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Judge Eddie C. Lovelace

is Trial Judge of the Year

Judge Eddie C. Lovelace of the 40th Judicial Circuit in Kentucky consisting of Clinton, Wayne and Russell Counties has received an award given by the Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys. He was named the Trial Judge of the Year in receiving the Henry V. Pennington Award in honor of the late Judge Pennington of Danville in Boyle County. The award was presented Friday, October 13, 1995 in Lexington, Kentucky. The award, given annually, is seldom given to a judge, like Lovelace, in their initial term.

Criteria for the award include the types of cases tried, the conduct of the judge in court and the record of the judge's decisions on appeal. Judge Lovelace has tried a number of unusual or controversial cases including:

• The case of four people implicated in a murder when a woman hired one of the four to kill her former husband. The husband was later burned alive in his car. The man who contacted the hit man was given the death penalty. The wife was sentenced to two ten year sentences to run consectively. The killer was given life without parole for 25 years and the fourth person involved was given a five year sentence.

• The nationally watched case in which two parents were convicted of killing their toddler by beating him to death and four social workers were indicted for complicity for failing to prevent the murder. They were later acquitted.

• A case in which a former Russell County Judge Executive was awarded one million dollars when he sued a local newspaper for libel because the paper accused him of presenting an unbalanced budget and other errors. This award was later lost on appeal.

• A case in which an individual sued a physician who performed a partial penemectomy (Bobbitisim) due to cancer. The plaintiff did not say that the procedure was unnecessary but claimed that the doctor cut off more of the body member than was necessary. The jury deliberated until 1:15 in the morning and awarded the plantiff $515,000 for his pain and suffering and his wife $25,000 for loss of conjugal affection.

• A nationally covered case in which a wife became pregnant and the husband believing he was not the father reached into the womb with his hand and attempted to yank the 28 week old fetus from her body killing the fetus. Commonwealth's Attorney, Lovelace, prosecuted the husband for murder. The controversy revolved around the question of whether a 28 week old fetus was a person. The circuit court held that it was not. Lovelace appealed and won the decision from the appellate court but this was overturned by the Kentucky Supreme Court. The U. S. Supreme Court later refused to hear Lovelace's appeal.

• A Russell County case in which Commonwealth's attorney, Lovelace, prosecuted three men who drove a cow from a farmer's barn, killed her and ate the meat raw in a satanic ritual. The three were sentenced to ten years each.

Judge Lovelace has one of the best records in the state of having his cases upheld by higher courts.

Judge Lovelace has practiced law in Albany since the early 1960's and before being elected Circuit Judge four years ago had served over two decades as the Commonwealth's Attorney for the District.

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