Given the sort of problems that surround Blackwater, gang-raped employees and massacred Iranian civilians for example, one might suspect that this shady enterprise, it’s hardly surprising that the company changed its name to Xe in the hope that no more tales about it could come out if no one knew how to pronounce its new name. It’s pronounced “Zee” by the way. It’s so much easier to change the sign on the door than deal with the rules.
The problem is that in Blackwater’s business, there are no rules. At least none that Blackwater felt constrained by. Apparently, this sense extended beyond its covert operations on foreign soil funded by American taxpayers, all the way to its lawyers.
Defense attorneys for five U.S. security contractors heading to trial on charges of killing 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2007 got into BIG trouble Monday with the federal judge presiding over the case.
No, they didn’t leak classified information.
No, they didn’t spout off in court.
They filed court papers in single space.
For those who don’t know better, formal papers filed in court must be double spaced. Every lawyer know this. It’s not a personal choice. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer the look of single spacing, or even space and a half. Double spaced is the rule.
“Paragraph 1 of the Standing Order provides all submissions ‘should be double-spaced, in 12-point Times Roman or Courier font,’” U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina wrote in a short notice filed on the court docket Monday. “In disregard of this provision, the defendants failed to double-space their memorandum, in an apparent attempt to include more information in their submission than would otherwise be permitted.”
Judge Urbina makes not note of what additional information the Blackwater attorneys sought to include that wouldn’t otherwise fit in their papers, or why they couldn’t just spend the time to edit it down to a reasonable length. The papers themselves were filed under seal, precluding scrutiny of what was so important that the Blackwater lawyers would risk the wrath of the court for their attempt to sneak in a single spaced memo.
But no matter who was raped or murdered, he was determined to make sure that they would not get away with single spacing in his courtroom. Oh no, that wasn’t going to go unnoticed.
Having made his point, however, Judge Urbina was careful not to let form trump substance.
But no matter who was raped or murdered, he was determined to make sure that they would not get away with single spacing in his courtroom. Oh no, that wasn’t going to go unnoticed.
Having made his point, however, Judge Urbina was careful not to let form trump substance.
Urbina declined to sanction the lawyers, writing that he was “loath to strike the defendant’s submission given the nature of the litigation and the proximity to trial.”Ouch. I can almost hear the smack from here. You can bet your bottom dollar that those lawyers for an enterprise that allows gang rape and massacres by its personnel, then covers it up or buys it off, are shaking in their Gucci loafers.
“The parties, however, are put on notice that any further failure to meet the standards set by the court will result in sanctions,” Urbina added.
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