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• May 13, 2008 11:56 am US/Central
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  Court Rules Against Minn. Man Who Punched Defender

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Court Rules Against Minn. Man Who Punched Defender

ST. PAUL (AP) ― Punch your public defender in court and you're on your own, that's the message the Minnesota Court of Appeals sent a Chisholm man on Tuesday.
  
William Edwin Lehman Jr. pummeled attorney Mark Groettum in a Hibbing courtroom during his July 2006 trial on felony assault.
  
Lehman challenged a decision to deny his right to court-appointed counsel and a decision to shackle him for the rest of the trial. He also complained that no evidentiary hearing was held on the matter.
  
The three-judge appeals panel says the district court did not abuse its power by denying Lehman a new public defender. They also say it was justified to shackle Lehman and say a separate hearing wasn't necessary because Lehman punched his attorney in front of the judge and jury.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)