Nifong Given Extension to Respond to Ethics Complaint

Raleigh, N.C. — Embattled District Attorney Mike Nifong has been granted an extension to file a written response to ethics charges leveled against him for his handling of the Duke lacrosse sexual assault case.

Nifong's response to the North Carolina State Bar complaint was due Friday, but the bar's disciplinary commission moved the deadline to Wednesday because one of Nifong's attorneys was ill.

The bar has accused Nifong of withholding evidence from lawyers defending three lacrosse players charged with sexually assaulting a stripper, of lying to the court and to bar investigators, and making misleading and inflammatory comments about the players.

Legal experts have said Nifong could be disbarred if he's convicted.

Last spring, Nifong won grand jury indictments on charges of rape, sexual offense and kidnapping against lacrosse players Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans. All three have strongly maintained their innocence.

Nifong dropped the rape charges in December after the 28-year-old accuser changed a key detail in her story, and he later turned the case over to state prosecutors

42 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

VIEW ALL 42 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments. Comments on WRAL.com news stories are accepted and moderated between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Latest Comments

Nifong deserves the same time he gave the lacrosse players---- none. He does not deserve anything but we probably will see the bar association circle the wagons to protect one of their own, no matter how undeserving or guilty.

ridgerunner
February 27, 2007 1:52 p.m.

Not only did Nifraud ruin the reputations on these boys, he smeared the name of a top notch school, and to this day hasn't given any type of an apology to either of them. He is a sorry as the accuser, if not worse.

Lovinit
February 23, 2007 3:06 p.m.

It never ceases to amaze me the opinions of some...

Of course everyone expects different opinions, but when someone makes a comment about another's guilt when they are not a first-hand participant in the investigation (or the crime itself) and cannot know more than the rest of us, it just blows my mind.

How can anyone feel, with such absolute conviction, that the Duke boys are guilty, with the absence of any physical evidence against them? If these were the findings of another case where a guilty party (perhaps from years prior) were found innocent based on newly available DNA evidence, or lack thereof, everyone would be cheering the triumph of modern-day technology. Even SAVEDADRAMA probably.

I personally feel the boys are innocent - with time-stamped photos, bank ATM footage, receipts, phone records, taxicabs... I mean, come on. This was doubtful from the start. Common sense should apply (if you've got it).

NC to GA
February 23, 2007 12:47 p.m.

Im real curious as to whom yall think i'm being racist against, can I get some clarification on that please

happyday
February 23, 2007 12:51 a.m.

As the whole nation watched, Nifong gave the impression that NC is filled with racists and thugs. He did this for his ego and to get elected, after promising Gov. Easley that he would only finish the term he was appointed to. Not only is his name now used as a verb, but in this case DA stands for Dumb A**.

Builder03
February 22, 2007 6:00 p.m.