Posted By Blackfive

[Updates are at the end of the post.  A Commenter is posting updates from court room. Grodner arrested, pled guilty, has 30 hours of community service and a $600 fine to be paid to the Semper Fi Injured Marine Fund.]

See this post for background - Anti-Military Lawyer Damages Marine's Car on Eve of Deployment

The court date is set for tomorrow, January 18th, at 1330 hours at the District 29 Court House on Belmont and Western.  Unfortunately, I can't be there, but I will post updates when I get them. 

Chicago Tribune's John Kass has two editorials on the case here and here.

This whole incident started and will end with one man - Jay Grodner.  I hope he does the right thing by the Marine.  This could all be over tomorrow...or not.

In case you were wondering, this case was brought to my attention and I tried, TRIED, to get anyone in the media to take the ball and run with it.  Offered exclusivity, contacts, photos, reports, etc.

For a variety of reasons, no one wanted it. 

So, as a resort of last measure, I posted it here at Blackfive (in the Bust Their Chops category) and emailed it to a few Marines I knew who would get the story out on their networks (thank you, Seamus, Jay and Joe).  After thousands of emails, hundreds of comments, many offers of support (financial and moral), a few threats, and finally media interest, this story was one of the first big blogosphere efforts of 2008. 

It got noticed everywhere.

Thank you to John Kass for covering the story.  If you are so inclined, send him a thank you message for covering the story fairly.

In the end, though, it was the military family that brought this story to national attention.  Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines - us doggies, squids, zoomies, and jarheads - that refused to let this abuse go unnoticed.  This is one of those times where we dropped the inter-service rivalry and stepped up for one of our own.

Civilian America rallied to our cause, too.  I can't tell you how many emails I received from civilians in support of Sergeant McNulty.  The reaction of Chicago Police and Firemen backing the Sergeant was astounding.  Tons, and I mean tons, of lawyers sent offers to work pro bono and messages of support and advice for the Sergeant.  I almost take back every negative thing I've said about their profession.

And, last...the most magnificent reaction was from the Viet Nam veterans.  It was the most intense response from them that I've witnessed in a long time.  I received more email - full of emotion and commitment - from Viet Nam vets that essentially said in various ways:

"We will not let what happened to us, happen to you, Marine."

I do not pretend to know what will happen tomorrow in court.  Attorney Jay Grodner had asked for a continuance so that he could bring in some hired guns.

But I do know that my brothers that fought in Viet Nam are right.

We won't let this happen to you, Sergeant McNulty.

Update 230PM:  As Commenter wp91 wrote:

The case was called at 13:33, and the Defendant did not show up. There were 2 heavy hitter State's Attorneys here to handle it. The Judge increased his bond to $20,000.00 or 10 percent cash, and put out a warrant for his arrest.

The Defendant called at 13:40 to say that he will be a half an hout late and was waiting for the media to leave. The Judge said in open court that if he does shows up he will be taken into custody, and if he doesn't he is fair game for any law enforcement agency that wants to pick him up. Will report further developments as warranted.

And I heard that Grodner was arrested upon showing up!

Update:  Source says Grodner pled guilty, will pay $600 to Semper Fi Injured Marine Fund.  The judge gave Grodner a history lesson about the Marines and finished with explaining why Marines have each others' backs


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 Out of every 100 men, ten shouldn't even be there, Eighty are just targets, Nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back." - Hericletus, circa 500 BC

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RJ

I don't know what that knucklehead attorney was trying to prove but I'm glad he didn't get away with it. And I think he still should have had an ass whoopin'



Gold Class 92-03

Leonidas, King of Sparta:

"Welcome to Hell!...Here's an accordion"

I'm Surprised Panama's still sea level, after all the Push Ups I did down there.

I am afraid that it is probably not enough to get he disbarred.

  "I don't want to wonder," said Grodner, continuing in his new meek voice, not in his tough divorce lawyer voice,
but the gentle, inside voice he'd just learned.

"That's because there is a little principle that the Marine Corps has had since 1775," the judge continued. "When they fought and lost their lives so that people like you could enjoy the freedom of this country. It is a little proverb that we follow:

"No Marine is left behind.

"So Sgt. McNulty couldn't be here. But other Marines showed up in his stead. Take him away," said the judge and former Marine.

They took Grodner away, he was processed, and everyone left. The lobby was dark, quiet, except for two court deputies running the metal detector. Then Grodner came through an inside door, put his fedora back on, the dark glasses, a tough guy again.

We stood outside, in the parking lot, talking for 20 minutes. He smoked, and I didn't. He explained that he wasn't anti-military and why he pleaded guilty.

"The judge, he's the guy with the black robes," Grodner said. He could have been slapped with a felony, but Sgt. McNulty's family said they wanted to put this behind them and let it go as a misdemeanor. Grodner showed no remorse, and I asked if he'd apologize.

"Yes, I'd say, 'I'm sorry if I scratched your car.' It escalated. That's when he wanted me locked up and thrown away," said Grodner, always the victim.

Grodner tells me he plans to leave for the French Riviera and get some sun.

Sgt. McNulty will get some sun, too. In Iraq


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 Out of every 100 men, ten shouldn't even be there, Eighty are just targets, Nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back." - Hericletus, circa 500 BC

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Semper Fi!

LOAD CLEAR! LOAD CLEAR!

"Your job is my hobby!!"