Conflict of Interest Controversy
While serving as a public defender in San Francisco, Gonzalez took a month-long paid leave of absence to act as co-counsel for a corporation, Cobra Solutions, in its $16 million lawsuit against San Francisco, Gonzalez's employer. In the lawsuit, Gonzalez gave the opening arguments and cross-examined witnesses. The San Francisco Public Defender's office rules of ethics states: "No employee may provide legal advice or legal representation...to any person or entity other than in the employee's official capacity." Said Peter Keene, former chief assistant public defender and dean emeritus at the Golden Gate University Law School, "I'm totally flabbergasted. It is totally out of line. It is not only a complete conflict, it flies in the face of your loyalty to your main employer, the city. Matt shouldn't be doing it."
Read more about this topic: Matt Gonzalez
Famous quotes containing the words conflict, interest and/or controversy:
“When a mother quarrels with a daughter, she has a double dose of unhappiness—hers from the conflict, and empathy with her daughter’s from the conflict with her. Throughout her life a mother retains this special need to maintain a good relationship with her daughter.”
—Terri Apter (20th century)
“Indiana was really, I suppose, a Democratic State. It has always been put down in the book as a state that might be carried by a close and careful and perfect organization and a great deal of—[from audience: “soap”Ma reference to purchased votes, the word being followed by laughter].
I see reporters here, and therefore I will simply say that everybody showed a great deal of interest in the occasion, and distributed tracts and political documents all through the country.”
—Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886)
“And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence, they will both stand, or their controversy must either come to blows, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature; so is it also in all debates of what kind soever.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1579–1688)