March 15, 2016
March 15, 2016
When I fired my lawyer Jack McCabe he owed me over $2K. Later after he was elected the youngest president of the SD Bar Assc. at age 33 one week later he was in jail for receiving stolen property. Since I had just been arrested for sales of cocaine in Laguna Niguel while on Probation from a 5 to life for sales of cocaine in San Diego I knew I needed a powerful attorney since I was now facing 10 to life. First thing Jack McCabe did when he was in jail was call Peter Hughes asking to represent him. Peter said, "Sorry Jack, got no time." Now I knew the $2K Jack still owed me was paid in full. I knew I had my lawyer. I called his office and surprise! The most powerful attorney in this town answered his own phone. I told him about my case and explained the trial was up north, although Peter kept reminding me how much his travel expenses would add up to I wasn't daunted saying ""I want you." So after a few minutes of conversation Peter suddenly spoke up and said, "You know, this sounds like a search and seizure case and a good friend of mine is search and seizure specialist and he is in Santa Monica, let me give him a call for you." Peters friends was Marshall Schulman, known as the "irracible" Marshall Schulman on 60 Minutes, Dateline, 48 Hrs, etc. He was a heavyweight and I was found not guilty April 24, 1979. I found God that day as well and I owe my life to Peter 100%! I found out that Marshall cut his fee in half because of Peters recommendation. I made the biggest mistake of my life by hiring Bill Nimmo and making Peter my second choice. Although I was found not guilty in less than 2 hours after a 3 week trial for multiple violent felony counts carrying a strike, one of only 23 acquittals from 16,000 convictions in 2004 Nimmo did not protect me nor follow thru on a lawsuit as promised and agreed upon before I gave him $67,000. I was arrested 5 times over the next 7 years taken to court 77 times under penalty of immediate arrest and bled me dry financially and mentally. Especially since they never told me why they kept arresting me and entered false arrest into the official police computer. ADA and SDPD Det.Holly Moore is worse. If i had hired Peter Hughes instead of Bill NImmo Peter would have never taken the misuse and abuses of the law that Nimmo let go knowing he has to deal with the same DA's and Judges again. Peter had too much integrity,and ran this town from behind the scenes for 30 years., Why I did not hire him makes me sick and finding out he died made me cry. I wanted to tell him while he was alive but I hope and pray that his family and friends can get a little comfort.from my words. My father Capt Jack Goddard was a 23 yr old ensign aboard the USS Maryland at Pearl Harbor whose plaque is atop Mt Soledad War Memorial right below Bull Halsey. He fought at every major battle in the Pacific Theater and Bonnie Dumanis and Fiona Khalil tried to arrest my father! Judge Susan Finlay should be ashamed for her actions regarding myself and my father and I had to face her in court close to 40 times so lets not act like i didn't learn the hard way what the truth is to San Diego. Peter Hughes was on of a kind and I can run down a long list of highly paid well known lawyers in this town, (dozens) but Peter ran this town with the fortitude integrity and wisdom our forefathers exhibited founding this country and its laws. Later after our initial meet some friends of friends heard about Peter and asked me to help turn themselves in from various places around the world, Yugoslavia to Europe all involved in the infamous Coronado Company during the 1980's. 98 tons of Thai Sticks were sailed into San Diego Harbor, and these big time boys all asked me to ask Peter if they could turn themselves in and not become abused or messed with and every time they called me I called Peter, he had given me his private number and every time he took the time to assure the lawyer they were given like Thomas Warwick was top notch and they would be in and out smoothly as possible. Peter never acted like he didn't want to listen and help, for no reason other than that is the man he is, today tomorrow and yesterday, the best the one horse town ever had. I am glad to say i knew him, god bless, Lawrence A Goddard