San Diego's Bill Lerach, once the most feared class action lawyer in the U.S., has filed papers seeking prison treatment for alcholism, according to a story in the New York Sun June 6. "Lerach has suffered for years with severe alcoholism and faces the substantial possibility of relapse without the treatment offered," wrote his lawyer asking a judge to recommend Lerach for a residential drug abuse treatment program at the Lompoc, California, prison where he recently began his two-year sentence. Letters from physicians and a psychologist state that Lerach has suffered from alcoholism for more than 20 years. Lerach's lawyer has asked the judge to keep the letters under seal. Lerach has been sentenced for conspiring to pay kickbacks to plaintiffs in securities lawsuits.
San Diego's Bill Lerach, once the most feared class action lawyer in the U.S., has filed papers seeking prison treatment for alcholism, according to a story in the New York Sun June 6. "Lerach has suffered for years with severe alcoholism and faces the substantial possibility of relapse without the treatment offered," wrote his lawyer asking a judge to recommend Lerach for a residential drug abuse treatment program at the Lompoc, California, prison where he recently began his two-year sentence. Letters from physicians and a psychologist state that Lerach has suffered from alcoholism for more than 20 years. Lerach's lawyer has asked the judge to keep the letters under seal. Lerach has been sentenced for conspiring to pay kickbacks to plaintiffs in securities lawsuits.