NJ Attorney Faces Ethical & Criminal Charges for Cursing at Another Lawyer

On Feb. 20, New Jersey attorney Richard Shackleton took part in a live pigeon shoot at the Philadelphia Gun Club in Pennsylvania; animal advocacy group SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness) was protesting outside the club at the time. When Shackleton left, he yelled out the window of his SUV at protester and lawyer Marianne Bessey, “Go f**k yourself, you rotten c**t.” Bessey captured the incident on her video camera and filed a complaint with the local police, who identified Shackleton by his “GO METS” license plate.

On May 5, Bessey filed private criminal complaint against Shackleton in Bucks County, Pa., accusing him of disorderly conduct and harassment. Also on May 5, a SHARK employee named Stuart Chaifetz filed a grievance with Shackleton’s local New Jersey ethics committee, claiming that Shackleton violated the Rules of Professional Conduct that prohibit acts that “reflect adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer,” among other similar allegations.

Prior to filing the complaint, Chaifetz attended a meeting of the Long Beach Township (NJ) commissioners on April 9; along with his private law practice, Shackleford has been the Long Beach Township attorney since 1976 and was present at the meeting. During the public comment period of the meeting, Chaifetz asked Shackleford to apologize for his comments, to which Shackleford responded (also on video): “I’m happy to say that, what I said, I meant every word of it.” Subsequently NBC News interviewed Shackelford at his law office, and he was still unrepentant, saying of Bessey: “I think that’s what she is and I think she deserved it.” On April 24, SHARK organized a protest outside the Long Beach municipal building, calling on the township to fire Shackleford as its attorney.

Shackleford’s attorney, Jeffrey Pollock, says they are reviewing the allegations but deny they have any merit. “If swearing in public in a private capacity is a sanctionable offense, you’re going to lose half the lawyers in New Jersey,” said Pollock. Pollock has also confirmed that he and Shackleford have discussed the possibility of suing SHARK for malicious interference with contract based on the group’s effort to get him fired as township attorney. Shackleford claims that he does not usually use such language, but “representatives of SHARK have been harassing the devil out of us,” including climbing stepladders on neighbor’s property to videotape them and posting an online video of Shackleford’s 11-year-old granddaughter shooting.

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