Federal Case Over Fla. Lawyer’s ‘Handshake’ is Dropped

A federal case has been dropped concerning a Florida attorney who spent a night in jail earlier this year for allegedly assaulting a federal prosecutor with an overly aggressive "handshake."

According to witnesses, Kathy Brewer Rentas of Becker & Poliakoff in Hollywood, jerked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keene's arm downward, nearly pulling her off of her feet, reports the Sun-Sentinel, a Ft. Lauderdale newspaper. A hearing had just concluded in which Rentas' husband was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest for violating his probation in a case out of New York.

As discussed in an earlier ABAJournal.com post, Kathy Rentas was charged with assaulting a federal officer. If convicted of the misdemeanor, she could have been sentenced to as much as one year in prison.