Serendipity? Poetic Justice? Maybe both?!
(found originally on RN)
Some of you may remember the story a month or so ago about a divorce attorney in Chicago who maliciously keyed a car that belongs to a deploying Marine. The car was keyed, admittedly by the attorney, because he noticed the car had military plates and a Marine insignia on it.
The story was a complete outrage, but the follow up is sweet. The attorney had his day in court, and the Marine had his justice. Read the story below for a wonderful example of sweet, sweet poetic justice!
Man who keyed car gets day in court; so do Marines
January 20, 2008Jay Grodner, the Chicago lawyer who keyed a Marine’s car in anger because the car had military plates and a Marine insignia, finally got his day in court last week.
Grodner pleaded guilty in a Chicago courtroom packed with former Marines. Some had Marine pins on their coats, or baseball jackets with the Marine insignia. They didn’t yell or call him names. They came to support Marine Sgt. Michael McNulty, whose car Grodner defaced in December, but who couldn’t attend because he’s preparing for his second tour in Iraq.
I was not surprised in the least to hear that Sgt. McNulty had a room full of fellow Marines who were watching his back. I find it disgusting that a Marine who is facing a second deployment had to even be bothered with such a thing, but I never worried that he would not be supported by his brothers in arms.
Grodner was late to court for the second time in the case. Grodner called Assistant State’s Attorney Patrick Kelly, (Marine Corps/Vietnam 1969-1972), informing Kelly that he would be late to court.
“He wanted to avoid the media,” Kelly said Friday. “So he’s coming a half hour late.”
“I don’t run my courtroom that way!” responded Judge William O’Malley, ordering Grodner be arrested and held on $20,000 bail when he arrived. Finally, Grodner strolled in. A short man, wide, wearing a black fedora, dark glasses, a divorce lawyer dressed like some tough guy in the movies.
Grodner told me he’d describe himself as a “radical liberal” who’s ready to leave Chicago now with all this negative publicity and move to the south of France and do some traveling.
Well color me shocked! He’s a self-described “radical liberal” and more narcissistic than Madonna. Hang in there, this is where the story gets sweet!
Judge O’Malley has also traveled, but in his youth. He was a police officer on the West Side during the riots before law school. And before that, he performed another public service. Judge O’Malley served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1961-1964.
What? What was that? Huh? The Judge was a Marine in the 60’s? You don’t say! Hm, things are about to get very uncomfy for our impertinent lawyer friend.
After the admission, came the details and Grodner was lucky, getting off with a misdemeanor and no jail time, and not a felony even though he caused $2,400 in damage to Sgt. McNulty’s car.
So Grodner received a $600 fine, which will go to a Marine charity, 30 hours of community service and a year of court supervision. If he doesn’t pay up in a month, the judge promised to put him in jail for a year.
Judge O’Malley had something to say. He looked out into his courtroom, at all those men who’d come to support a Marine they didn’t know.
“You caused damage to this young Marine sergeant’s car because you were offended by his Marine Corps license plates,” said Judge O’Malley.
Grodner stood there, hands behind his back. He grasped the fingers of his left hand with his right, and held it there, so they wouldn’t wiggle.
Feeling nervous, are we? Wishing we would have thought before we acted, maybe?
“You’re probably also wondering why there was a whole crowd of people here, Mr. Grodner,” said Judge O’Malley.
“I don’t want to wonder,” said Grodner, continuing in his new meek voice, not in his tough divorce lawyer voice, but the gentle, inside voice he’d just learned.
“That’s because there is a little principle that the Marine Corps has had since 1775,” the judge continued. “When they fought and lost their lives so that people like you could enjoy the freedom of this country. It is a little proverb that we follow:
“No Marine is left behind.
“So Sgt. McNulty couldn’t be here. But other Marines showed up in his stead. Take him away,” said the judge and former Marine.
To read the entire, beautifully written article sans Claire’s comments, please visit the Chicago Tribune
For my part I’m singing the instant karma song.
Go Marines!
Love it….I also read that the two out of the prosecutors office are veterans too.. How sweet it is…and I LOVE your “laughing my butt off” thing on the post. Poifect. AND just yesterday I found a post about the ******* profile on a “dating” site. In that he says something along the lines of that he is “wild about sex”…Yea, I laughed. Thinking he will have lots of time to pursue that interest.
All in all - I’d say justice was served here.
Semper Fi indeed!
Bon, I am singing along with you! The follow up story made me chuckle — a lot!
Brat — I am glad you like my lady picture. I wasn’t sure what caption to put on there, but that is what she was thinking… I am quite sure! ;)