Summary: Prominent Atlanta attorney Claud “Tex” Lee McIver was charged in the shooting death of his wife in their car.

Atlanta Attorney Claud Lee McIver was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct in the death of his wife Diane. The 73-year-old man claims her shooting death was an accident.

McIver turned himself into the Fulton County Jail where a judge set bail at $200,000 during his first court appearance. The bail was broken up as $150,000 for involuntary manslaughter charge and $50,000 for the reckless conduct. Fulton County Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney Clinton Rucker has asked for a much higher bail amount. McIver’s attorney Cal Leipold successfully argued that he is not a flight risk and had become a “virtual hermit” since the death of his wife.

McIver has been attorney for 44 years and is a senior partner at Fisher Phillips. He owns a home in the area since 1995 and has a number of other properties in the state. He has three children and a 97-year-old mother still living in the state as well.

The judge still ordered McIver to surrender his passport, carry no weapons, and wear an electronic monitoring device. He specializes in employment law and has worked for employers defending them against over 200 union organizing campaigns.

The shooting happened in the couple’s Ford Expedition SUV back in September. The events of what happened are still under investigation. McIver claims they pulled off the highway to avoid traffic after leaving one of their properties to return to their Atlanta home. The shooting occurred near Piedmont Park in Atlanta.

McIver was supposedly sleeping in the back seat when he noticed people wandering around on the street near them. He told his wife to remove his gun from the center console. He fell back asleep with the gun on his lap. He told the Journal-Constitution, “I was suddenly awoken. I lurched and the gun fired.”

She was pronounced dead several hours later at Emory University Hospital from the gunshot wound. They had been married 16 years. She had worked in business for 43 years.

Do you think McIver’s story adds up or was the shooting a simple accident? Tell us any flaws you see in his story in the comments below.

To learn more about bad lawyers, read these articles:

• Houston Attorney Killed During Shootout with Police
• New York Attorney Fatally Shot after Attacking Family
• Two Attorneys Charged With Malicious Wounding and Abduction By Force
• Former Attorney Will Serve Close to 70 Years for Bank Robberies

Photo: wikipedia.org