The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of imprisoned Tarzana attorney Richard Fine, who contends he has been held in Los Angeles County Jail for more than a year as retaliation for calling for pay cuts for county judges.

Fine argues that he's being held under “coercive confinement” because he failed to divulge personal assets and pay more than $50,000 in attorneys' fees following a case he helped bring against the county in which he accused judges of being biased because of the extra pay they get from the L.A. government ($57,000 annually) on top of their $179,000 state salaries. In other words, he asked, how could they rule in cases involving the county when they get such good perks from the same entity?

The 70-year-old is said to be in poor health and is reportedly on the verge of losing his home because of the legal actions against him. The Supreme Court is scheduled to take up Fine's case April 23.

Fine has asked for a “stay of execution,” arguing that his jail time is “punishment inflicted by L.A. Superior Court Judge David P. Yaffe for Fine having publicly exposed the corrupt practices of the Judges, the Sheriff and the County,” according to a statement from the Full Disclosure Network.

His case is called Richard I. Fine vs L.A. County Sheriff Leroy D. Baca.

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