Leaked Emails Name Shadow Lawyer in Charlottesville Case - SPLC

[Nevilledog]

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https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/10/21/leaked-emails-name-shadow-lawyer-charlottesville-case


Glen Allen, a lawyer Hatewatch identified in 2016 as paying dues to the neo-Nazi group National Alliance, provides what appears to be legal advice to Michael “Enoch” Peinovich in the emails Hatewatch reviewed, despite never formally appearing as counsel in the case. In 2018, Hatewatch reported on Peinovich’s use of a “shadow” lawyer, and so did other outlets who covered the “Unite the Right”-focused lawsuit, also known as Sines v. Kessler. Peinovich presented himself to the court as being a pro se defendant, meaning he represented his own interests without legal counsel, but others doubted the veracity of this claim.

“I don’t know whether the person that is ghostwriting his briefs is full-time or not, but he has got a lawyer,” plaintiff’s attorney Roberta Kaplan told U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon in a hearing in June 2018.

Allen, the unidentified lawyer Kaplan referenced, paid dues for years to National Alliance, a neo-Nazi group founded by the late William Luther Pierce. (Pierce authored the dystopian racist book The Turner Diaries, which helped inspire the Oklahoma City terror attack in 1995.) In the emails Hatewatch reviewed, Allen advises Peinovich on how best to present his case. In one example, Peinovich says in a Jan. 16, 2018, email to Allen that he wants to ask Moon to take judicial notice of the First Amendment. When someone gives judicial notice in a court, it typically highlights facts that cannot be disputed, such as previous court decisions, or times of day.

“You can do it at any time but it is strictly for factual matters, so it would be insulting to ask the judge to take judicial notice [of the First Amendment],” Allen replies in the emails. “Please don’t.”

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