Court Street lawyer given warning by Brooklyn federal judge
In a decision last week, a Brooklyn federal judge called a lawyer to task for threatening to push a case to appeal over a disagreement with an evidence ruling. Judge Nicholas Garaufis found Howard Greenberg’s threats concerning and questioned the attorney’s understanding of zealous advocacy.
Following a ruling that Greenberg believed harmed his client’s defense, the attorney submitted a letter to Garaufis’ chambers, threatening to stop participating in the trial in order to get an appeal for ineffective assistance of counsel.
Greenberg’s client, Trevelle Merritt, was charged — along with two co-conspirators — on counts of racketeering and for the robbery and shooting death of Dasta James. When arrested, Merritt told police detectives that alleged co-conspirator Jamal Laurent was the shooter and that Merritt’s only role was to buy drugs from James; Laurent had the intention to rob the victim.