Oh no, he's back...
From the Daily News this morning:
Disbarred lawyer C. Vernon Mason - a civil rights leader at the heart of the Tawana Brawley case - is on the transition team for Manhattan District Attorney-elect Cy Vance.
Mason, who lost his law license for mistreating poor clients, is among 35 advisers who will help shape policy and prosecutions.
A grand jury later concluded Brawley fabricated the story. In 1998, Mason, Sharpton and activist Alton Maddox lost a defamation suit brought by prosecutor Stephen Pagones, whom they falsely accused in the Brawley case.
Mason was ordered to pay $185,000 in damages, a debt that has not been paid, said Pagones, 48, who runs a private investigation firm.
Oh, yeah, it seems perfectly reasonable to me that this gentleman should be influencing policy and prosecutions at the Manhattan DA’s office.
Perhaps you’re a little fuzzy on the Brawley case? Check this out. My favorite part of the decision:
For the reasons noted above, as well as many others reflected in the record, Mason and Maddox failed in a lengthy trial, with full opportunity to present evidence and to cross-examine witnesses, to establish the truth of Brawley’s allegations. Quite to the contrary, after a thorough review of the evidence, the jury determined that plaintiff had proved the falsity of Brawley’s allegations against him by clear and convincing evidence, an extremely heavy burden of proof.
One thing is certain, that Brawley did not foresee that Mrs. Joyce Lloray, a neighbor, would be observing her sneak around the corner of the building opposite the Lloray apartment, climb into the garbage bag and lie down. Mrs. Lloray was judged by this Court and obviously by the trial jury as well as the Grand Jury to be an extremely credible witness with no reason to testify to anything other than what she saw and observed. It was her call to the Dutchess County Sheriff, out of concern for Brawley’s welfare, which detailed her observations. These observations were entered in the Sheriff’s official records for anyone to see who took the time to request a copy of the Sheriff’s report, a public record. Mr. Lloray, her husband, testified that when he went to Brawley, she looked at him and then closed her eyes.
