Ala. Judge Won’t Recuse Himself from Talcum Powder Dispute Between Beasley Allen, Smith Law Firm

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –– A judge overseeing a talcum powder dispute between Beasley Allen and The Smith Law Firm has refused to recuse himself from the case, concluding that he was confident that his prior representation of Beasley Allen “would not lead an objective, disinterested, lay observer to entertain a significant doubt about my impartiality.”

In the order, Hon. R. Austin Huffaker Jr., explains that he was confirmed to his current position in Dec. 2019, after practicing law in Montgomery, Ala., for approximately 20 years with Rushton, Stakely, Johnston & Garrett, P.A.

A “large percentage” of the judge’s practice involved representing …