Lawyer who talked to Tressel was a former OSU Walk-on

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March 9th, 2011 at 8:18 PM
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Seth9
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Lawyer who talked to Tressel was a former OSU Walk-on

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that the lawyer who contacted Tressel was former-OSU walk-on Chris Cicero, whose time at OSU overlapped with Tressl's time as an assistant at OSU. Cicero, apparently, has a history of unethical conduct, which is not remotely surprising as he probably should not have been talking to Tressel in the first place.

There are a lot of ways to interpret this information. But even if we take Tressel's word that his concern was for maintaining confidentiality, it appears that Tressel chose to keep quiet to protect his former player at the expense of the institution and with clear disregard for the rules.  Now, while this is in some way understandable from a personal standpoint, it is completely indfensible from a professional one.

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March 9th, 2011 at 8:21 PM | that attorney will have major (Score:1)
MGoPHILLY
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that attorney will have major problems with the Ohio Bar Association. 

March 9th, 2011 at 8:32 PM | ? (Score:1)
Section 1
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I'm curious; what part of the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct do you think he violated?

I'm not doubting that a rule may have been violated.  And it would not be hard, with an attorney's name, to figure out who he represented, and if he violated a client's confidence.

But really, what it seems that he revealed was information that was already being developed by the U.S. Marshalls' office in connection with the tax case, and a subsequently-related FBI investigation.  He told Tressel what the authorities were likely to (and probably did) publish in a charging document.

I honestly don't know; but is it so clear that an ethical violation occurred?

 

 

March 9th, 2011 at 8:38 PM | Yes, very obvious. If he told (Score:1)
justingoblue
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Yes, very obvious. If he told Tressel anything he heard in a client situation, he was legally barred from sharing it with anyone without the clients consent. The punishments are also very severe for lawyers who do this; as in, bye-bye law license.

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 8:39 PM | I know. (Score:1)
Section 1
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I've been practicing law since 1984.

 

 

March 9th, 2011 at 8:41 PM | Ha. I feel dumb. Sorry about (Score:1)
justingoblue
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Ha. I feel dumb. Sorry about that.

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 8:43 PM | BOOM Section 1'd! (Score:1)
BlueDragon
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It's OK sweetie, we still love you.

Abort, Retry, Fail?

March 9th, 2011 at 8:46 PM | Good to know. I just honestly (Score:1)
justingoblue
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Good to know. I just honestly think this is a clear-cut case, as long as he got his information from his position as a defense attorney. I could be wrong, I'm not a lawyer, but my understanding of attorney-client is that it's pretty black and white for cases like this. Some of the other lawyer posters were backing that last night as well.

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 8:48 PM | I trust all the MGoLawyers on (Score:1)
BlueDragon
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I trust all the MGoLawyers on this one too.  There's just too much insider information, shadiness, and open disdain for the rules for there not to be something terribly rotten in the state of Ohio.

Abort, Retry, Fail?

March 9th, 2011 at 10:37 PM | its ohio (Score:1)
Mi Sooner
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of course it's rotten; trust me, i escaped!

Born in Oklahoma
Raised in Ohio
Escaped to Meechigan

March 9th, 2011 at 9:47 PM | Your avatar looks like Tom (Score:1)
aaamichfan
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Your avatar looks like Tom Brady.

 

March 9th, 2011 at 9:48 PM | Thanks, I needed that. He (Score:1)
justingoblue
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Thanks, I needed that. He doesn't have the Michigan sweater on though.

Go Blue!

March 10th, 2011 at 12:01 AM | n/m (Score:1)
TIMMMAAY
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n/m

not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user

March 9th, 2011 at 8:59 PM | Section 1, (Score:1)
Bryan
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I had no idea you were an attorney. I like you more now.

I have a Fandom Endurance III merit badge

March 9th, 2011 at 9:24 PM | I never thought... (Score:1)
4godkingandwolv...
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... I'd see these two sentences next to one another.

 

"I had no idea you were an attorney. I like you more now."

Do Something. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn't, do something else.

March 9th, 2011 at 10:51 PM | oh man (Score:1)
Geaux_Blue
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if I was a practicing attorney on the other end of litigation and went up against Section 1, I'd admit Free Press articles tangentially related to the case as Evidence that the court should consider to be Clear-cut Proof and watch the Explosion. Rince, Lather, Repeat.

"Your honor, in order to provide the jury a clear-cut understanding of what moral activities entail and show my client to not be a murderer, I would like to introduce a piece by Mr. Michael Rosenberg..." 

March 9th, 2011 at 11:06 PM | You evil, evil man. (Score:1)
BlueDragon
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You evil, evil man.

Abort, Retry, Fail?

March 9th, 2011 at 9:14 PM | Section 1 (Score:1)
justingoblue
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I went digging around, and from the database at Cornell Law, they claim almost no differences between Ohio Attorney-Client Privilege and the ABA Model Rule 1.6.

I'm sure you know the exceptions better than I do from a short reading, but I can't find one that fits this case.

The guy was in his office, presumably as a client or seeking to become a client, and Cicero divulged information learned from that meeting to Tressel while claiming it was confidential. That's why I thought (and think) that it's a pretty clear that this was unethical.

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 9:19 PM | I've only been practicing (Score:1)
03 Blue 07
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I've only been practicing since 2007, but I, like Section 1, am also a bit interested in the answer to the question. Here's a hypothetical: Cicero had no attorney-client relationship with Tattoo parlor owner. Then what? To me, he's not in trouble. Seriously. And I don't mean "urr, uhh, interfered with an FBI investigation by telling Tressel" or whatever. I am genuinely curious: if Tattoo guy isn't Cicero's client, I can't see a violation of an ABA model rule. Even as a lawyer, I'm still allowed to tell friends of mine if I hear something shady at the courthouse about, say, their wife. Now, if I hear it from a client, it's different. . . But we have no proof that Cicero was privy to any privileged information. Just because it was juicy doesn't mean it was privileged.

March 9th, 2011 at 9:23 PM | But he's said the guy was in (Score:1)
justingoblue
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But he's said the guy was in his law office and that he asked for legal opinions based on this evidence that he gave him (that Cicero said was given confidentially).

Maybe it takes more to lock in the privilege, but I don't know what else it could take.

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 9:32 PM | I hear you. And that is (Score:1)
03 Blue 07
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I hear you. And that is interesting. I'd have to re-read the emails (I read them last night, and this morning, but haven't re-read them). If what you say is true, though, it definitely makes it murky. If the "client" (tattoo guy) thought it was privileged and thought that they had an attorney-client relationship, and an objective observer would have thought so, then I'd tend to agree with you.

March 9th, 2011 at 9:37 PM | It certainly seems that way (Score:1)
justingoblue
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It certainly seems that way to me. I just reread so as to not come off as a complete idiot if I had been mistaken, but from everything I read in the emails it sounds like Rife was in his office seeking legal advice on the plea bargain and sharing evidence. 

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 9:49 PM | You are making some valid points. (Score:1)
Section 1
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I started out just asking the basic question(s).  Disbarment (suspension, other discipline) is a pretty serious matter, and I'd just like to have all the facts first.

Another matter -- to what end did any breach of confidence go?  In other words, while no breach of a privilege is acceptable, was the client to whom the privilege was owed adversely affected?  Again it is only a question on my part.  But this appears to be a case in which the attorney didn't intend to subvert his client's interest (although the language might have been sort of choice, if indeed he was counsel for the "definite drug dealer") and probably didn't actually subvert his interest.  (Although it would be a WHOLE different matter if the emails were admitted as evidence in any drug trial... that would be a tutorial on hearsay, however.) 

 

 

March 9th, 2011 at 9:57 PM | I got excited and said those (Score:1)
justingoblue
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I got excited and said those things, just like I was hoping they'd fire Tressel with cause. It feels good to say that the worst things should happen to shady characters, which it sounds to me like this guy is.

As soon as I read that one of the factors determining the ethical nature of his action was damage, I knew I would rightly get hammered for saying he deserves the worst. You're right that Rife probably didn't incur any significant damage as a result of Cicero sending this to Tressel; or, at least, I can't think of any. The only thing remaining is that he is shady, and unless it comes out that Rife was a personal friend that pissed him off in some way, I'll continue to believe that Cicero is shady.

Go Blue!

March 10th, 2011 at 1:38 AM | This should be the basis for (Score:1)
08mms
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This should be the basis for an MPRE fact-pattern.

March 9th, 2011 at 10:15 PM | Then why did  you ask.  It is (Score:1)
Boknowsall
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Then why did  you ask.  It is quite obvious to even the stupid people.  Oh, I get it, to be a dick.  Good thing you have been chasing ambulances since 1984, and not doing real law.  What a prick.  What part of telling a person not associated with a case facts about the case is difficult to understand?  Man you law types are pretty smart.  No wonder why I have negative points, can't tolerate assholes like you.

March 10th, 2011 at 1:41 AM | Having recently survived the (Score:1)
08mms
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Having recently survived the MPRE, I can say none of the ethics rule are simple enough they aren't worth checking with the rules and/or community of people where someone else might have the time to look it up.  I don't know what "real law" you are referring to, but i've learned to instantly dislike people who use "ambulance chaser" outside of clever jokes.

March 9th, 2011 at 10:21 PM | Then I am puzzled as to why (Score:1)
Blue In NC
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Then I am puzzled as to why you do not see a problem.  I think the emails showed that he relayed some info or statements to Tressel after meeting with his client.  While I understand we are talking about Ohio, I can't imagine that's not in violation of an ethical rule.

March 10th, 2011 at 11:08 AM | Practice? (Score:1)
M-jed
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You talkin bout practice?
Couldn't resist

March 9th, 2011 at 8:43 PM | ugh (Score:1)
Geaux_Blue
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this is something 80% of people are not realizing/reading

he NEVER says he's involved in the investigation and likely wasn't. further, he likely does not know ANYONE involved. the first 4 sentences clearly show he heard this from POLICE FRIENDS. information was leaked out to him by them. there is zero attorney client issues in this. he used his resources of being familiar with cops to leak info to his favorite coach. 

when you realize this (which it took me a while to), you realize just how obvious it is that Tressel's story was created retroactively. because he is completely outside of the investigation, there would be zero need for confidentiality, etc. 

March 9th, 2011 at 8:49 PM | I'm still not getting that (Score:1)
justingoblue
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I'm still not getting that out of this story at all. All it says is that he's a lawyer who's been in some trouble. It didn't even touch how he acquired the information.

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 9:13 PM | yes it does (Score:1)
Geaux_Blue
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"A lot of my friends are in law enforcement. The Federal Government raided the house of _____ yesterday. His name is Edward "Eddie" Rife."

 

Why would he include the fact he has friends in law enforcement if he wasn't using them as the source of his info? He reveals extensive details about what they capture, which would likely be what the police would be notified of. If he was an attorney involved in the process, his law enforcement friends wouldn't be relevant. It'd be "I'm involved in a case" etc.

March 9th, 2011 at 9:16 PM | He also claims the defendant (Score:1)
justingoblue
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He also claims the defendant in the case was in his office and divulged confidential information in the next email.

"I had Eddie Rife in my office for an hour and a half last night"

and the next line:

"What I tell you is confidential."

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 9:21 PM | He also said that Eddie Rife (Score:1)
justingoblue
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He also said that Eddie Rife asked his opinion on accepting a plea bargain. He most definitely was (at least in some capacity) acting as counsel to Rife.

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 9:27 PM | he's not acting as counsel (Score:1)
Geaux_Blue
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even in the most vague manner until two weeks later. first email, that implies ZERO need for confidentiality, took place on April 2. why was no action taken?

 

I had never noticed the time discrepancy. to me that implies phone/in person contact and that emails were lazy routes used mildly.

March 9th, 2011 at 9:30 PM | Tressel should have taken (Score:1)
justingoblue
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Tressel should have taken action, but at some point giving advice on plea deals and over several sessions has to be considered an attorney-client relationship, right?

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 9:32 PM | again (Score:1)
Geaux_Blue
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that MAYBE was an excuse 2 weeks after the original email. the original email is completely actionable in full. no reason he couldn't. at all. rumor? send it anyways and see where things turn out. the priviledged info ends up being nothing more than sentencing possibilities - he's just a shitty friend until that point by ratting out what his cop friends told him. re-read the first email and explain why he couldn't report that. not until the 15th or so does the lawyer tread into the grey.

March 9th, 2011 at 9:40 PM | If you're talking about (Score:1)
justingoblue
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If you're talking about Tressel reporting it, he should have. If you're talking about Cicero, then it should be fine. Why couldn't he recount a story? What I'm saying is that Rife went into Cicero's office seeking legal advice, which is presumably how Cicero gained this information that he shared with Tressel. From my understanding, that is highly unethical.

It's not just the sentencing though. Rife is the one who told him about the money distributed to players, the cops only told him that Rife had the memorabilia in his possession.

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 9:57 PM | all i'm getting at (Score:1)
Geaux_Blue
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is Tressel's timeline is fine from email 2 on. email 1 casts it completely in the shitter.

Timeline:

Cicero finds out from cops about Rife's involvement with players.
Cicero emails Tressel.
Tressel emails Cicero.
????
Rife visits Cicero and gives more info on stuff
Cicero emails Tressel
Tressel emails Cicero
?????
Rife visits Cicero and estsablishes concrete privilege asking about sentencing advice
Cicero emails Tressel

 

March 9th, 2011 at 9:59 PM | I am totally in agreement (Score:1)
justingoblue
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I am totally in agreement that Tressel is a liar, and has been exposed as such by anyone who can read, or hear him speak.

Go Blue!

March 10th, 2011 at 12:02 PM | I think (Score:1)
Blue in Yarmouth
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you are missing what he is trying to say. You were arguing that what the Lawyer did was a breach of confidentiality which it may have been at some point, but not initially. He is saying that from the emails, it doesn't appear to have become an attorney-client relationship until after the initial email.

His main point was Tressel can not use the "confidential" excuse because when he first received this information (April 2nd)  nothing was confidential information that was attained in an attorney-client relationship. It was information that the Lawyer attained as a result of having friends in law enforcement who had loose lips.

Sometime after that first email the guy seems to have become a client by asking for legal advise, but that was long after the first email when Tressel was told of the issue with his players. This is why GeauxBlue is saying he could have taken action right away without any issue surrounding confidentiality.

That is what I am getting from your conversation anyway.

March 10th, 2011 at 12:19 PM | My conversation with Geaux (Score:1)
justingoblue
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My conversation with Geaux here was also taking place down the thread at the same time. Yes, I think Tressel is full of shit with his excuses, he could have said anything in the emails and not been in trouble. What I was saying is that after the second email, this guy seems to have entered into a client relationship with this laywer and the lawyer shouldn't have disclosed the rest of it: the stuff he gained from those talks. 

Tressel can do whatever, it's not his ass on the line with the Ohio Bar.

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 10:11 PM | At the very least he could of initiated steps (Score:1)
victors2000
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to disciplining the players and ensuring this did not happen again. He could have sent someone to the tatoo shop and inquired about the memorabilia on display. He could of confronted the players with this information, as well as spoke to the team about a significant violation of NCAA rules. The players could have been disciplined under the ambiguous 'violation of team rules'. From the looks of it he did nothing, which doesn't support his side of the story, his defense of 'protecting' the players, and to me is quite damning.

You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four. ~Dan Birdwell

March 9th, 2011 at 10:30 PM | that's the hilarious part too (Score:1)
Geaux_Blue
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they claimed they couldn't suspend a player because people would ask too many questions...

he couldn't suspend them 3 games each to start the season, or spread out, for a violation of team rules he "wouldn't get into"? if the press figures out it's for the autographs, then guess what tress - it wasn't too privileged for people to find out now was it?

of course, we're arguing rational hypotheses for an absolutely horrible lie everyone can see through.

March 9th, 2011 at 10:36 PM | The best explanation I've (Score:1)
justingoblue
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The best explanation I've heard for Tressel's ridiculously stupid lies was on Jim Rome today. I don't know who the guest was, I don't watch often (it was a black guy with a really fast voice if that means anything to anyone) but he said, "It's a product of him always talking to people who are dumber than he is." 

I thought that was about the perfect explanation for why he would say something so dumb and hope to get away with it.

Go Blue!

March 9th, 2011 at 10:54 PM | Geaux Blue is right on (Score:1)
jackrobert
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The first email is the key one with respect to showing that Tressel's story is bullshit made up after the fact.  The first email shows that Cicero was not acting as counsel for anyone at that time--he learned about the case from his law enforcement buddies and passed the info along to Tressel as a friendly heads-up.  Also, note that Cicero made no request for confidentiality in the first email.  This is because Cicero had no reason to request confidentiality at that time.  Tressel's "I did it for the children" story doesn't stand up to even the slightest scrutiny.
 
FWIW, like a lot of other people on here, I'm a practicing lawyer.  Cicero will be disciplined for violating his duty of confidentiality to his client in the later emails.  Of course, there was no duty of confidentiality between Tressel and Cicero or between Tressel and anyone else.  If Tressel had forwarded any emails to OSU legal counsel like he should have, they could have worked with the prosecutors to ensure that the confidentiality of the ongoing investigation was not compromised.  I'm sure the NCAA would have agreed to keep their resulting investigation under seal until the criminal investigation was over.  Prosecutors and companies conduct investigations under these circumstances all the time.  Even civil cases between businesses can be filed under seal to protect the reputations of the businesses.  Again, the upshot is that Tressel's story holds no water.
 
One last thought: one of my big questions after reading the emails this morning was why did Tressel take what some random emailer said at face value?  If I'm Tressel and I get the initial email, my first response is to forward it to compliance and legal with a brief message saying: "Random dude just sent me this email.  What should we do?"  The fact that Tressel chose to bury the email shows that (1) he already had reason to believe shady shit was going down at the tattoo parlor and/or (2) Tressel knew the emailer and considered him a trustworthy source.  We know number 2 is right.  An open question is what did Tressel already know about the tattoo parlor?
March 9th, 2011 at 9:23 PM | Umm   he says that Rife (Score:1)
2plankr
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Umm

 

he says that Rife came into his office to ask his opinion

March 9th, 2011 at 9:33 PM | two weeks (Score:1)
Geaux_Blue
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after the first warning of illegal activity that had more than enough basis to begin investigating/alerting people

March 9th, 2011 at 10:01 PM | thats true.  but you (Score:1)
2plankr
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thats true.  but you said:

"this is something 80% of people are not realizing/reading

he NEVER says he's involved in the investigation and likely wasn't. further, he likely does not know ANYONE involved. "

that is incorrect

March 9th, 2011 at 10:27 PM | yes (Score:1)
Geaux_Blue
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my fault for not being explicit. i was focusing on the point of discovery for tressel. this guy apparently shared the sentiments i was trying to express, albeit more successfully and without me having read it first.

March 9th, 2011 at 8:53 PM | the ethics rule only prohibit disclosure of attorney client (Score:1)
J. Lichty
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communications.  Information learned while working a case that did not come from a communication from one's client may generally be disclosed absent some sort of protective order or gag order.

It is a huge leap at this stage to accuse this attorney of wrongdoing.

our package is our package, and it’s pretty big. - Greg Mattison, Bowl Practice Presser Tr. 12-13-11.

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