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An electronic digest of media coverage of interest to members of The Florida Bar compiled each workday by the Public Information and Bar Services Department. Electronic links are only active in today's edition. For information on previous articles, please contact the publishing newspaper directly.

Aug. 26, 2010

For elections results, please visit http://enight.dos.state.fl.us/.

--Judiciary--

JUDICIAL RACES WERE BROWARD'S BRIGHT SPOT IN AN OTHERWISE UGLY PRIMARY-- Sun-Sentinel, editorial, http://www.sun-sentinel.com, Aug. 26, 2010.
The editorial states: "The Florida primary is over, and Broward County voters can take a great deal of pride in the way they defused a potentially divisive issue involving race, religion and the community's legal system. . . . Judges are supposed to stand for the best we, as a people, have to offer. Fortunately, the voters got the message, and Broward County is better off because of it."

SOCIAL MEDIA SLOWLY ENTERING INTO JUDICIAL BATTLEGROUND-- Daily Business Review, http://www.dailybusinessreview.com, Aug. 24, 2010.
Like most politicians, judicial candidates have entered a new political battlefield — social media. Many are gripped with questions concerning new social etiquette. What does it mean to poke a judge on Facebook? Can the judge poke back? There are also ethical concerns. Also, judicial candidates have special rules that limit what they can say or do and it's not clear how those rules apply in this medium. The state's Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee weighed in on the social media debate in 2009 when it concluded judges can't "friend" lawyers on Facebook if those attorneys could appear before them in court. Its reason: Doing so "conveys or permits others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge."

--Legal Profession--

PUBLIC DEFENDER ANNOUNCES NEW HIRES-- Jacksonville Daily Record, http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com, Aug. 25, 2010.
Fourth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Matt Shirk has announced new hires in the Green Cove Springs and Jacksonville offices. Former prosecutor and private practitioner Darcy Galnor became assistant public defender in Clay County earlier this month and will handle Juvenile Court. The Jacksonville office welcomes two new assistant public defenders. Lisa Haskins joined the Juvenile Unit as assistant public defender in June. Chris Blaisdell, previously an assistant state attorney in Brevard County, joined the Felony Court Unit in July.

--Lawyer Ethics/Legal Discipline--

FORMER LAWYER ACCUSED OF FRAUD-- Ocala Star Banner, http://www.ocala.com, Aug. 26, 2010.
A former Marion County attorney who was disbarred in February has been extradited from California to Ocala to face charges of organized fraud. Authorities say George P. Weidinger stole more than $100,000 from a client's trust account. Weidinger was brought to the Marion County Jail Tuesday night and a judge on Wednesday [Aug. 25] set bail at $50,000. His next court date is slated for Sept. 28.

--Civil Justice Issues--

FLORIDA'S HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY SEEKS LEGAL HELP WITH OIL-SPILL COMPENSATION-- Orlando Sentinel, http://www.orlandosentinel.com, Aug. 26, 2010.
Florida's hospitality industry is seeking legal help as it pursues compensation from BP PLC for revenue lost to the giant Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Many hotels and restaurants in the state have been unable to obtain payments from BP for their claims or were paid pennies on the dollar, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association said Wednesday [Aug. 25]. During a press conference in Orlando, the group also said it doesn't see the situation improving now that the oil-spill compensation fund is being administered by Kenneth Feinberg, the federal appointee recently put in charge of the process.

INVESTIGATION OF CHINESE DRYWALL TAKES A GERMAN DETOUR-- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, http://www.heraldtribune.com, Aug. 26, 2010.
Knauf Gips, a family-owned German company with operations throughout the world, has argued for almost two years that it is not legally responsible for the millions of pounds of defective drywall that one of its China subsidiaries has admitted exporting to the United States. However, documents filed in Germany and in U.S. courts show that Knauf's German umbrella company is closely involved in the management of its subsidiaries, overseeing quality control, finding raw materials and dealing with rising concerns over defective drywall. Dozens of companies are being sued for making the drywall that has contaminated thousands of U.S. homes.

IT'S AN AWESOME LOGO. NOW PLEASE CHANGE IT-- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, http://www.heraldtribune.com, Aug. 26, 2010.
For as long as anyone can remember, Southeast High School and Florida State University have been close. Top students from the Manatee County high school are funneled to FSU. Its best athletes, like superstar wide receiver Peter Warrick, became stars in Tallahassee. The allegiance is so strong that Warrick, a Heisman Trophy winner who helped FSU win its last national title, is now an assistant coach at Southeast. The two schools are so tight they even share the Seminole mascot, identical Indian-head logos and the same iconic spear on their football helmets. Now, FSU is demanding that Southeast remove every trace of the Seminole head, the spear, even the word "NOLES," from the school campus. In a move that caught Bayshore officials by surprise, a licensing company hired by FSU has issued Southeast a cease-and-desist letter that says the school is infringing on copyrighted university trademarks.