1m you dont end up buying it over and over again for an additional 3.7mil. it may be worth 4-5mil but they are mortgaged up to the hilt. theyve refied a lot and taken a lot of cash out
Do you understand how refinancing mortgages works? Each refinancing pays off the previous loan; they probably took them out as mortgage rates dropped. So they’re mortgaged for $1.8 on a house worth about $4 million.
They are not strapped.
Correct
At current interest rates, the monthly nut on a $1.8 million mortgage is about $8,000. So depending on how much hubby is earning, they might be feeling the squeeze.
Reading SussexWatcher’s linked Board of Adjustment appeal ruling about the house was strangely mesmerizing. It was like reasoning with a toddler: “But why?” Because the dwelling is greater than 6000 sf and the Town has the right to limit the size of homes. “But why?” ………. ad infinitum. After six such go-rounds: “IT IS SO ORDERED.” And if you ask again I will definitely open a can of whoop-ass!