Courts

Lawyer Heading To Jail After Telling Judge 'F*ck You'

Yeah, don't say that to a judge.

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There are some things — no matter how frustrated you may be in the moment — you just shouldn’t say to a judge. Pretty much the top of that list, is cursing out said judge. A lesson a St. Louis attorney is learning the hard way.

Missouri medical malpractice attorney Eugene H. Fahrenkrog Jr. has been ordered to spend a week in jail in a contempt order issued last week. According to the order, issued by St. Louis County Circuit Judge John N. Borbonus, the attorney told the judge, “Fuck you!”

Yeah, that’ll get you in some hot water.

From the order:

On July 14, 2021, at a scheduled hearing in the above-entitled Court and in the immediate view, hearing and presence of Circuit Judge John N. Borbonus, St. Louis County Circuit Court, Clayton, Missouri, Attorney Eugene H. Fahrenkrog, Jr., Missouri Bar Number 22309 did state directly to Judge John N. Borbonus, “Fuck you!”

As reported by Law and Crime, Borbonus went on:

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“Said behavior was willfully and intentionally committed, contemptuous, insolent and directly tended to interrupt proceedings of this Court and to impair the respect due its authority,” the order filed the same day those verboten words left the lawyer’s lips alleges.

“Therefore, this Court having presented Eugene H. Fahrenkrog Jr. with oral notice of the act so charged, and this Court having presented Eugene H. Fahrenkrog Jr. with an opportunity to answer to the criminal contempt, the Court finds beyond a reasonable doubt is guilty of direct criminal contempt,” the order concludes before issuing directions to law enforcement to detain the attorney in the Department of Justice Services of St. Louis County “until released according to law or until further order of the Court.”

While the exact dispute that led up to the curse out isn’t known, it doesn’t matter much. As an attorney, a courtroom is your professional setting and the judge is the person in charge. So… yeah. Keep the f-bombs out of it.

As of Thursday, Fahrenkrog hadn’t begun his sentence.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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