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Variety

Attorney for Walmart Truck Driver Rains on Tracy Morgan’s Feel-Good Emmys Speech

Sep 22, 2015  •  Post A Comment

An attorney representing the truck driver accused of causing the six-vehicle crash in June 2014 that severely injured comedian Tracy Morgan and killed his friend James McNair provided a reality check following Morgan’s surprise appearance at Sunday night’s Emmys.

Variety reports that David Jay Glassman, the attorney representing Walmart driver Kevin Roper, issued a statement condemning Morgan’s speech. Glassman said the speech, which was received as one of the top feel-good moments of the Emmy Awards, has the potential to prejudice court rulings against Roper.

In the speech, Morgan talked about his traumatic brain injury and said: “When I finally regained consciousness, I was ecstatic to learn I wasn’t the one who messed up.”

Morgan and Walmart reached a settlement back in May, while Roper has pleaded not guilty to charges of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto, the report notes.

In his statement released Monday, Glassman said: “Clearly the last thing on the mind of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey Federal District Court Judge who permitted Morgan’s civil case to supersede the pending criminal proceedings, was Mr. Roper’s constitutional rights, including the right to have his guilt or innocence decided in a courtroom, as opposed to by the national media or by way of comments made by Mr. Morgan during the nationally televised 67th Annual Emmy Awards.”

The statement adds: “Mr. Morgan has confirmed that his monetary goals have been realized and his personal as well as professional recovery is well underway. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about my client, Kevin Roper, who awaits indictment, while his constitutional rights were discarded in favor of an unprecedented rush to judgment and material for comic relief.”

Please click here to see the video of Morgan’s Emmys speech.

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4 Comments

  1. Tracy Morgan’s joke, didn’t say who was at fault or name this person. Tracy just said he wasn’t at fault, and I was under the impression that he wasn’t the one on trial for being at fault. So when he says he wasn’t at fault as a joke…how does that say the guy that’s on trial for it is? Stupid.

  2. An attorney grasping at straws. I’m sure Mr. Roper never intended to hurt anyone and I’m sure he’s very sorry it happened. But, the facts remain that the truck he was driving caused the wreck,,,and he was driving the truck. Let’s also not forget that if reports concerning the number of hours Mr. Roper went without rest or sleep while continuing to drive the truck are correct- there must be a reason he was pushing so hard. And that certainly points toward WalMart who is all-too-well-know for pushing people who wpork for them. How were they able to quietly settle with Mr. Morgan and slip out of any responsibility for Mr. Roper?

  3. The lawyer is an idiot. The Emmy broadcast is not a judicial proceeding, so the attorney’s babbling about constitutional issues is utterly irrelevant. Apparently the lawyer thinks we should be more worried about the homicidal truck driver than his innocent victims.

  4. Apparently this lawyer missed the Constitutional Law class on free speech. If he needs a reminder Donald Trump will be happy to provide enlightenment.

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