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WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Casey's legal career focus of House campaign debate

Amooney

CHARLESTON – The campaign for Republican Alex Mooney is accusing Democratic candidate Nick Casey of lying about his legal career.

During an editorial board meeting Monday with the Charleston Daily Mail, Casey was asked about his “career as a trial lawyer.”

“I’m not a trial lawyer,” Casey reportedly said. “I’ve never been a trial lawyer. I’m a CPA lawyer, I do businessy kinds of stuff.”

Mooney’s campaign also says, in a Tuesday press release, that Casey’s law firm – Lewis, Glasser, Casey & Rollins in Charleston – states on its website that “we defend claims of professional malpractice, personal injury and wrongful death. We have extensive defense experience in complex and mass litigation involving toxic torts, asbestos liability and other products liability. Examples of our efforts in complex civil litigation are successes in disputes involving commodity futures and securities, class actions in federal truth in-lending laws and large-dollar mineral royalties.”

Casey’s campaign manager Mark Polen said Tuesday that, like Mooney’s release states, Casey’s firm does work in defense roles in their legal practice.

“I see nothing in this release justifying a negative characterization of Mr. Casey in this manner,” Polen said. “The facts, as reported by Mooney, and in reality, speak otherwise.

“This is the type of personal attack that Mr. Mooney has undertaken during his long career in Maryland politics; that he waged against his Republican primary opponents and; that he’s now attempting to wage in this campaign.

“Mr. Casey has called him a scurrilous liar previously, and does again in connection with this attack.”

Mooney campaign manager Nick Clemens noted that Casey’s firm currently is representing Iraj Derakshan, a doctor who allegedly obtained a former patient’s medical records and allegedly engaged in dishonorable and unethical behavior.

In the press release, Clemens also says Casey’s firm has represented “tax cheats.” Casey’s practice area of expertise is listed as taxation on the firm’s website.

"Nick Casey blatantly lied about his career of defending criminals who have skirted the law and defrauded West Virginia families," Clemens said. “It is sad that Nick Casey would defend such unethical people, but it is particularly shameful that he is willing to lie to the voters of West Virginia. West Virginia deserves better."

Polen again noted that Casey’s firm’s practice largely focuses on defense work.

“I would think that law firms that defend the interests of businesses should be heroes to Mr. Mooney, that is if he and his staff understood the difference between the plaintiff and defense sides in a lawsuit,” Polen said.

In addition to his legal career, Casey is the former chairman of the state Democratic Party. He’s a lobbyist and a Certified Public Accountant.

Mooney is a former Maryland state senator and chairman of the Maryland Republican Party. He now lives in Charles Town.

Casey and Mooney face off in the Nov. 4 general election to fill the U.S. House seat of Shelley Moore Capito, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat left open by the retirement of Jay Rockefeller.

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