Florida

Former Miami City Attorney Seeks $300K Severance Pay

After resigning as Miami’s city attorney earlier this month, at the same time that a misdemeanor plea agreement concerning his office expenses was announced, Jorge Fernandez is reportedly still hoping for a significant payday. An employment contract provision says he will be paid six months of severance, regardless of why…

Feb 29, 2008 9:52 PM CST

Felon Pleads in YouTube AK-47 Case

A South Florida gang leader who posted a YouTube video of himself holding an AK-47 and challenging authorities to “come get some” has gotten his wish. Police arrested Rudy Villanueva, 31, who is the leader of the Bird Road Boys gang, in January, shortly after the Miami Herald ran a…

Feb 29, 2008 8:08 PM CST

Fla. School Bd. Tells Warring Supt. & Bd. Attorney: Get Help

A school board for a major metropolitan area in Florida has reportedly told its two top employees to get professional help. With Superintendent Clayton Wilcox and attorney Jim Robinson, who serves as the district’s general counsel, in a virtual civil war, something clearly has to be done to get the…

Feb 27, 2008 10:09 PM CST

Moldy Courthouses an Issue in Fla.

Mold reportedly may be a problem at a number of Florida courthouses. Among them: the David W. Dyer Federal Courthouse in downtown Miami. As a new courthouse sits across the street unused because of construction delays and cost overruns, workers complain that a documented mold problem may be making at…

Feb 25, 2008 6:08 PM CST

Lawyer Could Face Sanctions After Adding Images of Kangaroos, Swastikas to Filing

Anti-pornography lawyer Jack Thompson is once again citing the First Amendment in response to the latest action by a Florida court taking issue with his online filings. The Florida Supreme Court issued a show-cause order on Tuesday threatening Thompson with sanctions for his “constant abusive” and “numerous meritless filings,” the…

Feb 22, 2008 2:10 PM CST

Latest Lionel Tate Sentence Puts End to Court Saga

After a nine-year court saga that has drawn international attention, it appears that Lionel Tate can now focus on serving his time. The 21-year-old was at one point reportedly the youngest person in the U.S. to be sentenced to life in prison. Tate was 12 when he was arrested and…

Feb 20, 2008 5:44 PM CST

Unlikely Criminals? Owners Loot Foreclosed Homes

What do a half-starved dog, a piece of heavy construction equipment and a hammer have in common? All are tools reportedly being used by irate owners to damage their own, soon-to-be-foreclosed property. Angry about the upcoming real estate loss, many do their best to remove anything of value and leave…

Feb 19, 2008 11:47 PM CST

Retired at 90, Lawyer Shares Secrets of Good Life

After 50 years of law practice, Edna Shalala was ready to retire. But now, six years later, the 96-year-old is living the good life, reports the Miami Herald. A fractured wrist is keeping her off the course—for now. But Shalala expects to be swinging her clubs again as soon as…

Feb 19, 2008 6:29 PM CST

Plea Deal: Miami City Attorney Resigns, Gets 1 Year Probation

Following criticism last year over his lavish spending of city money on municipal legal perks, Miami’s city attorney has agreed to resign and plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of making false official statements. Jorge Fernandez is to receive one year of probation under a plea deal that concludes a…

Feb 15, 2008 6:28 PM CST

TV’s Judge Alex Defends Testimony Based on Real-Life Judging

The Florida Supreme Court criticized television’s “Judge Alex” in an opinion released yesterday, saying he should not have testified for a Miami man who survived torture and kidnapping. But the judge, Alex Ferrer, told the Miami Herald the court was unaware his 1999 testimony was compelled by a subpoena. “They…

Feb 15, 2008 2:31 PM CST

After 2 Months, Man Mistakenly Arrested Is Freed

After being flown in from Texas and held in a Florida jail for two months, protesting all the while that he was not the man authorities thought he was, the wrong Jose Garcia has finally been freed. Although he shares the name—and birthday—of the Jose Garcia that Miami-Dade authorities were…

Feb 12, 2008 8:33 PM CST

Fla. Appeals Judge Faces New Charges Over Critique of Fellow Jurist in Opinion

Asked to explain why he had criticized a fellow appellate court jurist in a written opinion, Judge Michael E. Allen reportedly told the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission that he had no personal animosity against Judge Charles J. Kahn Jr. But the commission apparently didn’t believe Allen, and has now filed…

Feb 11, 2008 4:10 PM CST

Lawyer Charged With Handshake Assault

A Florida lawyer whose husband was in court for a probation violation has been charged with assault for allegedly injuring the prosecutor’s shoulder in an over-the-top handshake. Kathy Brewer Rentas spent a night in jail and was ordered to get a psychological evaluation, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The arrest…

Feb 11, 2008 4:00 PM CST

Bush Lawyer Imagines Déjà Vu Election Lawsuit—Between Democrats

The lawyer who represented President Bush in the battle over the 2000 election results raises the possibility of litigation, this time between Democrats, over the party’s rightful presidential nominee. Theodore Olson, a former solicitor general, writes in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal that the party’s “Rube Goldberg nominating…

Feb 11, 2008 2:29 PM CST

Respected Miami Lawyer Indicted for Opinions on Money Laundering

A prominent Miami lawyer has been charged in a money-laundering conspiracy for vouching that a Colombian drug kingpin’s payments to his defense lawyer were not from the proceeds of drug sales. Ben Kuehne, who once represented former Vice President Al Gore in the presidential election dispute, surrendered yesterday to authorities,…

Feb 8, 2008 1:21 PM CST