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Trials & Litigation
Spanking gesture was directed at male deputy DA, not female prosecutor, defense lawyer says
Las Vegas lawyer Jonathan MacArthur said he and Chief Deputy District Attorney Jake Villani “have shared a contentious professional relationship for many years. Outside of courtroom settings, we have postured and exchanged insults on many occasions.” Image from Shutterstock.
A criminal defense lawyer in Las Vegas has said his spanking gesture seen on a courtroom video wasn’t directed at a female prosecutor.
Instead, the gesture was made at the expense of Chief Deputy District Attorney Jake Villani, defense lawyer Jonathan MacArthur told KLAS.
MacArthur explained his gesture in a statement after a female prosecutor in the courtroom told KLAS that she thought that MacArthur was making a gesture to slap her behind, an action that she found “highly offensive and inappropriate.”
MacArthur told KLAS that he made the gesture after a two-week trial ended in a hung jury. While a judge was addressing a different matter, MacArthur said, “I made a gesture implying that I metaphorically intend to spank Mr. Villani during the next trial. The gesture was made at Mr. Villani’s expense but made in order to entertain a senior DA from his office also present in the audience. That DA and I enjoy a much more collegial relationship and found it quite funny.”
MacArthur said he and Villani “have shared a contentious professional relationship for many years. Outside of courtroom settings, we have postured and exchanged insults on many occasions. This case has been no exception. … While my conduct this morning was less than formal, I have built a career upon not cowering to prosecutors when they attempt to bully me or my clients.”
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