Aug 14, 2024 - News

Attorney for witness in YSL case suspended by state Supreme Court

Kristal Dixon

Illustration of a briefcase with an exclamation point shaped clasp — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The Georgia Supreme Court has ordered a six-month suspension of an attorney representing a key witness in the Young Slime Life racketeering case for his conduct in an unrelated trial.

Why it matters: Jonathan R. Melnick's suspension led to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker to send the jury home early Tuesday because Kenneth "Lil' Woody" Copeland, the state's star witness, said he did not want to continue testifying without an attorney, Fox 5 Atlanta reports.

Driving the news: The court's decision, released Tuesday, suspended Melnick for violating two State Bar of Georgia rules after he failed to notify his client in a 2017 child support case in Rockdale County about an opposing party's motion and subsequent hearing.

The client ultimately had to pay more than $3,000 to the child's father and attorneys fees and seek new counsel.

State of play: Melnick has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 1994.

He was reprimanded in 2003 and 2006 for violating the same rules he disregarded in the Rockdale County case, the Supreme Court's ruling states.

Add Axios on Google

Attorney for witness in YSL case suspended by state Supreme Court

More Atlanta stories