According to an Internet report, Washington, D.C. lawyer Thomas Dunlap of Dunlap, Grubb and Weaver has been peddling a tape for a “friend” of Vice President Joseph Biden’s daughter, Ashley, allegedly snorting cocaine at a party in Delaware. With rising criticism in the press, Dunlap reportedly has withdrawn from his controversial role in this political version of the Michael Phelps pot shot. Radar Online is suggesting that the presumably now former friend may have set up Biden by buying the cocaine and hiding the camera — claims that (if proven) could lead to liability for the individual.
While most people are shocked by the craven acts of the still unidentified friend, most lawyers are equally shocked by the involvement of a member of the bar in allegedly shopping this tape to tabloids for the highest bidder.
The New York Post claims that Dunlap showed it 90 seconds of the 43-minute tape, which purportedly shows Ashley doing lines of coke with a red straw in front of witnesses and later shouting “Shut the F— Up!” The newspaper reported that the seller wanted $2 million before dropping his price to $400,000. Ashley’s boyfriend is reportedly shown watching from behind, though the legitimacy of the tape has yet to be determined. Notably, however, there has been no denial in the first few days of the story from the Biden family
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Biden, 27, is a social worker for a Delaware child-welfare agency.
Radaronline.com reported that Dunlap dropped the seller as a client after learning the scene was recorded on a hidden camera. It also reported that he was bothered by the negative publicity. Well, it is good to see some standards in the profession.
Dunlap is the managing partner of Dunlap, Grubb, and Weaver. The firm describes his practice as:
Tom’s practice focuses on complex civil litigation (patent, copyright, trademark, corporate), tax and real estate disputes. Tom has represented local, national and international clients in a variety of complex litigation, including copyright disputes in the United Kingdom and multi-jurisdictional federal patent infringement and invalidity claims. Tom has appeared before the Supreme Court of Virginia where he successfully argued the application of the intra-corporate immunity doctrine as it relates to conspiracy claims.
He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia and Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA.
He also listed his publication of an article entitled “Best Practices & Winning Legal Strategies for New Technology & Privacy Issues, ReedLogic, 2006” Hmmm, I wonder where peddling scandalous photos of celebrities falls into best practices and winning legal strategies. While I am not sure what Mr. Grubbs and Mr. Weaver think, this strikes me as a pretty low-grade practice and questionable client for any attorney.
Strangely the firm also lists his membership in “American Mensa” — which shows that a high IQ has nothing to do with being smart.
As for Ashley, if this is true, she is no rocket scientist either. The question is whether the Delaware authorities will now move as aggressively as the South Carolina prosecutor in the Phelps case. Cocaine is a more serious drug but usage is not treated as a major felony. Yet, one day on the cover of Time and the next day doing time, as they say. High profile acts of illegality can prompt criminal investigations where the matter would have been treated as unworthy for prosecution in a normal case.
Goodness this Dunlap fella looks so young (16 to me) but he has his hands full. How can someone with so much Mass mailing infrigment conflicting news stories and now this tape thing sleep at night. I know for a fact I wouldnt be able to sleep. Too much going on. I need a calmer life thank you very much.
Let me count the number of times people have uncharged criminal acts. I wonder how many times people were drinking at a bar (outside of the Hotel they are staying)! They want back to the Hotel or another bar… Would Public Intoxication enter your mind? How many people have driven their vehicles after drinking? Are you technically in public drunk? Or are your Driving under the influence? Were you stopped? Hey fellow, better go turn yourself in. What about running a red light or stop sign? Did anyone ever think that to disobey a civil act can land you in jail?
The point is we all have done some not so bright things in our lives. We have not been caught at. Just because she is the Veeps daughter. She is still entitled to her privacy, I don’t care who she is. She did not ask for her dad to be Veep. Clearly she is above the age of consent. It is her life leave her alone. Its kinda like porn, it may be illegal to buy it but once you get it home it is yours. except kinder porn, that’s offensive.
Somethings are better said by: Nod, Nod, wink, wink. Unless, we are talking about other things. ie, Criminal conspiracy to cover up illegal acts.
Did anyone know that Cheney and Bush got into a real fight on his last days is office when Bush would not Pardon Scooter Libby. I wonder how much that is going to cost Cheney for the rest of his life.
Katie:
“I did not realize this was a site for the unsourced, tabloid-fed harassment of a no-name small town lawyer.”
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Gee Katie, the good people of Washington DC (City pop. 591,833/ Metro pop. 5.3 million) will be so pleased to know they are the idyllic bastion of small town America. That is after all the location of the home office of the four office group this “no-name, small town lawyer,” maintains. Wonder if him and Andy, Goober and Floyd just sit around the fillin’ station on the I-495 Inner Loop sipping Nehi’s waiting for some city slicker to show up with a lurid videotape for sale? Nah, you’re right that would take him away from his small town intellectual property/corporate merger practice.
Bring this video to me. I will make sure it is marketable.
That is all.
I did not realize this was a site for the unsourced, tabloid-fed harassment of a no-name small town lawyer. I think it’s fair to assume that the questionable client – the actual seller and producer of this junk – was dropped the moment this lawyer found out about the sleaze involved. I checked out these guys and it’s obvious this firm does not do this type of work and got sucked into something that was not fully disclosed to them and that spiraled out of thier control before they could pull out. Amatuers sure, but not the sleazy criminals that this story should focus on. I found this site through the huffington post – Jonathon Turley: you should be ashamed for citing such conjecture and unbased news. Where are YOUR ethics?
That photo looks like a high school yearbook pic of some kid
– who’s ‘uncomfortable’ wearing adult clothing! Yikes!
He’s a lawyer anyplace, much less D.C.???
Wow!
I am advising my niece to quit Ken Starr ASAP!!!
eniobob,
Thank you for my laugh of the day so far.
“Hmmm, I wonder where peddling scandalous photos of celebrities falls into best practices and winning legal strategies.”
Joe Biden’s daughter isn’t even a celebrity. This man was trying to peddle scandalous photos of a person of no particular fame or importance who happens to be related to a celebrity.
Just when you think our political framework is poised to do something to reform our egregiously dysfunctional penal system, something always seems to come up and wreck the possibility of reform. Be prepared for a new flood of brainless commentaries that link the reform of prisons and drug policy to ‘going soft on crime’ (why? because Joe Biden wants to go soft on scofflaws like his daughter). In the meantime, going nasty on crime has only made for nasty criminals. Our prisons are now overflowing and crimes have only become worse. Stop this madness.
I think this may fit here:
By Jove!
Sherlock Holmes and Matthew Watson were on a camping and hiking trip.
They had gone to bed and were lying there looking up at the sky. Holmes said, “Watson, look up. What do you see?
“Well, I see thousands of stars.”
“And what does that mean to you?”
“Well, I guess it means we will have another nice day tomorrow. What does it mean to you, Holmes?”
“To me, it means someone has stolen our tent.”
Mespo,
Calling this guy a pimp gives pimps a bad name.
“He also listed his publication of an article entitled “Best Practices & Winning Legal Strategies for New Technology & Privacy Issues, ReedLogic, 2006″ Hmmm, I wonder where peddling scandalous photos of celebrities falls into best practices and winning legal strategies.”
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I also wonder how it fits into promoting privacy. I guess pimps come with all sorts of credentials.