Arora no longer representing former DeKalb school system COO
11:46 am, June 23rd, 2010
Manubir S. “Manny” Arora no longer represents Patricia Reid, the indicted former chief operating officer for the DeKalb County school system.
Atlanta attorney B.J. Bernstein, who is replacing Arora, filed a substitution of counsel notice at 8:31 Wednesday morning, according to Orzy Theus, a spokesman for DeKalb County District Attorney Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming.
Arora could not be reached immediately for comment.
Arora had been scheduled to appear before DeKalb Superior Court Judge Cynthia J. Becker Thursday afternoon to argue why he should not be barred from contacting the grand jurors who indicted his client, former school superintendent Crawford Lewis, Reid’s husband Anthony V. Pope and secretary Cointa Moody. The hearing has been cancelled.
Under Georgia law, grand jury proceedings are secret. However, Arora argued that the law allows attorneys to question grand jurors about procedural matters. Arora had said he wanted to find out if grand jurors understood the 127-page racketeering, bribery and theft indictment against the four defendants and, if not, whether he would have grounds to challenge it.
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June 23rd, 2010 at 11:48 am
UPDATE: Arora says the Thursday hearing has been canceled.
June 24th, 2010 at 10:19 am
This woman still collects her salary from DeKalb School System when she should have been fired a long long time ago. Too bad B.J. has taken her on as a client – always respected B.J. and thought her a good lawyer just as Manny is but guess we have to remember everyone is entitled to counsel. I hope this woman and her partners who were also indicted go to jail for about 10 years and have nothing to do but think about what they did to the school system, students, teachers and parents.