Ralls v. United States

52 F.3d 223 (9th Cir. 1995)

Facts

Ralls (P) attorney at law was paid by a client/fee payer to represent Bonnette at his initial court appearance and his detention hearing. Bonnette was in trouble and arrested for attempting to transport 300 lbs. of cocaine from Arizona to California. The grand jury issued a subpoena to discover who paid P to represent Bonnette, the amount of money paid, the method of payment, and the existence of any retainer agreement and conversations with the fee payer. P moved to quash, and the district court ordered P to testify regarding identity and arrangements but not regarding the other requests.