Lawyers In Dog Mauling Case Draw Fines

A judge has ruled that lawyers in San Francisco´s high profile dog-mauling case violated a gag order, but are not in contempt of court. Superior Court Judge James Warren fined District Attorney Terence Hallinan and defense attorney Nedra Ruiz 750 dollars each. Hallinan told a reporter before the trial began that he did not think co-defendant Marjorie Knoller was telling the truth. His spokesman says the reporter threw the question at Hallinan while he was discussing a different issue. Hallinan plans to appeal the fine next week. He and Ruiz apologized to the judge.