Florida

Foreclosure King David Stern Beats Ethics Rap re Appeal Inaction; His Firm Handled the Case at Trial

A Florida lawyer once known as the state’s foreclosure king has won the dismissal of an ethics case brought by the Florida Bar. David J. Stern was accused of ignoring a state appellate court order to produce documents. However, his law firm handled the case at issue at the trial…

Oct 26, 2011 5:46 PM CDT

Cutting-Edge Code Enforcement Program Uses Secret Citizen Volunteers to Issue Notices to Neighbors

Once upon a time, at least in theory, neighbors talked to each other about any issues they perceived with property upkeep. And, in a really egregious situation that posed a safety hazard or had been a long-standing nuisance, they might call the city to complain. But some cash-strapped cities are…

Oct 26, 2011 4:53 PM CDT

Top Fla. Court Nixes Judge’s Ethics Deal, Says He Needs to Lose 60 Days’ Pay for Belittling Lawyers

A Florida judge had agreed to accept a public reprimand for his rude behavior to a number of attorneys. But that sanction, although OK’d by the Judicial Qualifications Commission, wasn’t sufficient punishment for Orange-Osceola Circuit Judge Tim Shea, 56, the state’s top court says. It held that Shea needs to…

Oct 25, 2011 8:16 PM CDT

Power Outage Puts Broward Courts, Sheriff’s Deputies and Lawyers Back in Pre-Computer ‘Stone Age’

A power outage in South Florida’s busy Broward County forced court clerks, sheriff’s deputies and lawyers, among others, to work in practically prehistoric conditions without computers or email for at least much of the afternoon. Court dockets weren’t accessible, sheriff’s deputies had to use their radios to call in license…

Oct 24, 2011 8:26 PM CDT

Law Firm Partner in Libya for Contractor Client Awakes Thursday to Unusual Gunfire

Law firm partner Sally Woodward at Shutts & Bowen in Tampa worked into the early morning hours on Thursday on a contract for a client, a government contractor. Woodward awoke on Thursday afternoon to the sounds of cars honking and an unusual amount of gunfire, according to the St. Petersburg…

Oct 21, 2011 3:51 PM CDT

Rothstein Clawback Suits Seek $9.8M from Jeweler, $1.5M from Bugatti Seller, $57K from Cigar Store

The bankruptcy trustee settling the affairs of onetime law firm chief and convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein is targeting the sellers of some of his favorite things in an effort to recover assets for creditors. Clawback suits filed today in federal court in South Florida seek $9.8 million from Levinson…

Oct 20, 2011 1:06 AM CDT

Another Attorney Is Charged in Mortgage Fraud Case re High-End Versailles Development in South Fla.

A Miami-area attorney charged in a federal mortgage fraud prosecution is at least the third Florida lawyer to face a criminal case concerning the high-end Versailles development near Wellington. Kimberly S. Daise, 48, was charged with conspiracy to commit fraud on a financial institution and wire fraud, reports the South…

Oct 19, 2011 8:43 PM CDT

Florida Bar Details Pending Complaints Against Casey Anthony’s Lawyer

Two ethics complaints pending against Casey Anthony’s lawyer deal with claims he failed to disclose information during the trial process. Florida Bar spokeswoman Francine Walker explained the nature of the complaints against Jose Baez, which have been forwarded to a grievance committee, the Orlando Sentinel reports. One complaint alleges Baez…

Oct 19, 2011 3:53 PM CDT

Lawyer Ticketed for Playing Justin Timberlake Too Loud Takes Fight to Fla. High Court

A Florida lawyer ticketed for turning up the volume on a Justin Timerberlake song during his drive to work will take his legal fight to the state supreme court. Lawyer Richard Catalano claims he was ticketed under an unconstitutional Florida statute, NBC Miami reports. The law says car stereos cannot…

Oct 18, 2011 4:39 PM CDT

Florida Lawmaker Wants to Bring Back Firing Squads, Electric Chair

A Florida lawmaker who thinks death row inmates facing lethal injection are getting off too easily has filed legislation to bring back firing squads and the electric chair. Rep. Brad Drake (R-Eucheeanna), the bill’s sponsor, says the idea came to him during a coffee house conversation with a constituent over…

Oct 14, 2011 6:40 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Fought Foreclosure Fraud Takes Federal Plea in Straw-Buyer Money-Laundering Conspiracy

A Florida title attorney who is playing a prominent role in the fight against mortgage foreclosure fraud by lenders has taken a plea in a federal case over an alleged mortgage fraud conspiracy. Carol Asbury, 59, could get as much as 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when…

Oct 12, 2011 12:34 AM CDT

Fla. County May Eliminate Top In-House Lawyer to Save Money

It isn’t just corporations that are looking for ways to trim legal bills. And at least some of the commissioners who run one Florida county think they may have found a way to do so: Terminate the top lawyer in the county’s in-house legal department and rely on his two…

Oct 7, 2011 11:34 PM CDT

Lawyer Asks for Juror Poll to Find Out if Grumpiness Influenced Murder Verdict

A Florida assistant public defender is asking a judge to poll jurors to determine whether lengthy deliberations contributed to a mood of grumpiness that influenced a guilty verdict in an Orange County murder trial. Assistant public defender Jamie David Parker Kane says in his pleadings that deliberations ended after 10…

Oct 6, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

‘Engaging and Fun’ University of Miami Law Prof Is Arrested on Solicitation Charge

A University of Miami law professor has been arrested on a misdemeanor charge of soliciting a woman he believed to be a prostitute. Professor Donald Marvin Jones is accused of offering $20 to a woman who turned out to be an undercover police officer, report CBSMiami.com and the Miami Herald.…

Oct 4, 2011 2:21 PM CDT

Initially Thought a Suicide, Attorney’s Death Is Now Being Investigated as a Possible Homicide

A 66-year-old lawyer found dead at his Jupiter, Fla., home on Friday morning was initially thought to be a suicide. But now police are investigating the shooting death of Lanny A. Horwitz as a possible homicide, reports the Palm Beach Post. Horwitz was a law graduate of the State University…

Oct 3, 2011 9:16 PM CDT