Lawyers Quit, to Sue Bruce Young

The lawyers who represented former Norwalk Assemblyman Bruce E. Young in the W. Patrick Moriarty political corruption scandal have asked to be removed from the case, complaining that Young has refused to pay his legal bills.

In a petition filed with the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, attorneys George Walker and Alan Dressler said they are filing a lawsuit against Young, who is now appealing his conviction on five counts of mail fraud, to recover unpaid fees. Such requests are almost always approved.

“The attorney-client relationship between ourselves and Mr. Young has deteriorated to the point that we cannot in good conscience continue to represent him, even at the appellate level,” the two attorneys told the court. “It appears from the most recent communication that we have received from (Young) that he has lost faith in our ability to prosecute this appeal and to adequately represent him in other regards.”

The petition did not say how much Young owes the two attorneys, but said the former assemblyman has “completely failed” to meet his financial obligations.

Young acknowledged Thursday that he has stopped making payments and hired his former lawyer, Sacramento attorney Donald H. Heller, in part because of frustration over a lack of progress on his appeal.

“Mr. Walker and I had a grave difference over how my case should be represented,” Young said in a telephone interview. “Mr. Walker didn’t leave me, I left him, and as far as his fee, it’s in dispute.”

Young said he has already paid Walker, who brought in Dressler as co-counsel, at least $40,000.

The highest-ranking public official prosecuted in the long-running Moriarty probe, Young was convicted earlier in connection with his failure to report outside earnings as a consultant and the diversion of laundered campaign contributions from Moriarty, a former Anaheim fireworks manufacturer, to other elected officials.

Young said he had attempted to persuade Walker to seek immediate review of the conviction based on a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling which significantly narrows the use of the mail fraud statute in the kind of case in which he was convicted.

“I felt that the minute the . . . decision was released by the Supreme Court that my appeal should have been filed. But here it is six months later, and nothing’s been filed,” Young said. “It’s a real frustration. I want to get on with my life.”

Heller represented Young early in the case, but dropped out because he was also representing Moriarty.

“I firmly believe that if Don Heller had represented me to begin with, the verdict would have come out differently,” Young said. “Mr. Walker did a good job, and I’m sorry it came to this, but I’m just happy to be back with somebody who’s a friend.’