So you know how, before a person says something really racist of sexist, they often say "I'm not a racist/sexist but..."?
Well, a lawyer for the insurance firm Syncora attempted to use similar rhetorical device during Detroit's bankruptcy eligibility hearing but Judge Stephen Rhodes wasn't having any of it.
Detroit News: “I understand there are issues with the lights, with 911 response times and I understand there are real people out there today that are living with these challenges, and I’m not being callous,” Hackney told the judge. “But I do want to say this — they’ve been living with these challenges for a very long time.”
Rhodes stopped the attorney in his tracks.
“This argument does not impress me, counselor, don’t go there,” the judge said. “The fact that they’ve been living with it for a long time is no justification for imposing it upon them for another day.”
Rhodes has developed a reputation during these hearings of taking lawyers to task self-serving analogies and double-speak. He's even challenged emergency manager Kevyn Orr's fungible position about whether or not employee pensions are sacrosanct.
Do not try any of your slick lawyer tricks in Stephen Rhodes' courtroom. He's not having it.
