Allison v. State
Mississippi Supreme Court
436 So.2d 792 (1983)
- Written by Angela Patrick, JD
Facts
Attorney Cullen Taylor (defendant) defended Lenzie Allison in a criminal trial, but Allison was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to prison. Taylor then filed and perfected a timely appeal of Allison’s conviction. However, Allison did not respond to Taylor’s multiple messages asking to be paid $3,000 to pursue the appeal for Allison. Taylor also offered to give the file to a different attorney of Allison’s choosing and told Allison that it was important to act quickly on the appeal. Allison never responded, and Taylor did nothing further on the appeal. A year after the appeal was filed, the supreme court entered an order to show cause. This order asked Taylor to explain why he should not be held in contempt of court for his failure either to prosecute the appeal or to seek withdrawal from the case. Taylor’s response focused solely on Allison’s lack of payment and did not explain why Taylor had not requested permission to withdraw after he realized that he was not going to be paid.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Robertson, J.)
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