Carmona Sues Lawyer Over Bad Conviction

Arthur Carmona, the Santa Ana teenager who spent more than two years in jail before his robbery conviction was dismissed, has filed suit against his original defense attorney, saying the lawyer put on “virtually no defense” in his 1998 trial.

The suit, against attorney Kenneth Reed, was filed in Superior Court in Santa Ana on July 3, after a judge dismissed a similar suit from federal court saying it lacked jurisdiction. The latest suit accuses Reed, among other things, of failing to adequately investigate the circumstances of Carmona’s arrest or to call witnesses that would have provided Carmona an alibi.

Reed, through his lawyer, Michael Molfetta, insisted that he gave his client his best effort in the case. Molfetta said his client was eager to present his side of the story at trial.

Carmona’s lawyer, Gregory Patton, could not be reached for comment.

A second lawsuit filed by Carmona against the cities of Costa Mesa and Irvine, whose police departments handled the robbery case, remains active in federal court.