An attorney sanctioned for violating a protective order in Express Grain’s bankruptcy case will accept his punishment and pay court costs totaling more than $3,100, according to court filings.
Don Barrett, head of Barrett Law Office in Lexington, agreed in a document filed Monday to pay the costs incurred by UMB Bank for a complaint filed against his actions. The costs include time committed to drafting the complaint and preparing to defend it in court.
Last month, Barrett appeared on “The Gallo Show,” a Mississippi radio program, discussing Express Grain’s bankruptcy and a lawsuit in which he is representing several farming operations against UMB Bank, Express Grain’s largest creditor. During the interview, Barrett referenced documents involving the bank and Express Grain but did not identify their source.
UMB Bank filed a complaint with Judge Selene Maddox, arguing that Barrett’s comments constituted a violation of Maddox’s protective order on a database of sensitive and confidential documents that are being used to sort out several legal issues involving Express Grain.
Barrett argued that his comments were not in violation of the order and he would never intentionally defy court orders.
In a bench ruling on March 25, Maddox expressed her disappointment with Barrett’s conduct and his admission that his firm had access to the confidential database to inform an unrelated lawsuit. She emphasized that the database was set up to handle Express Grain matters exclusively and nothing else.
She admonished Barrett for his appearance on the radio program and sanctioned him by ordering his firm to pay the costs incurred by UMB Bank for the complaint. Barrett had the right to object if he believed the costs were unreasonable.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwa-rds@gwcommonwealth.com.
