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Defense attorney representing Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with the death of George Floyd, receives support from the legal defense fund of a million dollar police union, as well as ‘a team of 12 so far unknown lawyers in the courtroom, according to a report.
As the trial is broadcast live from the 18th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center, Chauvin defense attorney Eric Nelson gave opening statements and cross-examined prosecution witnesses before taking place next to his client.
His assistant, Amy Voss, a licensed lawyer, usually sits in the row behind them and has also interviewed some witnesses.
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But outside the courtroom, Nelson, a private attorney with Halberg Criminal Defense, is also supported by a dozen lawyers through a $ 1 million legal defense fund from the Minneapolis Police and Peace Officers. Association, USA Today reported. The association did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News.
Defense attorney Natalie Paule, one of the attorneys representing another former officer, Tao Thao, declined to say whether his team expects similar financial support from the police union, citing the instruction from not to speak to the media during Chauvin’s trial.
According to the testimony of several witnesses during Chauvin’s trial, Thao was the officer who prevented passers-by gathered outside Cup Foods on May 25, 2020 from intervening as Chauvin pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for several minutes as he screamed that he couldn’t breathe. . Thao, along with former officers J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas K. Lane, face charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter and will be tried together in August.
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Lane’s defense attorney Earl Gray told USA Today that defense attorney for state and federal lawsuits is a “David and Goliath” scenario, with the defense as the “underdog.” “. Therefore, the $ 1 million funding will help the defense offset the vast resources already available to prosecutors, including funding and investigators.
Because Chauvin paid the police union dues during his 19 years on the job, some argue that he is entitled to the strong defense offered by the legal defense fund. But critics, namely Somil Trivedi, lead counsel for the ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project, questioned the union’s credibility by contributing to the conversation about police reform while spending money on the defense of Chauvin.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison quickly resumed prosecution for the case of Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, who first indicted Chauvin last May. Prosecutor Matthew Frank, head of the Attorney General’s criminal division, has so far taken the lead in the courtroom.
Several high-profile attorneys work for the prosecution on a pro bono basis, including Steve Schleicher, who voiced the state side during the jury selection, and Jerry Blackwell, founding partner of Blackwell Burke, who interviewed several witnesses called to the bar this week. Neal Katyal and Lola Velázquez-Aguilu are among the other private lawyers assisting the prosecutions.
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Another number at stake is the $ 27 million settlement that the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay Floyd’s family. The announcement was made during jury selection and Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill agreed to re-examine seven seated jurors to ask if the news affected their ability to be impartial.
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