Spanking gesture was directed at male deputy DA, not female prosecutor, defense lawyer says

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Trials & Litigation Spanking gesture was directed at male deputy DA, not female prosecutor, defense lawyer says

By Debra Cassens Weiss

August 15, 2023, 8:27 am CDT

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Las Vegas lawyer Jonathan MacArthur said he and Chief Deputy District Attorney Jake Villani “have shared a contentious professional relationship for many years. Outside of courtroom settings, we have postured and exchanged insults on many occasions.” Image from Shutterstock.

A criminal defense lawyer in Las Vegas has said his spanking gesture seen on a courtroom video wasn’t directed at a female prosecutor.

Instead, the gesture was made at the expense of Chief Deputy District Attorney Jake Villani, defense lawyer Jonathan MacArthur told KLAS.

MacArthur explained his gesture in a statement after a female prosecutor in the courtroom told KLAS that she thought that MacArthur was making a gesture to slap her behind, an action that she found “highly offensive and inappropriate.”

MacArthur told KLAS that he made the gesture after a two-week trial ended in a hung jury. While a judge was addressing a different matter, MacArthur said, “I made a gesture implying that I metaphorically intend to spank Mr. Villani during the next trial. The gesture was made at Mr. Villani’s expense but made in order to entertain a senior DA from his office also present in the audience. That DA and I enjoy a much more collegial relationship and found it quite funny.”

MacArthur said he and Villani “have shared a contentious professional relationship for many years. Outside of courtroom settings, we have postured and exchanged insults on many occasions. This case has been no exception. … While my conduct this morning was less than formal, I have built a career upon not cowering to prosecutors when they attempt to bully me or my clients.”

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