Subpoenas Upheld in Attorney Extortion Case.

The article discusses a federal court of appeals' rejection of an interlocutory appeal concerning grand jury subpoenas issued to a Maryland attorney accused of extorting a hospital. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit determined that certain discovery privileges did not apply and that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the appeal, emphasizing that the matter should be addressed after the attorney's criminal case concludes. The attorney, who had filed a medical malpractice lawsuit, allegedly demanded $50 million from the hospital, threatening to create an "internet bomb" if his demands were not met. The court found that the attorney-client privilege was waived and that the crime-fraud exception applied to the work-product privilege, allowing for the discovery of materials related to the alleged criminal conduct. [Extracted from the article]