A north Alabama attorney pled guilty to harassing a person, accusing his client of domestic violence and making her scared to show up at the courthouse, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Friday.
John Totten, 50, of Athens, told the victim to stay at his office after he finished a meeting with her and his client before a court hearing.
According to a news release for Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office, 50-year-old John Totten was convicted of one count of Harassment, a Class C misdemeanor. Totten was representing a defendant accused of domestic violence. Before a court hearing, authorities said he met the victim and the defendant and told the victim to stay at his office.
When the victim went to the courthouse, according to Marshall, Totten confronted her verbally and told her to leave the building, “causing her to be fearful of showing up at the courthouse.”
“Victims of domestic violence should not fear harassment from attorneys who represent their attackers,“ Marshall said in announcing the guilty plea and sentence. “Attorneys should be held to the strictest moral and ethical standards as they carry out their roles in our judicial system. Those who violate these standards will face criminal prosecution by the law.”
Richard Jaffe, one of the attorneys representing Totten, denied Marshall’s version of events.
Totten pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of misdemeanor harassment. He was sentenced to 90 days in the Limestone County jail, which was suspended. Instead, Totten will serve one year of probation.