Cambria County man facing homicide charges presents attorneys with civil suit

CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A South Fork man facing homicide charges plans to file a civil suit against his public defenders.

Austin Louis Kline, who is accused of killing Richard A. Morgan, 55, of Altoona last May, plans to file a civil lawsuit against his public defenders Joseph Sutton and John Lovette, according to our media partners at The Tribune-Democrat.

On Tuesday, Kline stood alongside his attorneys, which he plans to sue for monetary damages. He is also seeking new counsel.

Kline’s homicide trial is set to start in September. Recent actions by Kline’s attorneys included counseling him to tentatively reject a plea offer from the Cambria County District Attorney’s Office while they arranged a psychological evaluation for Kilne as he requested, Lovette said.

Lovette presented the civil lawsuit he and Sutton recently received from Kline, which Kline has not yet officially filed in court because of an error in paying the filing fee.

In the lawsuit, Lovette said, Kline accused him and Sutton of “Having dislike toward him, having laughed at him and making light of his appearance as well as having some connection to the victim’s family and jeopardizing his rights to a speedy trial.”

Lovette and Sutton both deny the allegations. Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer also said in all of his conversations with the victim’s family, they have not indicated dealings with either attorney.

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Cambria County Judge Tamara Berstein said she must research how to proceed and her options might include appointing new counsel, or Kline might have to represent himself.

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