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Supreme Court Denies Cert for J. Michael Farren, Former New Canaan Man Convicted of Attempted Murder
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a cert petition from the former White House attorney who is serving a prison sentence for almost bludgeoning his wife to death with a flashlight at their New Canaan home in January 2010, officials say. An attorney for both Bush administrations, J. Michael Farren—arrested by the New Canaan Police Department and convicted two years ago of three felony offenses, including attempted murder—had sought to challenge a $28.6 million civil verdict against him. Specifically, Farren argued on appeal that he should get a new civil trial because he had been absent for a time from the courtroom. Yet the trial court found that he had failed to satisfy the burden of proof that his absence from trial was reasonable, and his later attempts to challenge the decision in Appellate Court and Connecticut Supreme Court both were denied. Regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s denial of Farren’s “petition for writ of certiorari”—an attempt to get the high court to review a lower court’s decision—Ernie Teitell, an attorney with Stamford-based Silver Golub & Teitell LLP who represented Farren’s ex-wife, plaintiff Mary Margaret Farren, at trial, said: “We are finally at the point where Mr. Farren has exhausted his legal options and this case can be closed once and for all.
