In this episode, Sean Carter humorously introduces the first nominations in four Ethy Awards categories:
1. Worst Temper in a Non-Legal Setting
Nominee: Key Largo
A New York town court justice was forced to tender his resignation after he keyed a town official's car in retaliation for the town's refusal to provide him with health insurance.
2. Best Original Excuse
Nominee: School Daze
A Minnesota lawyer unsuccessfully argued that his failure to take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (a condition for readmission to the bar) should be excused because he did not know how or where to register for the exam. As a result, his conditional readmittance was revoked.
3. Most Creative Tale
Nominee: Snowball Express
An Illinois lawyer was suspended for three years for falsely claiming that he suffered from a rare form of stomach cancer; initially, as a way to boost his chances of getting into the University of Chicago Law School (which he did) and later, as a way to gain continuances and other accommodations as a lawyer.
4. Ms/Mr Uncongeniality
Nominee: Code Name: The Cleaner
A Kentucky lawyer received a fully-stayed 180-day suspension (provided that he does not violate any other ethics rules for the next two years) after he pleaded guilty to assault for hitting opposing counsel over the head with a Lysol can during settlement negotiations.
One of the mitigating circumstances in defense was the four years the lawyer spent in prison during the 1980s as a result of his wrongful conviction for rape and attempted murder. As a "bonus" feature, Carter delves into the particulars of that disturbing case.
