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Judiciary
BigLaw associate alleges federal decide as soon as assaulted and taunted him, requiring his recusal
A associate at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith is alleging {that a} federal decide pushed him and challenged him to a battle after they have been working on the identical regulation agency in 2008. (Photograph from Shutterstock)
A associate at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith is alleging {that a} federal decide pushed him and challenged him to a battle after they have been working on the identical regulation agency in 2008.
The lawyer, Francis G.X. Pileggi, is presently a managing associate of the Wilmington, Delaware, workplace of Lewis Brisbois. He’s in search of the recusal of U.S. District Decide Gregory Williams of Delaware in an employment case, Bloomberg Law studies.
Pileggi and Williams labored at Fox Rothschild on the time, though Pileggi didn’t identify the agency in courtroom paperwork, based on Bloomberg Regulation.
Pileggi’s allegations in regards to the incident are in a declaration filed together with an April 1 motion asking Williams to rethink his March refusal to recuse.
Pileggi stated the 2008 incident stemmed from his work co-hosting a fundraiser for a gubernatorial candidate. Williams blamed Pileggi for failing to incorporate his identify on the fundraiser invitation as a member of the host committee.
“Williams exploded with rage and stormed into my workplace with out knocking, closing the door behind him; walked behind my desk; and thrust each of his fingers in opposition to my chest, making me stumble backwards,” Pileggi wrote in his declaration. “In the course of the assault, a number of private gadgets on the windowsill behind the desk and the desk chair have been knocked over.”
To keep away from disturbing different legal professionals, Pileggi stated, he and Williams walked to an space of the constructing close to a loading space.
“Williams once more criminally assaulted me,” Pileggi wrote. “As I walked away, I ignored Williams repeatedly difficult me to a battle.”
Pileggi added in a footnote that he was “a profitable scholastic wrestler” who “may have neutralized the risk, however the higher a part of valor on this scenario was to stoically endure the abuse as an alternative of taking the bait.”
The declaration stated Pileggi walked towards the foyer to return to the workplace, “whereas Williams adopted and continued to impress and taunt and hurl invectives at me, till one other lawyer restrained him.”
Pileggi stated he didn’t make a felony criticism as a result of he didn’t need Williams to have a report that might negatively have an effect on his profession.
Williams, an appointee of President Joe Biden, denied Pileggi’s preliminary recusal movement in a March 21 order.
“After cautious consideration, the decide concludes that he has no precise bias or prejudice in the direction of counsel” or the plaintiff he represents, Williams wrote. “It’s extremely uncertain that any affordable particular person, with information of all of the details, would fairly query the decide’s impartiality.”
Pileggi additionally sought Williams’ recusal in January 2023 in a distinct case, based on Bloomberg Regulation. Regardless that Williams agreed to recuse, he stated he didn’t provoke the disagreement, and he by no means bodily assaulted Pileggi.
“The decide put the incident behind him years in the past and has no private animus or bias in opposition to Mr. Pileggi or his consumer,” Williams wrote within the different case.
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