11th Circuit Court

DOJ Seeks Rare Federal Court Ruling Forcing UBS to Name Names

Updated: The Department of Justice is trying to get an unprecedented federal court order requiring a Switzerland bank to turn over the names of wealthy U.S. residents who maintained secret accounts there to evade income tax here. If the DOJ’s filing against Swiss-based UBS AG in federal court in Miami…

Jul 1, 2008 5:35 PM CDT

Fearing Foreclosure, Debtors Sue Lenders Over Excessive Mortgages

Rather than waiting for lenders to foreclose, a group of struggling borrowers in Florida has turned the tables by suing those who gave them mortgages they can’t afford to pay. “They have beaten their lender to the courthouse by filing lawsuits that allege the institutions committed fraud and violated federal…

Jun 12, 2008 6:27 PM CDT

Porn Producer Convicted for Obscenity in Florida

An actor and producer who calls himself Max Hardcore was convicted of obscenity charges yesterday by federal jurors in Tampa, Fla. The producer, whose real name is Paul F. Little, was convicted of distributing obscene material on the Internet and through the mail, report the St. Petersburg Times and the…

Jun 6, 2008 3:29 PM CDT

Billionaire Olenicoff’s Plea Docs Describe Tax Evasion Techniques

Recent court filings concerning a tax evasion plea deal by billionaire Igor Olenicoff may cast a brighter light on similar efforts by less-wealthy individuals to evade U.S. income tax. Filings in federal court in Santa Ana, Calif., show the real estate magnate had accounts with Barclays Bank in the Bahamas,…

May 30, 2008 11:18 PM CDT

Suit Seeks to Force Democrats to Count Florida Delegates

A federal lawsuit filed yesterday claims the Democratic Party is required to count all of Florida’s delegates because of the state’s history of discrimination. The suit notes that Section Five of the Voting Rights Act requires the Justice Department to approve any significant voting change in Florida to make sure…

May 23, 2008 12:35 PM CDT

University Says Privilege Limits Ex-GC’s Right to Sue for Discrimination

The former general counsel of Florida Gulf Coast University sued her former client in federal court in April, alleging systemic employment discrimination and violation of Title IX. However, in a responding counterclaim, the university says Wendy Morris is barred by attorney-client privilege from pursuing at least some of her claims…

May 20, 2008 7:21 PM CDT

Indicted Lawyer to Get Top Honor from Miami Bar Group

A prominent South Florida criminal defense lawyer federally indicted in a controversial case concerning opinion letters he wrote approving attorney fees paid by a convicted Colombian drug kingpin to another lawyer is to receive a top honor tomorrow night from a local bar group. Ben Kuehne will receive a lifetime…

May 16, 2008 7:40 PM CDT

Fla. Felon Gets 6 Years for Posting YouTube AK-47 Video

Posting a videotape on YouTube in which he waved an AK-47 assault rifle and taunted South Florida police has cost a convicted felon another six years in prison. That’s the sentence a federal judge imposed today on reputed street gang leader Rudy Villanueva, 31, who pleaded guilty in February to…

May 15, 2008 12:10 AM CDT

Court Says Law Protects Law Firm Sued for Obtaining Vehicle Records

A federal appeals court has ruled a Florida law firm researching litigation against car dealerships did not violate federal law when it bought registration information about thousands of vehicles. The owner of a Chevrolet Impala had sued the law firm for violating the privacy law when it acquired information about…

May 13, 2008 12:03 PM CDT

Spain Claims US ‘Pirates’ Stole Sunken Treasure from Underseas Galleon

A federal court ruling against a Florida-based deep-sea exploration company last month apparently has led to a claim by the Spanish government. It contends that Odyssey Marine Exploration “pirates” stole underseas treasure from a Spanish warship sunk by the British navy off the coast of Portugal in 1804 with some…

May 9, 2008 10:02 PM CDT

Judge to Consider Prosecution Sanctions in Student Explosives Case

Lawyers for a college student charged with transporting explosives are seeking sanctions against Florida prosecutors for delays in turning over thousands of documents and videos found on home computers. The lawyers for former University of South Florida student Youssef Megahed claim prosecutors had the documents since January, but did not…

Apr 30, 2008 5:08 PM CDT

Wesley Snipes Gets 3 Years in Failure-to-File Case

Failing to file income tax returns for three years cost actor Wesley Snipes a maximum three-year prison term at his sentencing today in an Ocala, Fla., federal courtroom, according to breaking news headlines from CNN and WESH, an NBC affiliate in Orlando. Although Snipes had beaten the rap on the…

Apr 24, 2008 9:56 PM CDT

Did Courthouse Mold Cause Fla. Federal Judge’s Death?

An attorney for the family of a Florida federal magistrate who died several years ago of a lung ailment says an environmental study report they have received documents a substantial mold problem at Miami’s historic David W. Dyer courthouse. Working there may have caused U.S. Magistrate Theodore Klein, who previously…

Apr 23, 2008 11:08 PM CDT

Florida Businesses Sue Over New Guns-at-Work Law

Two Florida business coalitions have filed suit over a new law that will allow workers and other citizens to bring guns onto private property in their individual vehicles, starting July 1. The law is unconstitutional because it interferes with private property rights, the Florida Retail Federation and the Florida Chamber…

Apr 21, 2008 10:38 PM CDT

Wily Tax Attorney Helps Win IRS Case from Beyond the Grave

His own case is still ongoing, some seven years after his death. But tax attorney Burton Kanter’s wily plan for avoiding excessive payments in a nearly 20-year-old income tax matter has now been okayed by an 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel hearing a co-defendant’s case. And that 11th…

Apr 7, 2008 10:35 PM CDT