Florida

Prison gang helped escapees get fake court orders granting early release, official says

It wasn’t just phony court orders reducing their Florida prison sentences that helped Joseph Jenkins and Charles Walker escape recently. A contraband cellphone also was found in the Orange County prison cell in which one of the two men had been housed, reports the Orlando Sentinel. But officials don’t believe…

Nov 6, 2013 5:30 PM CST

Miami Dolphins starter is suspended indefinitely, team asks NFL to probe player’s bullying claims

A week after a 24-year-old offensive tackle left the Miami Dolphins to deal with what news reports described as emotional issues after an incident in the team’s lunchroom, another starting player has been suspended indefinitely for “conduct detrimental to the team” and the Dolphins have asked the National Football League…

Nov 4, 2013 8:46 PM CST

Psychics convicted in two separate cases; what is the line between fraud and free speech?

Psychics who charged large sums for their services were recently convicted in separate trials in Florida and New York, raising questions about the line between free speech and fraud. The Associated Press reports on the two trials and on state laws aimed at curbing abuses. In one trial, psychic Rose…

Nov 4, 2013 3:34 PM CST

Foreclosure king ‘created chaos on the courts’ and should be disbarred, referee says

A Florida lawyer once dubbed the “foreclosure king” should be disbarred for failing to supervise law firm personnel who mishandled foreclosures and filed improperly notarized paperwork, a disciplinary referee has concluded. The lawyer, David Stern, closed his firm in 2011 amid lost work caused by robosigning allegations, notifying judges by…

Oct 31, 2013 4:29 PM CDT

Fla. Gov. rejects many of state bar’s judicial nominating commission picks

Florida Gov. Rick Scott apparently has little regard for what the Florida Bar considers a good candidate for a seat on the state’s 26 judicial nominating commissions. Scott has rejected the bar’s list of recommended nominees 16 times, the Tampa Bay Times reports. His two predecessors, Charlie Crist and Jeb…

Oct 30, 2013 8:45 PM CDT

Ex-client in $2.2M law firm chair-collapse case wins reinstatement of ‘substantial’ verdict

A would-be client of a Florida personal injury law firm wound up without the legal representation he had sought after his chair collapsed as he was meeting with an attorney in 2003. But Robert Friedrich did eventually wind up with a big win against Fetterman & Associates in the premises…

Oct 24, 2013 11:00 PM CDT

Law firm sued over claimed use of competitor’s name as Google AdWords

A Florida law firm has sued a competing personal injury shop over its alleged use of the plaintiff firm’s name as Google Adwords to drive search-engine traffic. Filed in Miami, the federal lawsuit brought by high-profile plaintiffs firm Steinger, Iscoe & Greene against attorney Paul K. Schrier asserts claims for…

Oct 22, 2013 9:00 PM CDT

7 prisoners may have used phony court papers in escape attempts; $20K reward offered for information

As an investigation continues into how two convicted Florida murderers were able to obtain forged court documents that—briefly—won their early release from prison, authorities say at least seven individuals are suspected of attempting to escape from state prisons in this manner since 2009. Five of the seven spent time in…

Oct 22, 2013 7:05 PM CDT

Swiss bank exec faces US extradition in $20B tax case, due to vacation in Italy

After he was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2008 in a $20 billion U.S. tax fraud conspiracy case, Swiss banking executive Raoul Weil declined to be extradited and his legal counsel said he had done nothing wrong. That put the criminal case against him on hold, since Switzerland…

Oct 22, 2013 4:15 PM CDT

Judge can vie for cash prize in Jamaican Jerk cooking competition, so long as it’s not a fundraiser

The Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee of the Florida Supreme Court has given its blessing to a state judge’s plan to cook up a storm at a culinary competition. So long as it’s not a fundraiser, the inquiring judge is free to participate in a cooking contest at the 12th Annual…

Oct 21, 2013 7:52 PM CDT

Captured: 2 murderers released from jail on phony court orders; probe now focused on who helped them

Two convicted murderers who walked away from a Florida prison in recent weeks with the help of phony court paperwork reducing their “illegal” sentences were captured over the weekend. Joseph Jenkins and Charles Walker, both 34, were found together at a motel in Panama City, where they were waiting for…

Oct 21, 2013 4:35 PM CDT

Prosecutor calls bogus court papers used in murderers’ prison escape an ‘ongoing threat’

Updated: Two Florida inmates convicted of murder were released in recent weeks based on forged court documents may not be the only ones. One of the two released men had tried a similar scheme in 2011 but wasn’t let out, officials say. A third man, convicted of killing a police…

Oct 18, 2013 5:10 PM CDT

Prison releases 2 convicted murderers after forged court documents reduce their sentences

Two convicted murderers were released by a Florida prison in recent weeks after forged court documents purporting to reduce their life sentences were filed with the Orange County clerk of courts. The documents included claimed motions by an Orlando prosecutor seeking to correct their “illegal” sentences and orders by Chief…

Oct 17, 2013 8:05 PM CDT

As shutdown continues, more federal courts ‘tell Congress to go to hell,’ as blogging judge puts it

Instructed to prepare for the possibility of an ongoing government shutdown if Congress doesn’t resolve a budget impasse and restore funding this week, a growing number of federal courts have taken a more aggressive approach. By declaring all employees “essential,” court administrators are in a position to insist that workers…

Oct 15, 2013 7:15 PM CDT

‘Shocked’ lawyer says he was convicted in gambling scheme for merely giving legal advice

A Florida lawyer was convicted on Friday for masterminding a gambling operation disguised as Internet cafés benefiting a veterans’ charity. Lawyer Kelly Mathis of Jacksonville was convicted of 103 of 104 counts, including possessing slot machines, helping to operate a lottery and racketeering, report the Associated Press, Reuters and the…

Oct 15, 2013 11:55 AM CDT