FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — On Tuesday, witness Kenneth Copeland — better known as Lil' Woody — returned to the stand with a familiar phrase.
"I don't recall," he repeatedly told Assistant District Attorney Simone Hylton. His attorney, Jonathan Melnick, was notably absent.
A Georgia Supreme Court decision, released Tuesday morning, was the evident reason.
"Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that Jonathan R. Melnick is suspended from the practice of law in Georgia for six months," it read. "The suspension based on this opinion will take effect as of the date this opinion is issued and will expire by its own terms six months later."
The State Bar of Georgia member directory only lists one Jonathan Melnick, and shows that attorney as suspended due to "non-compliance," a status further described as a "member who has been suspended by Supreme Court Order for non-compliance with Continuing Legal Education rules and regulations; therefore, they are ineligible to practice law in Georgia."
Although Copeland had been on the stand most of the morning, when proceedings resumed after lunch, he appeared to have a change of heart. The crucial witness for the state told Judge Whitaker he had found out about Melnick's suspension and refused to speak without an attorney present.
Judge Whitaker swiftly sent the jury out on recess and said she would work on obtaining a public defender for Copeland in his attorney's absence. Upon returning from recess, she said the attorney the court found would not be available until tomorrow, so Copeland would not be able to continue testimony today.
The jury was released until Wednesday morning. Whitaker instructed the state to have their next witness ready just in case things “go a different direction.”
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Melnick's suspension is completely unrelated to any work on YSL, according to the state's highest court. Instead, it stems from a 2017 child support case out of Rockdale County in which Melnick allegedly failed to inform his client about a motion and subsequent order.
The client owed $3,629.93 within 30 days, according to the ruling. She didn't find out until her child support amount decreased.
"Melnick never filed a motion to withdraw from the case, nor did he terminate his representation," it read. "The client retained new counsel, who contacted Melnick and raised the possibility of the client filing a malpractice action against him."
The State Disciplinary Review Board recommended Melnick be given a public reprimand and undergo a Law Practice Management Assessment based on his violations of Rules 1.31 and 1.42 of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct.
Melnick had asked the Court to "consider in mitigation that he did not act with a dishonest or selfish motive, that he was cooperative with the disciplinary authorities and that there was a delay in the proceedings given that the allegations at issue happened over five years ago."
It's unclear whether Lil' Woody has new representation. In June, attorney Kayla Bumpus filled in for Melnick while he was on vacation.
Woody later told the judge he fired Bumpus, though the two appear to have made up. The two of them hugged in the courtroom waiting area before his testimony Monday.
You can see the full Georgia Supreme Court order regarding Melnick below: