Famed attorney gets chance to fight Orem over dead lawn

OREM — The last time famed California attorney Gloria Allred came to Orem, it was to call the city names and hold up a pair of rusty handcuffs.

Now, she's got a judge's approval to participate as legal counsel in the upcoming trial of a woman arrested over her dead lawn.

Betty Perry, 70, will go before a four-person jury in Orem's 4th District Court next week on charges of interfering with legal arrest and violating a zoning ordinance — the outcomes of a now highly publicized arrest on July 6, 2007.

When Perry refused to give Orem police officer Jim Flygare her name so he could write her a ticket for her brown grass, she said she was treated roughly, handcuffed and taken to the police station.

Flygare maintains he was just trying to prevent the situation from escalating. He was later cleared of all wrongdoing by a review from the Utah Department of Public Safety.

In an order signed Monday, Judge John Backlund agreed that Allred could appear "pro hac vice," which is Latin for "for this one particular occasion." It allows an out-of-state attorney, like Allred, to practice law for a specific case, even though she's not licensed in Utah.

It's not known yet what role she'll play, as Perry's full-time attorney is Paige Benjamin from Provo.

Allred flew in from California in September when Perry entered not guilty pleas and after the hearing, addressed the media holding rusty shackles and calling Orem "the laughing stock of our country" for prosecuting a 70-year-old great-grandmother.

Allred's most recent request, filed by sponsoring attorney Alyson E. Carter in Salt Lake City, stated that Allred's "expertise will make the litigation more efficient and will assist and facilitate defendant's counsel in litigating this matter," according to court documents.

Allred paid a $175 fee and the State Bar of California submitted a document certifying that she has been in good standing since her admittance in 1975, according to court documents.

The trial is still scheduled, but Perry and Benjamin said they are also mulling over a deal reiterated Monday by prosecutor Drew Peterson that would involve reduced charges and a jointly proposed sentencing agreement.

"We're definitely considering it," Benjamin said. "And we counter-offered that we would drop any claim to a civil suit if charges were dropped."