Building-collapse lawyer found in contempt of court
William Hobson was fined $100 and ordered not to talk to reporters about the case anymore.
THE ATTORNEY representing the contractor charged with helping cause the building collapse at 22nd and Market streets that killed six people last year was found to be in contempt of court yesterday and fined $100.
Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Lerner convicted defense lawyer William Hobson of indirect civil contempt for violating a gag order the judge issued Sept. 16 that barred attorneys working on the case from talking to reporters.
Lerner initially fined Hobson $250 but reduced the amount to $100 after Hobson apologized, said he would not speak to reporters again and asked if he could perform community service instead of paying the fine.
Hobson, who represents building contractor Griffin Campbell, was flagged for providing comments that appeared in an Oct. 2 Philly.com article written by reporters Sam Wood and Brian X. McCrone.
After seeing the article, Assistant District Attorney Edward Cameron filed a petition alleging Hobson had violated the gag order and requesting a hearing on the matter.
Cameron said yesterday that Hobson also violated the gag order by complaining in a Daily News article Thursday that it was akin to a dog muzzle.
After a brief hearing, attended by Campbell and more than a dozen of his relatives, Lerner ruled that Hobson had violated the order because of his comments in the Oct. 2 article, but not for his comments in Thursday's article.
Lerner, however, said he found Hobson's dog muzzle comment offensive and demanded an apology,which Hobson humbly offered.
Hobson also apologized for violating the gag order, though his attorney, James Lammendola, argued during the hearing that Hobson did not believe he had violated the order because he thought he was speaking to the reporters only about the civil lawsuit related to the collapse, not the criminal case.
"I'm really counting on having this case proceed from this point on . . . [in a way that] guarantees a fair trial for everyone involved," Lerner said.
Campbell, 50, and co-defendant Sean Benschop, 43, are charged with six counts of third-degree murder and related offenses for their alleged roles in the June 5, 2013, collapse that killed six and injured 13. Campbell hired Benschop to operate an 18-ton excavator machine to demolish a building near the corner of 22nd and Market streets.
A wall of the building being demolished toppled onto a neighboring Salvation Army thrift store, causing the deaths and injuries.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty and are being held without bail. Prosecutors allege the pair's greed and recklessness caused the accident.
Lerner issued the gag order at the request of Cameron and his co-counsel, Jennifer Selber.
Lerner said the gag order would remain until he assigned the case to a trial judge, who would decide whether to keep it in place.
Gag orders are often issued in high-profile cases to prevent prejudicing potential jurors and to stop lawyers from attempting to try cases in the media.