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Klayman Denied N.Y. Admission in Former Gossip Reporter's Suit Against Billionaire
New York Law Journal
September 07, 2007
A New York judge has denied pro hac vice admission to the lawyer representing former gossip reporter Jared Paul Stern in his lawsuit against billionaire Ronald Burkle.
In a decision Thursday, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub pointed to a litany of complaints by other judges about Miami lawyer Larry Klayman's "inappropriate and unethical behavior" in denying Klayman's application to practice in New York.
The judge cited seven instances in which Klayman had been rebuked or sanctioned by federal judges. One of those was Southern District of New York Judge Denny Chin, who in 1997 sanctioned Klayman for making "preposterous" claims and engaging in "abusive and obnoxious" behavior.
"Mr. Klayman's record demonstrates more than an occasional lapse of judgment, it evinces a total disregard for the judicial process," Tolub wrote in Stern v. Burkle, 103916/07.
Klayman, well known as the founder of Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group that filed several lawsuits against the Clinton White House, said Thursday he would appeal Tolub's decision. "There are many instances in which judges have praised my conduct," said Klayman, who is admitted to practice in Florida, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.
The underlying lawsuit arises from last year's scandal in which Stern, then a writer for the New York Post's Page Six, was accused of trying to extort money from Burkle in exchange for favorable coverage. Stern, who lost his job over the allegations, charges in his suit that Burkle, Bill and Hillary Clinton, the New York Daily News and others conspired to destroy his career.
