A California defense attorney has earned a spot in the ATL Lawyer of the Day hall of fame. Michael Lukehart didn’t let a weak heart stop him from defending his client. From KERO-TV:
Lukehart said he woke up at 5 a.m. on Monday with massive chest pains.
A normal non-ATL-Lawyer-of-the-Day would head to the hospital at that point. But not Lukehart.
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Even though he knew something was seriously wrong, he said he was in denial. So instead of going to the hospital, Lukehart said he went to the courthouse to deliver his closing arguments on a case he was on.
Michael Lukehart’s website says he’s “passionately committed to your defense. When you hire Michael Lukehart, you hire a fearless warrior who is passionately committed to you and your case.”
In the case of Lukehart, that’s not hyperbole. Massive chest pains are no obstacle for this legal warrior. So when he finally went to the hospital, what was the diagnosis?
Lukehart actually suffered a major heart attack.
Finally around 11 a.m., Lukehart drove to his office and had his secretary take him to the hospital.
Lukehart had to get a stent put in one of his major arteries.
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Lukehart is now recovering in the hospital.
If you’re a serious attorney, you’d do the same thing, according to Lukehart:
“You get focused if you’re a real serious litigate, and at some point nothing gets in the way of finishing the trial or doing your job and it’s not bright,” Lukehart told the television station.
No word yet on whether he won the case.
Attorney Ignores Heart Attack, Finishes Trial [KERO23]