It looks like Richard F. Toll of Little Rock will finally get his day in court.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen denied a request from the newest attorney for Kristian D. Nelson of England to delay the civil trial set for February.
In July 2020, Toll, 91, accused Nelson in a lawsuit of defrauding him of $4.5 million. Nelson denied the allegation.
Toll has been waiting for a jury trial for more than a year. But in October, Nelson’s newest attorney, Danielle Hasty of Lion Legal Services of North Little Rock, asked that the jury trial scheduled to start Feb. 15 be pushed back. She said that she was hired recently and “needs additional time to prepare,” according to her filing. She also represents Nelson’s other companies that are named as defendants in the case, including I Sell 4 U Auto Sales LLC.
Toll’s attorney, David Wilson of Friday Eldredge & Clark of Little Rock, said in his court filing that Hasty’s request should be denied.
“Defendant Nelson and the other defendants admit they owe Mr. Toll money that they refuse to pay him, and they continue to spend his money while Mr. Toll has patiently waited for his trial date,” Wilson wrote in the filing. “The defendants have already had four previous lawyers over the 15 months of this case.”
Wilson said that Nelson and his attorney still have four months to prepare for the trial. Judge Griffen agreed and said in his order, filed Nov. 19, that the trial won’t be continued.
