Henry Ruggs involved in serious car accident; Charged with DUI resulting in death; Released

[ronjon1990]

Just now, Rich7sena said:

Except we don't know what the charges are besides DUI resulting in death. And, despite you thinking otherwise, it's not a slam dunk for all incriminating evidence to get in. It almost never is.

Again, whatever you say, counsellor 🙄

I want some of whatever you're on lol. 

I'm not debating with a brick anymore. You've beyond proven your ignorance of the situation.

Edited November 5, 2021 by ronjon1990

[Rich7sena]

Just now, ronjon1990 said:

Again, whatever you say, counsellor 🙄

 

I mean, I'm right.

[ronjon1990]

1 minute ago, Rich7sena said:

I mean, I'm right.

Dude, stop. 

Are you on Ruggs' payroll or something? You sound like a complete fool. Literally nothing you've said is "right" or even remotely accurate. 🤦🏼‍♂️

[Rich7sena]

Just now, ronjon1990 said:

Dude, stop. 

Are you on Ruggs' payroll or something? You sound like a complete fool. Literally nothing you've said is "right" or even remotely accurate. 🤦🏼‍♂️

I'm right.

[ronjon1990]

Just now, Rich7sena said:

I'm right.

Yep. A full blown Grotius we have here. 

[Mr Raider]

37 minutes ago, ronjon1990 said:

Pretty much echos my sentiment. Having worked both sides of DUI cases, the stuff he was suggesting would be laughed off and probably make matters even worse. 

One of the biggest clichés out there is the "We don't know ALL of the facts". It's true, not ALL facts are ever known. But some cases, like this one, only need a few to satisfy a jury's need for beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Some folks think that lawyers are miracle workers and fixers locked in hardline negotiations all day full of spunk and theatrics like a Grisham novel. 

Looking at the totality of the circumstances, if I'm Ruggs' lawyer, I'm advising him to take the first plea deal offered without much dickering over the terms. Trials are expensive, and he will lose if it goes there. Trials are always a cost-benefit analysis, and here it would be a massive cost for very little benefit. A wizard might convince a jury enough to lighten the load, but sentencing is a whole different ballgame. The facts that are known are damning enough that attempting to shirk around based on technicalities would almost assuredly leave a judge giving the harshest sentence available. 

I'd tell him exactly what you said above- take responsibility, show deep remorse, be as contrite as humanly possible, and pray that a judge is willing to show some leniency in return in light of it all. Defensive posturing in cases like this almost always backfire.

I'd sit him down and tell him what all attorneys hate telling a client- "You're screwed. You're going to jail. There's no magical solution here. Now we're in damage control. The trial will be expensive. You will lose, it's just a matter of how badly. You won't be drawing any income. The penalties and damage awards will probably deplete the rest of your funds. Take a deal, spare yourself, your family, and the victim's family the pain of a trial. Cross your fingers your family will still have enough money to make it without you for however long. And start figuring out what you're going to do with the rest of your life when released, because you won't be coming out into the same kind of money you had." 

And as an attorney, I'd hope my client was smart enough to listen.

Exactly. There are some types of cases where jury's can be susceptible to the "CSI effect" and have trouble convicting a defendant because they expect DNA, fibers, hair, etc to be in abundance. Cases like trying someone for a murder without a body. Or trying a murder with just a bunch of compelling circumstantial evidence, etc. 

A DUI when the accused has videos of himself impaired shortly before the accident, video of him at the accident, blood work, witnesses, statements by someone that was there for the drinking and during the accident, etc? Not one of them. They honestly won't even need to hear the blood analysis to convict IMO. That's just a formality. 

I'm sure Ruggs lawyers are very expensive and very good. But in cases like Ruggs their hands are tied behind their back. The biggest benefit to great representation in cases like Ruggs will be one of a couple of things. They likely have either a good relationship with the DA's office, have won some cases/got a conviction of much lesser chargers that show how skilled they are and how much a jury likes them/buys what they sell, and/or the attorneys are very well known in the community and have a history of judges ruling in favor of them/giving lighter sentences for whatever judge this case lands with. Your attorney no matter how good still has to be able to present a case that is plausible and not make the jury/judge actively hate them because what you're attempting to sell has the jury actively hating the defense because everyone knows the defense is insulting their intelligence. 

If the prosecution knows the case will be expensive, will be a media circus because of the circumstances, the judge tends to hand out lighter sentences, etc it's entirely possible your great representation can have an effect in the DA office offering a fair plea under the circumstances. However it's really only helped if Ruggs says I am paying you guys to get me the best possible offer. I want to spare myself, my family, and the victims family from a drawn out process for something that is blatantly obvious I did. If he can go to the prosecutor and say my client wants to take responsibility, wants to accept the consequences and start the process of earning forgiveness you will likely get as fair a deal as any prosecution is going to give you. If Ruggs tells his lawyer to fight everything tooth and nail, try and put out a laughable defense, and get me off without punishment I guarantee the judge will see someone that still isn't grasping the consequences of his actions, the seriousness of his situation, and how badly he messed up. And then good luck with the sentence handed down when you are inevitably given the maximum sentence. 

Good lawyers can get you off in some cases by fuzzing the evidence and the theory and all of that. Good lawyers can get the innocent and the guilty off depending on the evidence. A good lawyer also knows which cases are losers and have zero chance of them being able to put together enough motions and a defense to make this go away. And part of what you are paying the big bucks for is a lawyer that can give you his expert opinion based on all his time as a defense attorney. In Ruggs case you are paying the big bucks for the lawyer to tell you to admit your mistakes, own it, accept it, and let me use that to get you out of prison as quickly as realistically possible. You don't get to be a high priced defense attorney by letting cases like the one against Ruggs to trial with hail marry tactics like those suggested. Because those go down as losses. 

I am all for innocent until proven guilty. But I have been at enough crime scenes, I have seen enough similar situations, and I understand how a lot of young millionaire athletes think. Ruggs isn't innocent. And if he plays it the way suggested in the original post he's going to spend the next 20 years in prison. 

[oakdb36]

[Mr Raider]

Hell I wonder just how rich Ruggs really is. He hasn't even been in the league for 2 years. Spotrac has his career earnings as 11 million dollars. Making like 10 last year and the rest to this point this season. When you factor in the car, the house, I'm sure other cars, jewelry, shoes, etc that young athletes like to buy. How quickly these athletes can go broke. A lot after playing significantly longer and earning considerably more. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Ruggs at this point is already broke for all intents and purposes. Especially when considering the one skill he has that earns him significant pay isn't a skill he can use to earn in the meantime. 

And I assure you his lawyers will figure out exactly how much money he has liquid and in assets. And the amount he has and has access to getting by selling things will be factored in. You have the right to representation. You don't always have the right to the uber elite lawyers. They will tell Ruggs you will end up owing this as a retainer, you will owe this by the end if we go to trial, this much if I just work out a plea. Time to sell the house and the cars. Because I get paid first. And then you have to try and keep a little to at least give your family something to live on while your girlfriend figures out her next move, the court is going to take the rest. They'll likely tell him, try and force this to a trial and you can't afford what it will cost for me to take a loser of a case like this in front of a jury. Accept a plea and you can afford my price to negotiate that. 

Ruggs hasn't made THAT much money when talking about what he's likely already bought for himself, parents, girlfriend, etc, how much his defense is going to cost him, whatever the court orders in restitution to the family, a civil suit from the family, and the Raiders suing to get his signing bonus back. If he's only earned 11 million, and was counting on another 5 million in the next 2 years, plus a 5th year option paying double and anything he would earn on a second contract in the next 5-10 years, he likely has considerably less than that available to him on hand or by selling things. 

He's definitely ending up in major debt. The question his lawyer absolutely will talk with him about is how much he actually has liquid and assets right now to secure their representation. And the best guys are not cheap. 

[ronjon1990]

4 minutes ago, Mr Raider said:

Hell I wonder just how rich Ruggs really is. He hasn't even been in the league for 2 years. Spotrac has his career earnings as 11 million dollars. Making like 10 last year and the rest to this point this season. When you factor in the car, the house, I'm sure other cars, jewelry, shoes, etc that young athletes like to buy. How quickly these athletes can go broke. A lot after playing significantly longer and earning considerably more. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Ruggs at this point is already broke for all intents and purposes. Especially when considering the one skill he has that earns him significant pay isn't a skill he can use to earn in the meantime. 

And I assure you his lawyers will figure out exactly how much money he has liquid and in assets. And the amount he has and has access to getting by selling things will be factored in. You have the right to representation. You don't always have the right to the uber elite lawyers. They will tell Ruggs you will end up owing this as a retainer, you will owe this by the end if we go to trial, this much if I just work out a plea. Time to sell the house and the cars. Because I get paid first. And then you have to try and keep a little to at least give your family something to live on while your girlfriend figures out her next move, the court is going to take the rest. They'll likely tell him, try and force this to a trial and you can't afford what it will cost for me to take a loser of a case like this in front of a jury. Accept a plea and you can afford my price to negotiate that. 

Ruggs hasn't made THAT much money when talking about what he's likely already bought for himself, parents, girlfriend, etc, how much his defense is going to cost him, whatever the court orders in restitution to the family, a civil suit from the family, and the Raiders suing to get his signing bonus back. If he's only earned 11 million, and was counting on another 5 million in the next 2 years, plus a 5th year option paying double and anything he would earn on a second contract in the next 5-10 years, he likely has considerably less than that available to him on hand or by selling things. 

He's definitely ending up in major debt. The question his lawyer absolutely will talk with him about is how much he actually has liquid and assets right now to secure their representation. And the best guys are not cheap. 

I concur with everything except the bold. 

I take offense to that lol

[Mr Raider]

22 minutes ago, ronjon1990 said:

I concur with everything except the bold. 

I take offense to that lol

Actually that is my bad. The price of a lawyer doesn't always tell you the quality. 

I'll rephrase and say the most prolific/regularl celebrities/high profile attorneys are not cheap.

I have known a lot of quality attorneys that were reasonably priced all things considered, and some that I know are in it for moral reasons and aren't motivated by money but rather it being a decent bonus. I have also known quite a few that want to take everything you own and your kidneys to pay for their services haha. 

[ronjon1990]

3 minutes ago, Mr Raider said:

Actually that is my bad. The price of a lawyer doesn't always tell you the quality. 

I'll rephrase and say the most prolific/regularl celebrities/high profile attorneys are not cheap.

I have known a lot of quality attorneys that were reasonably priced all things considered, and some that I know are in it for moral reasons and aren't motivated by money but rather it being a decent bonus. I have also known quite a few that want to take everything you own and your kidneys to pay for their services haha. 

No worries. We all know those types. In law school, they were the ones who started out with hopes of criminal defense, and everyone judged the heck out of them. 

 

[Mr Raider]

3 minutes ago, ronjon1990 said:

No worries. We all know those types. In law school, they were the ones who started out with hopes of criminal defense, and everyone judged the heck out of them. 

 

Haha hey some times that is refreshing to me. I'm like you may not be the white knight type in it for justice and all that, you're in it to make bank for houses, cars, suits, women, etc. I have never really been motivated by possessions and making as much money as humanly possible. I've always been a more simple person. But I've known more than a few people that were like that and were open and up front that was what they were after. Can be refreshing sometimes to see people that know who they are, what they want, and going to get it. Mainly because so many in this world seem to not know who they are or have any type of passion money or otherwise. Now obviously I am not going to be a fan if you're a snake and step on the less fortunate or whatever to get success. But that isn't always the case. 

I didn't see that type so much in law enforcement. Not many are up front about being in it for money and stuff. But in the academy and when in the local patrol that type were the dudes that wanted to work undercover for vice, narcotics, etc. They thought they were in an action flick or something and wanted to go cowboy, crack heads and ask questions later. And it typically resulted in those types being kicked off the force (though rarely ever charged for anything which was one of the reasons I left. I am all for cops backing eachother and being like a family, but for good, honest cops who do things by the book. When they cover up, take a line of precinct wide silence, etc for those other types it rubbed me wrong and if you speak out it ends poorly) for excessive force, violating peoples rights, taking bribes or losing/stealing evidence, etc. I couldn't handle the burechrocy or the way departments are run in the real word. So I made detective, grew wise, and went into P.I. work where I can choose what cases I work and who I work with. Don't get me wrong, I went through the academy and worked with a ton of good, honest officers that genuinely wanted to protect and serve. But I believe the way the bad ones were protected and such leaves the entire operation with blood on their hands. 

[agarcia34]

Saw the TMZ video of Ruggs driving before the crash. Man that MF was going fast

[NCOUGHMAN]

2 minutes ago, agarcia34 said:

Saw the TMZ video of Ruggs driving before the crash. Man that MF was going fast

hes a racer 🤦🏽‍♂️ Need for speed freak 🤦🏽‍♂️ That shish just finally caught up to him.

[jimkelly02]

On 11/4/2021 at 6:51 PM, Devilshark69 said:

IMO, (and I’m not prior law enforcement, more like the other side as a member of a 1%er motorcycle club for 10 yrs. lol) there’s no doubt he’s crying and feeling sorry for himself (again IMO.) and his girl is asking for help for him. I didn’t even finish the video because it made me pissed that they don’t even seem concerned about the vehicle in the inferno. I want to feel a little bad for a stupid kid, but I can’t after that video. It’s that simple for me. 

Yeah the fact that he was SLIGHTLY injured… let’s be honest wore the neck brace like someone who put it on 1 minute before taking the stand in a scam slip and fall accident’s lawsuits trial…. And they were screaming for help for Ruggs when a woman burned to death inside the car she was trapped in was absolutely disgusting and will be incredibly damaging if played in court.  It also shows how ridiculously selfish  and horrible his GF is as a person.