Well. Not long after Kentucky lawyer Karl Price received a teeny slap on the wrist for making racist, derogatory remarks in a letter to an attorney representing Asian American business owners, calling them "greedy foreigners," a little digging into his past has revealed a checkered history of shitty, racist -- and publicly documented -- behavior. And it has come back to bite him in the ass.
Attorney Doubles Down on Racist, Offensive Comments
In light of new evidence brought to light by The Courier-Journal, the Jefferson County Attorney's Office has reportedly suspended Price without pay pending an investigation. The internet does not forget, Mr. Price!
Assistant County Attorney Karl Price, while working a civil case in his private practice, sent a letter to the attorney representing the owners of Hwang's Martial Arts Academy, calling the Hwang family, among other things, "greedy foreigners who simply did not understand simple contract relations." Price's client is in the middle of litigation with the Hwangs over a dispute about martial arts lessons.
The letter, as well as subsequent questionable comments Price made in an interview with Insider Louisville, were brought to the attention of the Jefferson County Attorney's Office, which was compelled to issue Price a formal reprimand and ordered him to undergo sensitivity training. And it looked like that was going to be it...
But then The Courier-Journal published an article unearthing a string of racist, sexist, ableist and generally shitty disparaging public comments that Price has made over the last two months.
- When a black defendant appeared who was caught running away from police, Price, who himself is African-American, said: "I thought you black guys could run, but you never get away from police."
- When a defendant, an immigrant, said she wouldn't pay her bail, Price warned her she would stay in jail "or just go back to — what country are you from?"
District Judge David Holton told him "that's enough of that."
- When an alleged domestic violence victim urged that her boyfriend be released on his own recognizance — and called it "RR," rather than "ROR," as it is known in the courthouse — Price mocked her for using the wrong term. She apologized but Holton said: "You're doing fine ma'am. I'm sorry Mr. Price was being disrespectful of you. You shouldn't be disrespectful to prosecuting witnesses, Mr. Price." In an interview, the witness said the experience was "humiliating."
- When a defendant wanted on charges in Elizabethtown appeared for his arraignment using a walker, Price told him to "push that thing down to Hardin."
Over a public defender's objections, Price also repeatedly made comments that assumed defendants were guilty. He told one woman charged with shoplifting in several cities, for example, that she was "stealing all over the state."
It is confirmed that Karl Price is a professional asshole. And it's all on public record. It only took a mountain of evidence, in addition to his conduct towards the Hwangs, to finally get his ass suspended.
In his initial disciplinary letter, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell told Price that he had "served admirably and with integrity" in his role as Assistant County Attorney, and was confident that would "never again make such inappropriate statements." In light of this new evidence, I'm guessing O'Connell was compelled to take a few steps back and revisit his assessment of Price.
As of Thursday, Karl Price is suspended without pay pending a review of the matter:
Props to Mimi Hwang and Hwang's Martial Arts Academy for bringing attention to this issue and demanding justice. Clearly, this has become more than just a slight against one Asian American family. Louisville, do you really want someon who blatantly discriminates and mistreats people in his capacity as a public servant?
More here: Prosecutor suspended after report on remarks