Pittsburgh defense attorney Marc Daffner made the news when he submitted a request for postponement of his client’s preliminary hearing. His reason for the request was simple: he wanted to avoid “being killed” by wife in labor. The judge and the district attorney both signed off on the postponement. Daffner and his wife, Randi, are the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl.
Typically, judges look for reasons such as illness, missing witnesses or lack of time to prepare when considering whether to grant postponements. Every now and then, a judge will see a reason that’s, well, not typical. Marc Daffner’s reason is the perfect example: he wanted to avoid “being killed” by wife in labor.
Pittsburgh defense attorney Daffner submitted his request to postpone a client’s preliminary hearing in Pittsburgh City Court stating, “Defense counsel’s wife went into labor at approximately 11:15 a.m. today, and defense counsel will be killed by his wife if he does not get to the hospital immediately.”
Jeffrey A. Manning, Common Pleas President Judge, said he “could not imagine” any judge not granting the postponement under the circumstances. He stated, “It’s a significant emergency.”
Of course, the judge did grant the postponement of Loti Mbewe’s preliminary hearing. Mbewe, age 19, is charged with one count of receiving stolen property, a felony. Mbewe’s new hearing date is September 2; he’s in the Allegheny County Jail until then.
Randi, Daffner’s wife, went into labor at a doctor’s appointment on Thursday and was whisked away to Magee-Womens Hospital. She gave birth to a baby girl the next day.
Proud papa Daffner said, “They say you need to be truthful to the court. I didn’t have a legal reason for the continuance, but that was the truth. I got a new date, and the DA signed off on it.”
Sometimes the wheels of justice must yield to the wheel of life. While I’m sure Mr. Mbewe isn’t all that happy with the postponement, it was certainly the right thing to do on the part of the judge and the district attorney.
No charges were filed against Mrs. Daffner for the alleged death threat.
Source:
Join the conversation!