Summary: Embattled New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has announced that he is taking a leave of absence from Weitz & Luxenberg PC.
Sheldon Silver, the New York Assembly Speaker, will take a leave of absence from his personal injury law firm, Weitz & Luxenberg PC, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
Silver is facing federal corruption charges and his leave of absence comes just one day after Democratic lawmakers said Silver would exit his post, which he has held since 1994.
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“I am grateful for my time with the firm and do not want the pending and unwarranted allegations against me to be a distraction, especially since there was no wrongdoing by the firm,” Silver said in a statement released by the law firm. “I wish the firm and its lawyers well as they continue their outstanding work on behalf of their many clients.”
Silver has worked at the law firm for more than 12 years. He worked there as an of counsel attorney and was not a partner.
Silver was paid more than $3 million for referrals made to Weitz & Luxenberg, according to federal prosecutors. He referred people suffering from mesothelioma. The patients were sent to Silver by a New York doctor who was paid $500,000 in state funds for a research center by Silver.
The firm has not been accused of any wrongdoing in this case. A spokeswoman for the firm said that the firm does not know of any referrals from Silver who are related to the doctor from New York. Silver continues to deny the charges.
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The managing partner of the firm, Gary Klein, said that Silver was hired “to bring prestige to the firm, just like a retired Judge that gets hired by the innumerable law firms around the country.”
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Source: Wall Street Journal