Partner Article

Coughing judge sparks swine flu panic

A coughing Italian judge cleared a panicking courtroom when he told lawyers: “I’ve just got back from Mexico.”

More than 30 attorneys in Rome told Judge Giovanni Barese they were boycotting the court and adjourning their cases because of fear of swine flu.

One lawyer said: “The judge coughed a few times, I don’t know if it was from the flu or he was just clearing his throat, and then said he had just come back from Mexico. I’ve never seen so many lawyers agree on anything in court so quickly but we all decided we had to get as far away from him as possible.

“Maybe he hasn’t got swine flu but no one was prepared to take the risk. He should never have even come into work. With so many people in a court room it would be an ideal place to spread it.”

The judge agreed to see a doctor and has now gone into quarantine.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .