Busted! Lawyer complains that 'large breasted woman' working for his rival is distracting the jury
Last updated at 8:24 PM on 26th May 2011
A lawyer has been accused of sexism after complaining that a busty woman working for his rival was too distracting to the jury.
Thomas Gooch said the female, who is said to have a figure like Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, was being used to sabotage his case.
He said male members of the jury in a small claims court would find her ample figure 'too distracting' and could cause him to lose his case.
DRESSED TO DISTRACTION: Lawyer Dmitry Feofanov is accused of having an underqualified paralegal, Daniella Atencia, sit with him in a courtroom just so her good looks will distract the jury
The paralegal allegedly has a curvaceous figure like Mad Men star Christina Hendricks
Gooch, who is representing a car dealership in a Chicago court, denied that he is being sexist towards Daniella Atencia.
He said his objection was because the woman has no legal experience and not because of the size of her chest.
'Personally, I like large breasts,' he said.
'However, I object to somebody I don't think is a qualified paralegal sitting at the counsel table -- when there's already two lawyers there -- dressed in such a fashion as to call attention to herself.'
He added that the woman's place at the front of the court 'is to draw the attention of the jury away from the relevant proceedings'.
Gooch is representing a company called Exotic Motors who are being sued over the sale of a used car.
He asked the judge in the case at Cook County Circuit Court to have Atencia removed from the lawyer's table and join members of the public at the rear of the courtroom.
In his legal motion asking for Atencia to be removed Gooch said his rival lawyer was using dirty tricks to win his case.
'Such behaviour includes having a large breasted woman sit next to him at counsel's table during the course of the trial,' he said.
'There is no evidence whatsoever that this woman has any legal training whatsoever, and the sole purpose of her presence at Plaintiff's Counsel's table is to draw the attention of the jury away from the relevant proceedings before this court, obviously prejudicing the Defendant's in this or any other cause.
'Until it is shown that this woman has any sort of legal background, she should be required to sit in the gallery with the rest of the spectators and be barred from sitting at counsel's table during the course of this trial.
But lawyer Dmitry Feofanov insisted Atencia is his paralegal assistant and qualified to sit at the front of the court.
He asked a judge to throw out the motion to have her removed.
Feofanov said his assistant is 'clearly qualified for the work she performs before and during trials, and there is no reason to believe that her appearance at Plaintiffs' table will have any detrimental effect on Defendants' presentation of its case to a jury.'
The trial judge has yet to rule on the motion to have Atencia removed.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1391193/Thomas-Gooch-objects-busty-woman-court.html#ixzz1NUhlsRip
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