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Original Lawyers Out of Suite Against Gloucester Auction |
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Attorney David Smith said Monday he is seeking replacement counsel to
end his firm's association with a fishermen's $1 million lawsuit against
the Ciulla family and its now defunct auction business, alleging years
of "skimming" from fees owed on fish sales.
On Nov. 9, the Ciullas filed a "motion to disqualify counsel" based on "prior representation" of the auction by Stephen Ouellette, Smith's partner in the professional association, Ouellette & Smith. Ouellette, based in Gloucester, is one of the East Coast's leading fishing and maritime attorneys. U.S. District Court Judge William Young issued an order Nov. 22 closing the suit "without prejudice" while noting that the case "may be reopened upon motion by any party" once the "above-entitled impediment to the trial has been removed." "There was a potential conflict," said Ouellette, who had defended the Ciulla family's Gloucester Seafood Display Auction early in the last decade in the first of three cases brought against it by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Read the complete story in The Gloucester Times
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HASTINGS: Time to improve the Endangered Species Act
May 18, 2012 - When the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law in 1973 by President Nixon, he spoke about the importance of preserving “the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed.” I believe that goal is as important today as it was back then. However, after nearly 40 years, it’s time to take a fresh, honest look at the law and consider whether there are ways it could be improved to do a better job of protecting and recovering species.
