Florida

Runaway Christian Teen Who Says She Fears ‘Honor’ Killing Sparks Court Protest

Updated: Supporters of a 17-year-old runaway gathered in and around a central Florida courthouse today in anticipation of a hearing this afternoon at which an Orlando juvenile court judge is expected to decide whether to send Rifqa Bary back home to Ohio. Bary says she took a bus to Florida…

Aug 21, 2009 7:48 PM CDT

Founding Dean of Ave Maria Resigns, But Remains Active

After being on medical leave for more than a year, the founding dean of Ave Maria School of Law has stepped down. President Bernard Dobranski has resigned, the law school announced today, and acting dean Eugene Milhizer will now be acting president as well, reports the News-Press of South Florida.…

Aug 21, 2009 5:42 PM CDT

Judge Axes Case, Awards Legal Fees for Texting Witness at Trial

A Florida judge who declared a mistrial earlier this year after a company CEO texted an executive about his testimony during a brief trial break has now imposed additional sanctions over the incident. Describing the texting by Sky chief executive officer Yizhak Toledano as “underhanded and calculated to undermine the…

Aug 17, 2009 7:24 PM CDT

Surgeon Who Kept Bullet from Suspect Gets Probation

The trauma center chief at Tampa General Hospital in Florida pleaded no contest today to two misdemeanor charges concerning a bullet he removed from a suspect during surgery in April. Dr. David Ciesla, 42, will get two years of probation and be required to perform 100 hours of community service…

Aug 17, 2009 6:07 PM CDT

No Charges Over Cigarette Lighter ‘Pistol’ That Led to Fla. Courthouse Evacuation

A cigarette lighter designed to look like a pistol created a major incident at a Florida courthouse earlier this month after a woman forgot it was in her bag and a distracted security screener writing down a phone number for an auto parts store saw it only as it was…

Aug 12, 2009 8:55 PM CDT

N.C. Attorney is Accused of Altering Court Documents in Plea Deal

Updated: A North Carolina lawyer has been criminally charged with altering court documents, obstruction of justice, forgery and uttering concerning a plea deal she allegedly changed in a speeding case. Janet Pittman Reed, 47, declined to comment, saying that her lawyers had advised her not to do so, reports the…

Aug 11, 2009 5:12 PM CDT

Ex-Florida Appeals Judge Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud in Stripper Case

A former appeals judge in Florida has pleaded guilty to bank fraud for lying about a stripper’s contribution to a down payment on a home. Thomas Stringer had listed himself as the sole owner of a home in Hawaii, even though exotic dancer Christy Yamanaka had also contributed funds, the…

Aug 7, 2009 3:34 PM CDT

‘Pistol’ in Fla. Courthouse Results in Evacuation—More than 3 Hours Later

Fortunately, it wasn’t a real gun. But a series of security lapses ensued after a Florida woman forgot about the pistol-shaped cigarette lighter she had confiscated from her nephew, out of concern about how realistic it appeared, and left in a bag she put through the security check at the…

Aug 6, 2009 8:30 PM CDT

Holland & Knight Cuts Associate Pay by Up to 10 Percent

Holland & Knight is cutting associate pay, but not everyone will see a pay cut. The pay cuts will average about 7 percent, but the amounts will vary, the Daily Business Review reports. As many as 50 South Florida associates will see pay cuts as high as 10 percent, the…

Jul 31, 2009 11:35 AM CDT

Are Fatal Sleeping Accidents a Crime? Prosecutors Differ

Consider the case of a parent who has too much too drink, or takes illegal drugs, and then falls asleep in the same bed with his or her baby. Sometime during the night, the parent rolls onto the baby and kills the child. Is the mishap a crime? Prosecutors are…

Jul 30, 2009 2:48 PM CDT

US Drops Regulatory Charges Against Ex-Greenberg Lawyer

A former Greenberg Traurig lawyer feels vindicated by the decision of the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency to drop civil regulatory charges against him for advising a bank that was eventually shut down for fraud. Carlos Loumiet had been accused of covering up crimes for the bank, causing $127 million…

Jul 29, 2009 3:20 PM CDT

Fla. City to Pay $55K to Bait Shop Ticketed for Displaying US Constitution

Lawyers for the city of Clearwater had said the Florida municipality was on solid legal ground when it fined a local bait shop over a fish mural painted on an exterior wall of the business. But after two federal judges disagreed that the city’s sign ordinance was constitutional as applied,…

Jul 28, 2009 7:13 PM CDT

Fla. Hospital Wins Tort Case Over Flying Patient to Guatemala on Chartered Plane

Despite a judge’s instruction that Martin Memorial Medical Center, as a matter of law, unlawfully detained a longtime patient and deprived him of his liberty by sending him home on a chartered plane to Guatemala, a Florida jury ruled in favor of the hospital today in a much-watched tort case.…

Jul 27, 2009 6:54 PM CDT

Town Mgr. Weds Porn Actress and Is Fired, Raising Legal Issues

Seeking to avoid disruptive publicity, a small Florida town fired its manager after learning that he had recently married an adult film actress. But Scott Janke’s firing this week by the town council of Fort Myers Beach was probably even bigger news, according to the Associated Press. It also raises…

Jul 23, 2009 7:46 PM CDT

Chartering Plane to Take Patient Home Could Cost Hospital Big Bucks

During the three years he lived at a Florida hospital after suffering a severe brain injury in an automobile accident, Luis Jimenez racked up a $1.5 million medical bill. But now the uninsured illegal immigrant could potentially cost Martin Memorial Medical Center a lot more. In closing arguments today in…

Jul 23, 2009 6:06 PM CDT