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Summary: A Kitsap County criminal defense attorney has been disbarred nearly four years after he admitted to lying in court.
Four years after admitting to lying in court, a Washington attorney has finally been disbarred. Kitsap County criminal defense attorney Dennis X. Goss, of Port Orchard, had his license removed today after having it suspended last month.
Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary E. Fairhurst signed the final order June 5, making the disbarment effective June 12, according to the Kitsap Sun.
The original case that got Goss in trouble involved a man accused of dealing drugs and pimping. Goss allegedly hit on the man’s wife but then had the wife and client sign documents stating he did not hit on her. He also submitted a document to the court on behalf of himself where he denied the allegations.
However, prosecutors submitted text messages between Goss and the wife which showed he had propositioned her. In January 2014, Goss was charged with felony perjury, pleading guilty in October 2014 to a misdemeanor for false swearing. He was given no jail time for his misconduct.
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Even then, Goss continued to represent clients. Eventually, he was kicked off the case for a client accused of vehicular homicide when Goss was further accused of dishonesty in court. Goss claimed to have visited his client in jail to deliver the plea deal offered by the prosecution team but jail visitor logs do not show that Goss visited the defendant.
When Goss was suspended last month, he told the Kitsap Sun that he was no longer paying his dues. He still claims he is innocent and was simply targeted because of his zealous approach to defending his clients.
Do you think attorneys can be too zealous in their defense? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
To learn more about other attorneys caught lying, read these articles:
- Chicago Lawyer Resigns Amid Accusations of Lying During Police Shooting Trial
- Disbarred Attorney Gerard Terry Seen Practicing Law
- Former Skadden Arps Associate Charged with Lying to FBI
Photo: youtube.com
