Appeals Court Rejects Request in Synthetic Pot CaseAppeals Court Rejects Request in Synthetic Pot Case

7/19/13 - The state appeals court has rejected a request to reverse a decision disqualifying an attorney from representing two women charged with illegally selling synthetic marijuana in Genoa Township. The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled this week against the appeal filed by Timothy Corr. He’s the defense attorney who had sought to overturn a November ruling by 53rd District Court Judge Suzanne Geddis that it would be a conflict of interest to simultaneously represent two clients - the owner of Smokers Depot, 41-year-old Ronda Lee Roszak as well as the store’s manager, 27-year-old Melissa Ann Dzierwa. The ruling came after the Livingston County Prosecutor’s Office said it planned to offer a plea deal to one of the two suspects. Corr argued that the decision was a violation of his clients Sixth Amendment rights to select representation of their choice. But the state appeals panel ruled that the right to choose an attorney was not absolute and that courts must, “…balance the defendant’s right to counsel of choice against the public’s interest in the prompt and efficient administration of justice.” It upheld the ruling by Judge Geddis, saying it was not an abuse of her discretion. Corr said both women previously consulted with separate attorneys and had no plans to accept a plea deal. They maintain that the material which State Police confiscated during a raid in April of 2012 had been purchased at a trade show, along with a lab report indicating it did not contain any illegal chemicals. (JK)