Is time on homeowners’ side? Foreclosure case tossed without prejudice may not pause clock

Lawyers for homeowners in several states are arguing banks can’t foreclose on their clients’ homes because the statute of limitations has expired. An issue in the cases is when the clock begins to run and whether a tossed foreclosure case pauses the clock, the New York Times reports. Lawyers for…

Mar 30, 2015 7:21 AM CDT

Prosecutor seeks judge’s recusal in all pending cases, cites ‘legal advice’ email to public defender

A South Florida chief judge began hearing a colleague’s criminal call on Friday morning, after a Broward circuit prosecutor filed a blanket recusal motion against Judge John Contini. Filed late Thursday, the motion by State Attorney Mike Satz contends that an email from Contini to an assistant public defender offered…

Mar 27, 2015 12:25 PM CDT

Plea deal rejected for 3 partners in claimed DUI set-up of opposing trial counsel

A Florida Bar referee has rejected a plea deal for three Adams & Diaco partners accused of playing a role in arranging for opposing counsel to be arrested for drunken driving during a hard-fought, high-profile defamation trial. W. Douglas Baird did not object to the proposed punishment for one partner,…

Mar 26, 2015 3:40 PM CDT

Partner to give up law license to end state bar probe of opposing counsel’s DUI arrest during trial

Three of the seven partners at a Florida firm have agreed to legal ethics sanctions that will at least temporarily suspend their practice of law, to end a state bar probe over the claimed set-up of opposing counsel for a drunken-driving arrest during a hard-fought trial. Although they do not…

Mar 25, 2015 10:10 AM CDT

As a growing number of states enact ‘rehoming’ laws, Facebook reportedly disables adoption page

Responding to news of parents placing children they find difficult to deal with in the care of strangers they identify as potential caretakers via the Internet, a growing number of lawmakers are enacting legislation to curtail the controversial practice. Meanwhile, Facebook has disabled an “Adoption Through Disruption” page being used…

Mar 23, 2015 11:00 AM CDT

Two Florida judges dismiss 24,000 red-light camera tickets in one county

Two Florida judges on Monday dismissed 24,000 red-light-camera tickets from nearly every city in Broward county, finding that they were not issued as required by state statute. “We made the argument that the program was an improper delegation of police power because the videos were being sent out of state…

Mar 17, 2015 9:45 AM CDT

Animal remains outside courthouse may be intended to seek favor with spirits, priestess says

Dead animals outside a Miami courthouse don’t appear to be road kill. Animal remains are often found in boxes and bags outside the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, Local10.com reports. The widespread belief is that the remains are part of a ritual performed by practitioners of Santeria or voodoo. Animal…

Mar 13, 2015 10:38 AM CDT

Apartment owner axes controversial lease provision that allowed $10K fine for social media criticism

Managers of a Florida apartment complex quickly backed down following controversy about a lease addendum. According to the addendum, residents could be fined $10,000 for critical social media comments. A Windermere Cay representative said the complex would not enforce the Social Media Addendum, which had been developed by a former…

Mar 12, 2015 9:00 AM CDT

Former football team owner sues Buchanan Ingersoll, says law firm dropped ball on due diligence

A Florida orthopedic surgeon who formerly was majority owner of the Tampa Bay Storm has sued Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Dr. Robert Nucci says in the Hillsborough County Circuit Court suit he lost some $15 million and had to file for personal bankruptcy because the law firm didn’t discover Arena…

Mar 10, 2015 12:40 PM CDT

14-year-old arrested after dad finds murder contract that the youth allegedly wrote

A 14-year-old Florida youth has been arrested after allegedly entering into a murder contract with a friend and then leaving the document in his room, where his father found it. Port St. Lucie police say the agreement between the unidentified teen and a friend said the friend was to get…

Mar 9, 2015 3:55 PM CDT

Former state chief justice is ashamed of the fundraising process

The former chief justice of Alabama’s Supreme Court, Sue Bell Cobb, set a goal during the 2006 election to the state’s high court. Raise $2.6 million and win. Cobb won her seat after accepting hundreds of contributions from lawyers and lobbyists for a total of close to $2 million. In…

Mar 6, 2015 2:59 PM CST

Man drives truck with dead neighbor to lawyer’s office, says he killed in self-defense

Florida lawyer Robert Harris says he was confronted with an issue on Wednesday afternoon that he never learned about in law school. A Lee County man put his dead neighbor in the bed of his pickup truck and drove to Harris’ law firm in Fort Myers, report the Fort Myers…

Mar 5, 2015 7:03 AM CST

Some GrayRobinson lawyers give up traditional desks and keep it moving

Woody Pollack was thinking that a better desk chair might resolve his lower back issues. But then the GrayRobinson partner got a better idea: Why not simply eliminate the desk in his law office? He now uses a hydraulic table that can be raised and lowered and allows him to…

Mar 4, 2015 1:35 PM CST

Florida Bar restrictions on lawyer ads which cite past results is struck down by federal court

Mar 1, 2015 3:20 AM CST

Former client posed murder hypothetical, lawyer testifies

An accused killer pleaded no contest to a charge of manslaughter last week after learning his former lawyer would testify against him. Darryl Mack, 22, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the shooting death of Tavish Greene in a botched robbery, the Panama City News Herald reports. The…

Feb 27, 2015 8:11 AM CST