Why editors matter, Take 121

A Philadelphia judge has some fun with a quick-typing lawyer requesting fees. It could have been, the judge says, if it weren't for all those typos. Like any good lawyer, he provides evidence:

One document said: "Had the defendants not tired to paper plaintiff's counsel to death, some type would not have occurred. Furthermore, there have been omissions by the defendants, thus they should not case stones."

In one letter, Mr. Puricelli had given the magistrate's first name as Jacon, not Jacob. "I appreciate the elevation to what sounds like a character in `The Lord of the Rings,' " Magistrate Hart wrote, "but, alas, I am only a judge."

In all of Mr. Puricelli's filings, he identified the Federal District Court in Philadelphia as the United States District Court for the Easter District of Pennsylvania.

The judge wrote: "Mr. Puricelli's complete lack of care in his written product shows disrespect for the court. Mr. Puricelli's lack of care caused the court and, I am sure, defense counsel, to spend an inordinate amount of time deciphering the arguments."

He reduced Mr. Puricelli's fee by $31,500. I would have edited the briefs for half that amount. If only Mr. Puricelli had hired me.