Opinion ID: 1438900
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Improper Client Relationship

Text: In May 2006, Mary Hart was charged with three counts of felony forgery. She came to the law firm that previously represented her in unrelated matters. Brian Zink was an associate in the law firm and was assigned to represent her. Matthew Thornhill, St. Charles County assistant prosecutor, was assigned to handle the State's case against Hart. Thornhill initially told Zink that his recommendation for the case was six years imprisonment. Thornhill did not intend to recommend probation, but if Hart were to be sentenced to probation, his recommendation would be five years probation, including 60 days shock treatment. Zink sought to negotiate a more favorable recommendation from Thornhill. Over the course of negotiations, Zink told Thornhill that Hart was the godchild of retired professional football player Terry Bradshaw. Thornhill disbelieved Zink, but told him he would reconsider his recommendation if Zink could produce a baseball with Bradshaw's autograph. Zink and Thornhill also discussed Hart's cooperation with a drug task force as a factor in lowering the recommendation. After this conversation, Zink told the managing partner under whom he was working that he could get Hart's charges reduced if Zink produced the signed baseball. Zink would later be recorded by the FBI telling Hart that he could get the felonies taken care of if she produced a signed baseball. Hart subsequently delivered a baseball purportedly autographed by Bradshaw, as well as a football and trading card. Zink informed Thornhill that he had the memorabilia, but did not deliver the memorabilia to him. When Zink informed Thornhill that he had obtained the memorabilia, Thornhill was shocked and told Zink that he did not want it. The charges against Hart, however, were later reduced to misdemeanors after this conversation. The impetus for this reduction is not clear.