Florida

Ex-Lawyer from Well-Known Palm Beach Family Expected to Plead Guilty in $600K Client Theft Case

A disbarred Florida lawyer whose biological and adoptive fathers were both well-known in Palm Beach County has reportedly decided to plead guilty as his trial was about to begin today for allegedly stealing over $600,000 from three clients. A. Clark Cone will plead guilty in the Palm Beach Circuit Court…

Apr 18, 2011 4:00 PM CDT

LeBron James’ Mother Sued by Valet Who Says She Slapped Him

LeBron James’ mother is facing legal trouble for allegedly slapping a valet in an altercation that led to her arrest last week. In a suit (PDF posted by the Miami Herald) filed against Gloria James, Rock Feller Sorel accuses James of verbal abuse and assault, saying he suffered “emotional distress,…

Apr 14, 2011 5:55 PM CDT

Bankruptcy Judge to Sanction Lender Processing Services in Mortgage Foreclosure Case

A federal bankruptcy judge in New Orleans has granted a U.S. Trustee’s motion for sanctions concerning its conduct in a mortgage foreclosure case. At issue are what Judge Elizabeth Magner.concluded in an April 7 opinion to be false testimony and a “sham” affidavit provided by Lender Processing Services, reports Reuters.…

Apr 14, 2011 10:57 AM CDT

Fla. House Speaker Envisions Splitting State Supreme Court in Two

A proposal to create two divisions of the Florida Supreme Court, separating the bodies by civil and criminal divisions, would cost more than $14 million, according to the state’s Office of State Courts Administrator. The proposal is favored by Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon, according to the Associated Press. Voters…

Apr 13, 2011 10:07 PM CDT

Suit Seeks to Stop Fetish Film Producer from Paying Homeless Men to be Physically Abused By Women

For months, a Florida homeless advocate wondered why so many local men seemed to be walking around a St. Petersburg park with black eyes, split lips and limps. Finally someone told him: They were being beaten and whipped by attractive, sometimes scantily clad women for fetish videos, for payments of…

Apr 13, 2011 2:10 PM CDT

Talking Heads Frontman ‘Feeling Very Manly’ After Winning Song-Use Suit Settlement from Ex-Fla. Gov

A lawsuit brought by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne against former Fla. Governor Charlie Crist over use of his “Road to Nowhere” song in campaign material has been settled. Although all of the terms weren’t disclosed, they include a public apology by Crist that is posted on YouTube, reports the…

Apr 12, 2011 3:23 PM CDT

Top Fla. Court to Address High-Profile Foreclosure Case Based on Inaccurate Loan Documents

Can a bank that files a mortgage foreclosure case based on inaccurate documents simply withdraw it when the lack of an appropriate foundation for the litigation becomes clear? That is a central issue in a high-profile case being taken up by the Florida Supreme Court, reports the Heard Along the…

Apr 12, 2011 12:06 PM CDT

Judges in Fla., NY Warn of Court Closings, Layoffs Due to Budget Problems

Judges in Florida and New York are warning that budget cuts could have serious consequences for courts in their states. Circuit chief judges in Florida discussed a plan this week to keep courts operating if Florida Gov. Rick Scott does not approve an emergency loan by Friday. Under the plan,…

Apr 6, 2011 11:27 AM CDT

Granted $1K Bond, Domestic Defendant Argues with Judge, Ends Up with $150K Bond

Granted $1,000 bond, a defendant in a Florida domestic violence case talked himself into a $150,000 bond. “I’d rather stay in jail. I’m not paying no bond,” said Ernest Holifield, 59, to Broward County Judge John “Jay” Hurley. In addition to raising Holifield’s bond, Hurley also ordered him to get…

Apr 5, 2011 8:35 PM CDT

Man Accused of Threatening to Kill Judge Is Released on $10K Bail

A 29-year-old man accused of plotting to kill the Florida judge who barred him from visiting his 14-month-old daughter has been charged with corruption by threat against a public servant and released on $10,000 bail. A report by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office says Gene Melden Clary showed his daughter’s…

Apr 5, 2011 6:51 PM CDT

Judge Warns Casey Anthony Murder Case Lawyers: I’ll Fine You $100 Each Time You Talk to Each Other

Trying to put an end to the sniping between a prosecutor and a defense lawyer in a high-profile murder case, a Florida judge warned both on Friday that he would fine them $100, from this point forward, each time they spoke to each other rather than addressing their comments to…

Apr 4, 2011 6:48 PM CDT

Fed’l Judge Says Chase Must Post $4M Surety Bond to Get Its Foreclosure Files Back From Law Firm

A federal judge in Florida has ruled that Chase Home Finance must post a $4 million surety bond before the Ben-Ezra & Katz law firm is required to return to the bank foreclosure files for some $400 million worth of mortgages. The law firm contends that it is owed $6.2…

Apr 1, 2011 10:39 PM CDT

Prosecutors and Judges to Join Police at DWI Checkpoints to Enforce New ‘No Refusal’ Law

In what is billed as a first-of-a-kind law enforcement effort in Jasper County, Mo., prosecutors and judges will be joining police at drunken-driving checkpoints, starting tonight, to enforce a new “no refusal” statute in the state. If motorists who seem to be driving while intoxicated refuse to take a breath…

Apr 1, 2011 10:21 PM CDT

Badly Burned in Domestic Incident, Woman Says Her New Life, In and Out of Court, Answered a Prayer

Covered with burn scars on 80 percent of her body, Audrey Mabrey could easily feel sorry for herself. But at 28 she considers herself “the new Audrey,” whose prayer—to live and raise her children—while she was doused with gasoline and set on fire at her Florida home several years ago,…

Apr 1, 2011 8:28 PM CDT

County Backs Lonely Widow’s Right to ‘Prescription Pet,’ a Chihuahua, in Her Fla. Condo

Lonely, fragile and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after an auto accident, Phyllis Schleifer could benefit from a prescription pet, her doctor felt. So she wound up living with Sweetie, a three-pound Chihuahua, in her Deerfield Beach, Fla., condominium. The problem is, it prohibits dogs. And although Sweetie is described…

Apr 1, 2011 12:45 AM CDT