Saxby Chambliss’ Lawyers To Fight Subpoena In Imperial Sugar Lawsuit

Attorneys for U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss are heading to court in Savannah to fight a subpoena by an attorney suing Imperial Sugar. Chatham County Superior Court Judge Herman W. Coolidge is scheduled to hear arguments from attorneys Tuesday.

AP
Published: March 10, 2009

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SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Attorneys for U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss are heading to court in Savannah to fight a subpoena by an attorney suing Imperial Sugar.

Chatham County Superior Court Judge Herman W. Coolidge is scheduled to hear arguments from attorneys Tuesday.

Savannah lawyer Mark Tate wants to question Chambliss about whether company executives asked the senator to help it avoid blame in the February 2007 explosion at its Georgia refinery in Port Wentworth.

Senate lawyers argue Chambliss is immune from submitting to a deposition under the “speech or debate” clause of the Constitution, which shields members of Congress from testifying about legislative business in lawsuits.

Tate tried to subpoena the Republican senator last fall as Chambliss fought a tough re-election campaign with Democrat Jim Martin. Chambliss won the election in a runoff.