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Anti-DUI Attorney Arrested For DUI In Florida

By Robert Jonathan
Published on: 14:04 PST, May 16, 2016

Personal injury attorney David J. Maloney faces a driving under the influence (DUI) charge after he was arrested by sheriff’s deputies in Escambia County, Florida, the Sunshine State’s westernmost county.

Maloney, whose law firm is located in Mobile, Alabama, is known locally in particular for a commercial in which he declares that he won’t represent DUI offenders: “If you drink and drive, and you hurt someone, don’t call me.”

One of his areas of practice is suing drunk drivers for civil damages on behalf of DUI victims.

While behind the wheel of a Lamborghini, Maloney was pulled over early last Sunday morning for driving 55 mph in a 35-mph zone.

Cops claimed that they smelled alcohol on his breath, but Maloney, 49, denied drinking that night, News5 WKRG in Mobile reported.

He apparently repeatedly refused field sobriety testing at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of DUI based on probably cause and booked into the Escambia County Jail. Several hours later, Maloney secured his release on a $500 bond. He is due back in court on June 1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak0TmG5K7x4

After he was cuffed and put in the back of the police cruiser when he was detained on Mother’s Day morning, Maloney, 49, supposedly asked an officer, “Can we go sit over there and try to figure this out?”

WKRG subsequently reported that the attorney had received more than 20 speeding tickets in recent years.

“Many living along the Gulf Coast have seen Maloney’s catchy commercials advertising staunch advocacy for victims of drunk drivers,” ABC Pensacola affiliate WEAR TV noted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQkGYXnCtIs

“Maloney is best known for his overly dramatic, occasionally humorous commercials that often advocate his staunch opposition to representing drunk drivers. In one commercial, Maloney states, ‘Believe it or not, I still get calls from people who think they can convince me or pay me enough to represent them in a drunk driving context,'” the Pensacola News Journal detailed.

According to AL.com, the lawyer is part owner of the Pensacola Ice Flyers hockey team and was returning home from helping with a celebration for the team which a few days previous had won the Southern Professional Hockey League championship. His wife was reportedly in the passenger seat at the time of the traffic stop.

He also cut a commercial parody of “the most interesting man in the world” ad in which “the most reachable lawyer in the world” asserts that “you may not always need an injury attorney, but when you do, I will personally return your call.”

Maloney’s personal injury law firm website takes a dim view of drunk driving.

“We aggressively pursue cases against irresponsible drunk drivers and the bars, restaurants, and social hosts who serve alcohol to already intoxicated patrons or minors. Drunk drivers choose to be irresponsible. And every time an impaired driver chooses to get behind the wheel, he or she puts everyone else on the road at risk of injury or death. We fight to get maximum compensation for injury victims who have suffered harm because of the senseless and selfish acts of irresponsible drunk drivers.”

“It’s not known what effect the arrest will have on Maloney’s business; however, many have been making their thoughts known on the company’s Facebook page,” the Daily Mail observed.

Separately, in January 2015, a Boston criminal defense lawyer who specializes in defending DUI clients pleaded not guilty to drunk-boating-related charges in an alleged incident in which a 19-year-old woman tragically lost her arm. In August 2013, a prominent Albuquerque, New Mexico, attorney who specializes in defending intoxicated drivers allegedly showed up in court drunk.

[image via Shutterstock]

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