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Ashish Mahendru Quoted By Media On Attorney Racist Rant

Ashish Mahendru, who serves on the advisory board of the South Asian Bar Association of Houston, appeared in court as an amicus to pursue sanctions against a Houston lawyer for a racist email rant. Mr. Mahendru was quoted by several media about this improper behavior by an attorney.

Houston lawyer Gary Riebschlager agreed to pay $1,800 to the South Asian Bar Association of Houston in lieu of official sanctions. He sent a racist email rant to opposing counsel calling for the deportation of the man he was suing. In the email the lawyer said: “I’m sure all involved herein LOVE Trump . . . here’s your chance to DEPORT the POS Your Hero has been talking about. POS Paki.” (Note the court motion takes POS to reasonably mean ‘piece of s***).

Mr. Mahendru was quoted in a Texas Lawyer story, After Racist Rant, Houston Lawyer Agrees to Pay $1,800 to Minority Bar Association (subscription required), saying the $1,800 will be used for community education and outreach. “That is resolution enough that Judge (Kyle) Carter or any other court in Harris County will not tolerate expletive-laden, race-laden communication between parties without consequence,” he told Texas Lawyer.

He was also quoted by the Houston Press in a story headlined, “Lawyer Makes ‘Donation’ to South Asian Group After Racist Emails.”  “One doesn’t need to be a minority to appreciate the detrimental impact of racist, expletive-laden communications about lawyers and parties,” Mr. Mahendru told the newspaper. “In the hallowed halls of justice, blistering hatred and animus should be checked at the courthouse steps. Invoking the president’s name to threaten deportation, laced with racist epithets about a party to a lawsuit is not acceptable or appropriate at any level. The judge appropriately struck the right balance in finding the emails were racist and ordering that $1,800 be paid to the South Asian Bar Association.”

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