Full depositions filed in effort to keep lawsuit against Morton, Baker alive

Nursing-home owner Michael Morton.
Nursing-home owner Michael Morton.

CONWAY — Lawyers for the family of a woman who died in Michael Morton’s Greenbrier nursing home on Wednesday filed court documents aimed at keeping a corruption lawsuit against nursing-home owner Michael Morton and lobbyist Gilbert Baker alive.

The lawsuit accuses Morton and Baker of conspiring to bribe former Judge Michael Maggio to lower a $5.2 million judgment against Morton’s Greenbrier nursing home. Maggio has admitted lowering it to $1 million in exchange for campaign contributions from Morton that but has since sought unsuccessfully to withdraw his guilty bribery plea and is appealing.

In today’s filings, the plaintiffs released the complete depositions given under oath by several witnesses — including Morton, Baker, lawyer Chris Stewart and lobbyist Linda Leigh Flanagin.

According to the transcripts, Morton testified that he called Baker the night he learned of the verdict to talk about how such a big judgment points to the need for restrictions on lawsuit amounts.

Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

Read the full depositions


- Gilbert Baker

- Michael Morton

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