Richard Scruggs Richard F . " Dickie " Scruggs ( born May 17 , 1946 ) is an American former A6A naval aviator , a prominent trial lawyer , one of the richest men in Mississippi , and the brother - in - law of former U . S . Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott . Scruggs first came to the public eye after successfully suing the asbestos industry on behalf of ill shipyard workers . He later represented the state of Mississippi in the tobacco litigation of the 1990s . Scruggs was indicted for attempted bribery in 2007 and in 2009 . He pleaded guilty in March 2008 , and again in February 2009 . Scruggs was sentenced to 5 years in prison on June 27 , 2008 by U . S . District Judge Neal Biggers ; and on February 10 , 2009 , Judge Glen H . Davidson sentenced him to 7 years for the second scheme , to run concurrently . " Kings of Tort " , by Alan Lange and Tom Dawson , released in 2009 , documents the rise and fall of Scruggs . " The Fall of the House of Zeus : The Rise and Ruin of America ' s Most Powerful Trial Lawyer " , by veteran journalist Curtis Wilkie , was published in 2010 . Personal life . Scruggs was born in Brookhaven , Mississippi , on May 17 , 1946 , but grew up in Pascagoula , Mississippi . In 1971 he married Diane Thompson , a sister of Tricia Thompson Lott , wife of Trent Lott . The sisters are close , and their families often spent holidays together . Scruggs lived in a five - million - dollar mansion in Oxford , Mississippi . In 2003 , he bought the upper floor of a building on Courthouse Square in Oxford in which he housed the Scruggs Law Firm . In 2010 , this space was purchased by the firm of W . Roberts Wilson , Jr . following the 2009 settlement of Wilson ' s longstanding suit against Scruggs for fees resulting from asbestos cases in the 1980s . Scruggs brought a certain élan to Oxford , and politicians regularly came through on fund - raising quests , Joe Biden , Tom Daschle , Susan Collins , and Harry Reid , among them . Scruggs and his wife , Diane , were ardent supporters of the University of Mississippi , making large donations to several organizations on campus . Scruggs Hall , which currently houses the Music department , was named in their honor . The Scruggs name was removed from the building following Scruggs guilty plea to bribery in March 2007 . The building is now called " The Music Building " . Education . Scruggs was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon as an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi . He graduated from the University of Mississippi Law School in 1976 , where he was a classmate of Mike Moore , a close friend who later became the Attorney General of Mississippi . Political activity . Scruggs has made monetary contributions to the presidential campaigns of Joe Biden and John McCain , the Senatorial campaigns of Hillary Clinton , John Kerry , Biden , and McCain , and to numerous other candidates from both major political parties . Scruggs was scheduled to host a fundraiser at his home for Senator Hillary Clinton ' s presidential campaign , on December 15 , 2007 , to be attended by former President Bill Clinton . However , that fundraiser was canceled after Scruggs ' indictment . In the months following Scruggs ' indictment , both the McCain and Biden campaigns returned his contributions . Legal career . Scruggs began his career with a prestigious law firm in Jackson , Mississippi , where he often defended insurance companies . Later he moved back to Pascagoula and opened his own office . One of his first big legal victories was in representing workers at the Pascagoula shipyard who became fatally ill as a result of exposure to asbestos fibers . Tobacco litigation . In the 1990s , Scruggs was hired by Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore to assist with a lawsuit against thirteen tobacco companies . Settlement of the state ' s case against the tobacco companies was for US $ 248 billion . His performance in this case was portrayed by actor Colm Feore in the movie " The Insider " . Scruggs himself , as well as his second house in Pascagoula , Mississippi , also appeared in the film . Ritalin lawsuits . A short time after the tobacco lawsuit , Scruggs led and became a spokesman for the plaintiffs in the Ritalin class action lawsuits . He asserted that the makers of Ritalin " manufactured a disease " and that Ritalin " has been grossly over - prescribed . It is a huge risk . " All five class actions in five states were dismissed before trial . Katrina litigation . In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina , Scruggs filed a number of lawsuits against insurance companies regarding payment on claims made for storm damage . One of his clients was his brother - in - law Senator Trent Lott , former Majority Leader of the US Senate and Lott ' s wife , Tricia , in a lawsuit against State Farm Insurance . Numerous other clients and cases followed , most of which resulted in favorable settlements . Bribery and wire fraud . At the conclusion of one of those Katrina - related trials , a fee dispute arose between Scruggs and other plaintiff ' s attorneys involved in the case . That fee dispute resulted in a separate trial to determine how to apportion the fees . According to allegations that later surfaced in a criminal prosecution , Scruggs was involved in an attempt to bribe Mississippi Third Circuit Court Judge Henry L . Lackey with $ 40 , 000 in exchange for a favorable ruling in the fee dispute . Lackey reported the attempted bribe and cooperated with the investigation . Scruggs pleaded guilty in Federal Court on March 14 , 2008 . On June 26 , 2008 , he was sentenced to five years in prison for the bribery charge . In a separate federal indictment , Scruggs was accused of attempting to improperly influence Mississippi judge Bobby DeLaughter . On February 10 , 2009 , Scruggs pleaded guilty in federal court in Aberdeen , Mississippi , to one count of that indictment charging mail fraud in the corruption of a public official . That count carried a maximum penalty of 20 years / $ 250 , 000 fine . Scruggs was sentenced to a seven - year term to run concurrently with the five - year sentence , adding two years to the total . He was also fined $ 100 , 000 . Judge Glen H . Davidson imposed his sentence and quoted the Scottish philosopher William Barclay : “ The Romans had a proverb that money was like sea water . The more you drink the thirstier you become . ” John Grisham reported that Scruggs , while serving his sentence in federal prison , worked to help inmates get GED certificates , and expressed astonishment at the low level of literacy among the inmates . Scruggs took long walks with other white - collar inmates . In December 2012 , a federal judge granted Scruggs ' motion to be released from prison on bail pending his appeal of the 2009 conviction .