The purpose of this summary provided by the Communications Department of The Florida Bar is to present media coverage that may be of interest to members. Opinions expressed in the articles are attributable solely to the authors. The Florida Bar does not adopt or endorse any opinions expressed below. For information on previous articles, please contact the publishing newspaper directly.
May 24, 2023
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The Florida Bar
ATTORNEY GENERAL MOODY RELEASES CYBERCRIME AND SENIORS GUIDE DURING OLDER AMERICANS AND ELDER LAW MONTHS
The Florida Bar | Article | May 24, 2023
Attorney General Ashley Moody recently released a Cybercrime and Seniors Guide to help protect older Floridians online. The guide highlights the most common online schemes that target older Floridians and offers tips about how to spot, report and avoid falling victim to fraudulent schemes. The guide covers the following topics: how often scammers target seniors, and which contact methods are the most popular; some of the most common cybercrimes that seniors encounter, including phishing and social media scams; and linked resources that can help consumers learn how to spot, report, and avoid cybercrimes targeting seniors.
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Legal Discipline
FLORIDA’S THIRD DCA RULES ATTORNEY WHO APPEARED LATE ON CASE ON HOOK FOR PAST SANCTIONS
Daily Business Review | Article | May 23, 2023
Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal ruled that Miami attorney Lawrence Shapiro is on the hook for thousands of dollars in sanctions. Shapiro appeared for the plaintiff, Eric Readon, after the Miami-Dade Circuit Court twice entered sanctions against Readon and his attorney, Andrew Kassier, for continuing to prosecute a defamation action against the defendant, WLRG, without “factual or legal support.” Readon and Kassier are responsible for paying attorney fees, with Readon paying 50% (approximately $36,200) of the sanctions award, and the remaining 50% to be divided among the three attorneys. Chief Judge Ivan Fernandez and Judges Eric Hendon and Monica Gordo of the Third DCA determined that Judge Alexander Bokor’s ruling was correct regarding Shapiro’s involvement in the case and the filing of the third amended complaint. They also found that Shapiro was properly named in the motion for attorney fees and was served with the motion.
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Legislature
HURTING A POLICE DOG IN FLORIDA WILL SOON BE PUNISHABLE BY UP TO FIVE IN YEARS PRISON
Politico | Article | May 23, 2023
This week, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that makes “maliciously touching, striking or causing bodily harm” to a police or fire rescue dog a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison or up to $5,000 in fines. The new law, which extends to police horses and dogs working with search-and-rescue teams, also applies equal punishment to resisting, obstructing, opposing or threatening violence against the animals. Further, it increases the penalty for harassing, teasing or interfering with them from a second- to a first-degree misdemeanor, which comes with a jail stint of up to 60 days or a $500 fine. The bill goes into effect Oct. 1.
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Legal Profession
FLORIDA LAWYER’S MISSTEPS LEAD COURT TO ORDER NEW TRIAL
Daily Business Review | Article | May 24, 2023
Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled that prosecutors’ trial skills were subject to scrutiny and necessitated a new trial in the case of defendant Adriaan Roderick McDonald, who faced charges related to child pornography. The prosecutors presented evidence from Dropbox, an online storage service, indicating that a Gmail account linked to McDonald had uploaded files depicting child pornography. However, during the trial, the defense objected to the late introduction of a record from Google, obtained through a subpoena, connecting McDonald to the Gmail account. The trial court allowed the record, deeming the discovery violation unintentional and without procedural prejudice. The appellate court, following the Richardson rule, determined that the violation did impact the case and warranted a new trial.
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Civil Justice
MIAMI ORDERED TO DRAW NEW VOTING MAP MONTHS BEFORE ELECTIONS FOR THREE COMMISSION SEATS
Miami Herald | Article | May 24, 2023
U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore has ruled on Tuesday [May 23] that the city of Miami must redraw its voting map with different district boundaries due to allegations of racial gerrymandering. The lawsuit, brought by community groups in December, claimed that the previously adopted maps divided neighborhoods such as Coconut Grove and Overtown in order to meet racial or ethnic quotas for city commission seats. Judge Moore stated that such actions harm citizens and result in racially gerrymandered districts. The city has been instructed to collaborate with the community groups, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), to create a new map within the next 30 days. The ACLU has expressed readiness to present alternative maps shortly after the ruling that blocked the 2022 map.
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Wellness Wednesday
WELL-BEING STRATEGIES FOR THE JUDICIARY
The Florida Bar | Article | May 24, 2023
“This compendium of well-being strategies — all scientifically tested and evidence-based — was developed to provide judges and court personnel with straightforward information on how to better promote their individual resilience in the face of ongoing, unprecedented changes in our court systems.”