Judge denies Scruggs’ request to have surgery

OXFORD — A federal judge has denied imprisoned former attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs’ request to have outpatient surgery on his right hand while he waits for a hearing in Oxford.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports Scruggs’ doctor had said the surgery was important to relieve a condition causing Scruggs’ fingers to contract.

A hearing is scheduled today in Oxford on Scruggs’ motion to throw out his 2009 conviction to improperly influencing a judge presiding over a lawsuit against him.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson said there is no provision for elective surgery “of a non-life-threatening emergency nature” while in the marshals’ custody. He says the issue could be addressed when Scruggs returns to federal prison in Montgomery, Ala.