Lawyer Will Fight Fine Over Delay

An Encino attorney said Monday that he will ask a Ventura County judge to reconsider a $1,000 fine imposed on the lawyer for improperly delaying a murder trial.

James E. Blatt was ordered to pay the penalty after the Ventura County district attorney’s office charged that he had deliberately scheduled other cases to conflict with the trial of Scott M. Kastan, which had been set for Nov. 16.

Among the reasons, according to court papers, was Blatt’s desire to attend the Dec. 28 Blockbuster Bowl in Florida, in which his son’s college football team played.

On Monday, Blatt told Storch that he had not contested the fine because he did not want to delay the trial any longer. But now Blatt said he plans to fight the action after the trial is concluded because a report on the fine in The Times “raised questions about my integrity and character.”

He said the article, which appeared Saturday, implies that “I’m lazy and took my son’s bowl game over this young man’s trial.” Blatt said he had an especially heavy caseload last year and added: “It’s a period when I’ve never worked harder.”

Kastan and co-defendant Patrick H. Strickland, both of Thousand Oaks, are accused of killing Jennifer Jordan of Thousand Oaks on May 31. Jury selection is under way, and Blatt said he feared that the article would influence potential jurors.