Every defence lawyer promises to fight for you. Few of them will ever actually bleed for it.
Courtroom battles took a backseat to a physical fight involving two defence lawyers inside the Hall of Justice in Louisville, Ky., on Wednesday.
One lawyer allegedly started the fight by hitting another over the head with an aerosol can in the attorney workroom, according to Jefferson County Police.
The victim called out and deputies rushed in a few moments later to find the two men grappling with one another, covered in blood. The victim had managed to restrain the suspect, according to police.
Defence attorney Lindsey Scott has been charged with second-degree assault in connection with the incident.
Security footage from the courthouse shows the victim, James Moore, who lost his shirt and sustained multiple injuries in the fight.
Scott can be seen sitting nearby on a bench in the video. He is wearing an all-white suit that appears to be covered in blood.
The battle also left a trail of blood near the workroom door.
Police say the incident happened for “unknown reasons,” leaving many at the courthouse scratching their heads.
“When one of the other lawyers told me what happened, I was sure they were joking with me about it,” attorney Robert Shaad told WAVE News in Louisville. Shaad was not involved in the fight.
“Attorneys are humans too, aren’t they?” said Jan Waddell, another lawyer with no connection to the incident. “I just hope they can resolve it in a friendly manner.”
An anonymous woman who was at the Hall of Justice for a court date said she was frustrated to hear about the incident.
“You’re coming in thinking you’ll get justice for something you did, and you look up and the people protecting you are doing the same idiotic things that some of us are in for,” she told WAVE.
Moore was treated in hospital for lacerations to the head and face. He was released that same day.
Scott was also taken to hospital after complaining of chest pains. He was later taken into custody and charged with assault.
The incident won Moore accolades on social media.
“Damn James Moore … best lawyer I ever had,” user Coreyountay Robinson wrote in a post on Thursday.
“Mr. Moore is a beast,” user La’Tiela Moore-Howlett wrote in a comment. “One of the best out there! Hope he gets to feeling better.”