U.S. Senate candidate chooses radio show over court hearing, gets held in contempt

Elizabeth Murray | Burlington Free Press

A candidate for U.S. Senate was held in contempt of court and fined $250 after a judge determined he'd shirked his lawyer duties so he could appear on a radio show to promote his political campaign.

Jasdeep Pannu, an Essex attorney, had several clients scheduled for hearings at 9:30 a.m. Friday. Unfortunately for him, his conversation on WDEV's Dave Gram Show was scheduled for 9:40 a.m.

Pannu sought to get the hearing time changed, but while he was speaking on the radio show, Judge Michael Kupersmith denied that request.

"This is dereliction of duty," Kupersmith told Pannu when his cases were finally heard at around 10:45 a.m. "This is not funny. Your first obligation is to the court."

"I agree," Pannu replied.

"You didn't act that way this morning," Kupersmith said.

Pannu is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate and is one of four people seeking to unseat U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Pannu has been an attorney in Vermont for 13 years.

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Kupersmith initially fined Pannu $500, but that was lowered to $250 after Pannu held an on-the-record chambers conference with Kupersmith after the hearings. Pannu paid the $250 fine in full, meaning his contempt was purged.

Pannu declined further comment both at the courthouse and over the phone.

Lee Kittell, who was a guest host of the WDEV show on Friday, said Pannu confirmed late afternoon Thursday that he would be coming on the show.

One of Pannu's clients, Antonio Hammond, had been transported to the courthouse from prison for his 9:30 a.m. hearing Friday. His wife, Amanda Hammond, said she and several family members had been at the courthouse since before 9 a.m. waiting for the hearing to occur and were frustrated by Pannu's reasons for failing to appear in court at the originally scheduled time.

"He needs to choose one or the other," Amanda Hammond said of Pannu. "You should not take on cases if you can't come to court and give your clients undivided attention."

During Hammond's hearing, Kupersmith told Pannu he had granted a motion from at least one of his other clients to replace Pannu with another lawyer.

"I think you need to pay more attention to your clients, Mr. Pannu," Kupersmith said. "I see nodding heads in the courtroom, by the way."

Michael Kennedy, bar counsel in Vermont, said the rules of professional conduct do not give additional rules or guidance to attorneys running for political office. However, speaking generally, he said ethical rules speak to putting clients' interests first.

"They are certainly not subordinate to their own interests," Kennedy said.

Pannu was previously disciplined for misconduct while representing a defendant in a 2009 sexual assault and domestic assault trial. Acting against a judge's orders, Pannu brought up the sexual history of the person who accused his client of sexual assault, which led to a mistrial. He was fined $2,000, held in contempt of court and later publicly reprimanded by the Vermont Professional Responsibility Board for violating three professional conduct rules.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the fact that lawyer Jasdeep Pannu paid the $250 fine after being held in contempt of court.

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP.