Balloon boy's 'nutty' dad retains 'super lawyer' who represents Ward Churchill

Monday, October 19 2009 06:51 | By Robert Weller |

Storm chaser and reality-TV wife swapper Richard Heene has lawyered up with David Lane, the Denver lawyer who represented embattled former University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill. And Lane quickly lived up to his aggressive reputation, warning the local sheriff and media to back off his clients--the Heene family.

He has said a "perp walk" arrest of the Heene parents would not just be a public spectacle for the media, but would also be tantamount to child abuse of the young Heene boys. Lane has also vowed to make the sheriff prove his allegations that the "balloon boy" case was a publicity stunt.

“If they step over any lines, it is my job to slap them down. I have no idea what so-called evidence they have,” Lane said on Good Morning America. Lane, who has handled many high profile cases over the years and is listed on SuperLawyer.

David Lane has defended high-profile death penalty cases, notably winning a life sentence for Juan Quintero in Houston, Texas, in 2008. Lane had been hired by the Mexican government to represent Quintero, who was convicted of killing Houston police officer Rodney Johnson. Lane also represented represented Steve Howards in 2006 after Howards was arrested for approaching then-Vice President Dick Cheney in Beaver Creek, Colo., to criticize the Iraq war.

In one of his most-watched cases, Lane represented Churchill, who was fired in 2007 for plagiarism in a highly-charged political atmosphere. Churchill had come under scrutiny after making controversial comments about the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in an academic essay. A jury in Denver ruled that CU fired Churchill wrongly, awarding Churchill $1 in damages and Lane plans to appeal a ruling that denied Churchill reinstatement at the university.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden, fired back against at Lane after Lane appeared on major television morning shows. Richard Heene, the sheriff said, is “not the nutty professor. He may be nutty, but he’s not a professor,” said the sheriff.

On Thursday, the Heene’s six-year-old son, Falcon, reportedly was carried away in the flying saucer-like helium ballon that headed southeast towards Denver International Airport from the Heene home in Fort Collins. The family has had considerable experience with the media, including such programs as ABC's "Wife Swap."

One certain way to stay in the public eye would be to conduct such a stunt.

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