News and Events
Daily News Summary
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.
July 29, 2010
--Legal Profession--
OIL IN THE COURT-- Florida Trend, http://www.floridatrend.com, Aug. 1, 2010.
The article was written for Florida Trend's Of Counsel section. In 1997, C. Steve Yerrid was one of 11 trial lawyers picked by then-Gov. Lawton Chiles to team up and sue cigarette makers. The settlement of the resulting lawsuit put limits on cigarette advertising and produced an ongoing stream of payments from the companies that has brought billions into state coffers. Yerrid has now positioned himself at the head of the line as the state begins maneuvering to seek damages from BP in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf. Gov. Charlie Crist appointed the Tampa attorney as his "special counsel" to oversee the state's legal claims against the oil company. Yerrid, who is advising Crist pro bono, says it's his job to make sure that Florida gets a fair share of the billions that BP is beginning to pay out to the spill's victims.
--Judiciary--
BROWARD JUDGE FINALLY MEETS HIS MYSTERY CHALLENGER-- Sun-Sentinel, column, http://www.sun-sentinel.com, July 29, 2010.
The column by the Sun-Sentinel's Michael Mayo is the second of two parts discussing Broward judicial candidates. It states: "Over the last few months, Broward Circuit Judge Carlos Rodriguez has made some 50 appearances at events for judicial candidates. . . . Last week, he went to the highest-profile event yet, a forum for circuit judge candidates at Nova Southeastern University. Once again, for the 50th straight time, his opponent Frieda M. Goldstein was a no-show. . . . Goldstein doesn't seem interested in the usual formalities of campaigning. She has no website. She said she's avoided candidate forums and other appearances because they're sparsely attended and she can make better use of her time. . . . This race seems to reinforce the perception that minority judges are being targeted. . . . My beef is strictly with her qualifications and the way she's running (or not running) her race."
HERNANDO JUDGE FOCUS OF SEARCH WARRANT INQUIRY-- Hernando Today, http://www.hernandotoday.com, July 29, 2010.
The attorney for a former local police detective accused of committing perjury has asked the judge to step down from the case. The defendant, Shawn Terry, fears he would not get a fair trial before Circuit Judge Stephen Rushing based on the possibility that Rushing tipped off a local businessman about a pending search warrant, according to a motion filed Wednesday [July 28]. Ellis Faught Jr., a Brandon criminal attorney, represents Terry, who earlier this month resigned from the Brooksville Police Department. Faught stated his client is leery of the judge's objectivity "because of specifically described prejudice or bias." In a statement, Terry wrote that in a meeting with Rushing and an police sergeant, Rushing said he would not sign a search warrant for Martin "Dan" Patrick's business because he knew him personally and they attend the same church. In a St. Petersburg Times article, Patrick said he "knew something was coming" the night before his arrest, according to the motion, but he never explained how he knew.
--Civil Justice Issues--
LOCAL CLERK TO HAND OVER PAPER TRANSCRIPTS-- The Bradenton Herald, http://www.bradenton.com, July 29, 2010.
The Manatee Clerk of the Circuit Court this week was instructed by an appellate court to hand over about three dozen paper transcripts of trials involving indigent defendants so they can properly prepare their appeals. Citing an order of the local chief circuit judge and concerns about cost, Clerk R.B. "Chips" Shore this past March stopped providing prosecutors and defense attorneys in those cases with paper copies of transcripts. Instead, he provided the documents on CD-ROMs in Microsoft Word. The Florida Attorney General's Office and the public defender that handles appellate cases for indigent clients in a 14-county region asked the Second District Court of Appeal to reverse Shore's policy. They argued that providing only electronic versions of transcripts violates legal rules of court procedure. On Wednesday [July 28], the Second District Court of Appeal agreed.
REPORT SAYS FORECLOSURES EASE IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2010-- The Bradenton Herald, http://www.bradenton.com, July 29, 2010. [Also: FLORIDA LEADS NATION IN FORECLOSURES IN FIRST HALF OF 2010-- The Palm Beach Post, http://www.palmbeachpost.com, July 29, 2010].
From The Bradenton Herald: We’re still up there, but not as high as we used to be. So says RealtyTrac, which released data Wednesday [July 28] showing the Manatee/Sarasota region had the 23rd-highest rate of foreclosure activity among U.S. metropolitan areas in the year’s first six months. Dawn Bates-Buchanan, managing attorney of Gulfcoast Legal Services' Bradenton office, said filings fell as banks and their lawyers waited for 12th Judicial Circuit officials to develop and implement the mediation program, which took effect June 21. The filing slowdown was evident elsewhere in Florida as the rest of the state’s 20 judicial circuits implemented their own mediation programs.
DEALING WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS-- Highlands Today, http://www.highlandstoday.com, July 29, 2010.
Arizona's immigration law goes into affect today, despite a ruling Wednesday [July 28]. Opponents got a victory, as a federal judge blocked controversial portions of the law, including sections that required police officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws. In Highlands County, the rules and regulations regarding the arrest of anyone foreign born - whether in the country legally or illegally - are numerous and specific. Maj. David Paeplow of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office, said when a foreign-born person is brought into jail - no matter the country - copies of the person's fingerprints, as well as the person's name and identifying information, are faxed to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office. Also, When a foreign suspect is first taken into custody, it is the arresting officer's responsibility to contact the particular country's consulate, according to Avon Park Police Sgt. Jason Lister.
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[Revised:
07-01-2005
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