Lightfoot v. McDonald

The plaintiff, Thomas Jimmie Lightfoot, appeals from a summary judgment entered in favor of the defendant, Thomas D. McDonald, in a legal malpractice suit. Lightfoot's claim stems out of McDonald's representation of Lightfoot in a 1984 criminal prosecution for rape.

The facts leading up to this appeal are as follows: In 1983, in Madison County, Alabama, Lightfoot was indicted for rape in the first degree. A trial ensued, in which the State provided physical evidence of Lightfoot's hair, semen, and clothing fibers found on the victim's body. There was testimony placing Lightfoot at the scene of…