Mystery Shrouds Death of Edward's Contributor

Mystery Shrouds Death of Edward's Contributor

www.nationalenquirer.com

A top contributor to John Edwards' failed presidential bid was killed just as it appeared he might be called to testify before a federal grand jury probing Edwards' campaign finances.

Wealthy Texas attorney John O'Quinn died in a one-car accident on Oct. 29 in Houston.

The grand jury in Raleigh, N.C., was considering calling O'Quinn and other major Edwards' contributors in order to complete its investigation, a top government source in Washington, D.C., told The ENQUIRER.

John O'Quinn was one of Edwards' biggest contributors and also a close friend of Fred Baron, who was Edwar

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
texaslawyer.typepad.com
www.oqlaw.com

I know the Enquirer isn't exactly solid, but it does have a hot lead from time to time. This story may bear looking into.

Here's more:
Friend says he and John O'Quinn were supposed to be on flight together to see client
Houston lawyers James Wesley “Wes” Christian (pictured) and John M. O’Quinn were both at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport in the early morning of Oct. 29 to catch a flight to San Antonio for a meeting with executives of client Overstock.com. But instead of boarding the flight, O’Quinn left the airport and drove back to his house to pick up some papers. On his way home, O'Quinn was killed when the car he was driving crashed into a tree along Allen Parkway. Christian, a partner in Christian, Smith & Jewell of Houston, says he learned of his close friend’s death a couple hours later after O’Quinn failed to arrive for the business meeting with Overstock.com executives. Christian says he had arrived at the airport for the 7:15 a.m. flight, when O’Quinn called him at around 7 a.m. to say he was on his way and to ask Christian to see if Southwest Airlines would hold the flight for him. “They wouldn’t do that,” Christian says about the airline. “That’s the last I talked to him. I went on to the strategy meeting with our client, Overstock.com,” Christian recalls. He says he figured that if O’Quinn missed the 7:15 a.m. flight, he would be on the next one. O’Quinn was at the airport that morning, because former state District Judge Levi Benton of Houston chatted with him in the security line. Christian says he called O’Quinn’s office in Houston to make sure the lawyer was booked on the flight that was supposed to leave Hobby after 9 a.m., but O’Quinn’s assistant, Pam Burns, wasn’t able to locate him. Christian says Burns soon called him to tell him about the accident. “I couldn’t believe it, but certainly, it was true,” says Christian, who along with O’Quinn and other lawyers, represents Salt Lake City-based Overstock.com in California litigation against alleged short-sellers. “John was one of the largest Sequoia trees in the forest, and it will be extremely hard to replace him in the legal community in regard to protecting and defending the common person, the common man,” says Christian, who developed a close working and personal relationship with O’Quinn about 15 years ago. O'Quinn's funeral is set for 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at Second Baptist Church on Woodway in Houston. Calling hours are tonight until 8 p.m. at the George H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Directors on Bering, according to an announcement on the Web site of The O’Quinn Law Firm.




www.nationalenquirer.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I think this is the same guy:

Last year was certainly a turbulent one for investors. Not only did good assets and companies sell off with bad, but the very integrity of the U.S. markets was brought into question. Financial firms spend millions of dollars convincing the average citizen that investing in stocks is necessary and prudent, yet the playing field is far from level. Fraud, naked shorting and other forms of manipulation are now endemic to the American markets. As Overstock's lawyer, John O'Quinn points out, "You have more chance to be treated fairly in a casino in Vegas." How can you invest if you can't trust the system?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

The son of a car garage owner in Houston, Texas, O'Quinn graduated from the University of Houston Law Center. O'Quinn served as editor of the Houston Law Review, and won a state moot court championship.[2] O'Quinn was divorced and had no children. In 1999, the playing field at Robertson Stadium was named O'Quinn Field in honor of his generosity and support of the stadium renovations.[3]

Legal career
Making his name in handling plaintiff's litigation, among O'Quinn's biggest wins were a $1 billion verdict in 2006 against Wyeth Laboratory for its diet drugs, fen-phen, $17.3 billion tobacco settlement for the state of Texas, and $100 million for silicone breast implants made by Dow Corning. [4]

In total, O'Quinn is estimated to have won $1.5 billion for his firm, O'Quinn & Laminack. [5] According to a 2006 article in Forbes, O'Quinn's firm had pending cases against stock brokers and hedge funds for shorting the shares of weak companies, and against Ford for rollover accidents caused by the Ford Explorer.[4] In the past decade, O'Quinn won, through settlement and/or verdicts, more than $20 billion for his clients.[6]

en.wikipedia.org...

If ya mess with the bull you may get the horns....I'm just sayin'.