MEDIA 4/25
$11 Million Settlement In BSO Strip Search Class Action
"The settlement figure includes $2.5 million for plaintiff attorney fees, including awards to Richman Greer and Fort Lauderdale solo practitioner Kevin Kulik, and court costs plus $315,000 for claims administration and settlement notices.
The remaining $8.6 million would be available to members of the class certified in 2005 and upheld by the 4th District Court of Appeal in 2006."
Milstein Gets $100K In Ana Nicole Debacle
"In court documents, Milstein listed his rate at $475 an hour for his work at the hearing and a brief appeal. He also charged for time spent planning Smith’s funeral, overseeing the trust set up in Dannielynn’s name and responding to paternity issues."
SENTINEL
Judge Seidman's Wife Laura Resigns North Broward Hospital District Job
"Just two years after she was hired as general counsel of the North Broward Hospital District, Laura R. Seidman is gone.
The hospital district, which operates under the brand name Broward Health, didn't announce Seidman's departure until it was questioned Friday afternoon by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Her picture, however, was already gone from the hospital district's Web site...
Seidman's resignation from the post, which paid about $230,000 a year, was effective immediately.
He said he couldn't provide many details until both sides have signed a termination agreement that settles all legal issues between the former general counsel and the hospital district...
The district, which is run by a seven-member board of commissioners appointed by the governor, has long been a hotbed of political intrigue.
Seidman was one of the subjects of Commissioner Rebecca Stoll's criticism last year. Stoll's main target was then-chief executive Alan Levine, who has since resigned to take over Louisiana's health agency. Stoll said Seidman's legal advice led to mistakes on "many occasions."
An independent investigation conducted for the commissioners by the Miami law firm Rafferty, Stolzenberg, Gelles, Tenenholtz & Flynn found that Seidman could have issued different legal advice on some occasions, but said the district didn't suffer any harm as a result."
Mike Satz On Budget Cuts
Coral Springs teen charged with felony for shooting duck with BB gun
TAMPA TRIBUNE
Sen. Crist Wants Judges' Hours, Courts' Costs Audited
Tampa - "On a typical Monday morning, people pack courthouse halls shoulder to shoulder - defendants, lawyers, witnesses, clerks and jurors walking in and out of courtrooms as their cases are called before judges.
By early afternoon, many Hillsborough County courtrooms are empty. Judges have left the bench and the hallways echo the sounds of a few remaining footfalls.
On Fridays, court is seldom in session.
So just how hard are judges working for their pay? In this especially tight budget year, a Tampa lawmaker says he wants to find out.
Spurred by anonymous complaints from courthouse employees and lawyers, state Sen. Victor Crist is pushing for an efficiency audit of courthouses throughout the state to study everything from hours worked to thermostat settings."
PENSACOLA NEW-JOURNAL
Judicial Qualifications Commission says it is above Supreme Court rulings
"No court, not even the state's highest court, can intervene in the affairs of the Judicial Qualifications Commission, attorneys for the JQC said in a sharply worded brief filed with the Florida Supreme Court."
LAW.COM
Caseload, Marital Problems Raised as Factors in Judge's Tirade Over Courtroom Cell Phone
Former N.Y. Justice Avoids Jail With Misdemeanor Guilty Plea
N.J. Court Rules Lawyers Must Report Colleagues' Known Misdeeds
"A lawyer has a duty to blow the whistle on another lawyer's wrongdoing of which he has knowledge, even if the victim is not a client, a New Jersey appeals court ruled on Wednesday."
ABOVE THE LAW
Judge of the Day: Ana Gardiner
"You gotta love South Florida. It's such a fun, crazy place. It has South Beach, the nightlife, the fashion, the wild news-making Broward judges... Joining the ranks of Judges of the Day from Broward County (Jay "Soul Glo" Spechler, Cheryl "Beelzebub" Aleman, and Jeffrey "Wide Receiver" Levenson) is Circuit Judge Ana Gardiner.
The Broward-Palm Beach New Times has a story accusing Gardiner of flirting, partying, and getting it on with defense attorneys and prosecutors...."
JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG
Judging Ana
"Well there you have it. Flirting with attorneys while on the bench. Canoodling with prosecutors who are trying a death case before her and everyone having a good laugh at the horrible crime scene pictures. But for the conscience of a law student who witnessed the event, we might never know of the pleasures of prosecuting a case in Broward."
Does this mean Bober gets a couple hundred thousand boost for his campaign? Salantrie too? Is it too late for me to run against someone?
Once again Broward's Judiciary is the hotbed of controversy as judges run for cover from an endless wellspring of complaints and well warranted investigations of ill fated behavior, this time of a most personal nature (kiss, kiss). The maturity level of these buffoons is really alarming when you consider their positions of public trust, but the level of hypocrisy is off the charts as they sit in judgment of others and perform at a level substantially below what is expected of them and then think they remain above criticism for a job very poorly done. They'll continue pretending though until the sun don't shine. After all, it's Broward County. Should we really expect anything else?
I love the Above the Law feature on Gardiner. Does she think she is "Above the Law"?
Sen. Crist should take a stroll through the Broward Courthouse if he thinks things are bad in Tampa. There's nothing going on most of the time in out courtrooms, and yet if you listen to most of the judges who aren't farming the majority of their cases to retired judges, we are in dire need of more judges and there isn't enough room in the courthouse to field the cases that are being heard now. And all this apparently culminating somehow in empty courtrooms where judges are either in chambers reading the New Times article on Judging Ana, this blog, or have gone home at 2:00 P.M. This has been a concern for quite some time, but is just now being looked at? Boy, does government move slowly. Almost as slowly as our court system. And they wonder why they're getting opposition.
Ask our Court Administrator whats going on. I'm sure if you can find her when she's not up in Tallahassee trying to protect her budget she can give you an explanation as to why all the empty courtrooms. She's in the know, you know! Another position for life. How long has she been occupying that office anyway?
Why did she resign? I hear there was a major investigation coming regarding such topics as sending work to republican cronies many involved with the JNC. Many other issues like never showing up to work for the last year. If she didnt do anything wrong why would Seidman resign. Oh this one is not over yet.
There was a lot of shady business deals between Seidman and ousted former head of Broward Health Alan Levine. She negotiatied a deal where she would resign if it killed the investigaton
Thats not true, I heard they sent her a letter saying she had to show up everyday to work and work a full day every day and in light of such a terrible proposition she resigned.
10k in Legal expenses? Sounds like she was under investigation to me. Reminds me of the things going on when Jenne was there. Republican or Democrat run, makes no difference, corruption is corruption
Seidman's resignation comes in the wake of reports that various audits by various governmental agencies were going to be highly critical of her conduct as general counsel of Broward Health. Significant mismanagement that even her Small-Small Claims Court Judge Husband couldn't have worked out for her.
Shoe's on the other foot LeeJay. How you like dem apples MoFo.
Now that hag is going to spend ALL OF HER TIME around the house. Granted, she was there pretty much full-time having not gone into work for almost a year, but still -- if she sees you every day, even Laura is going to realize what an evil prick you are.
While you are two peas in a evil pod, I see a divorce in your immediate future. Thank god you had no kids (for many many reasons).
Ding Dong the witch is dead, the biggest witch, the mean old bitch.
Ding Dong the wicked witch is dead.
Wow, photo removed from the website before the door hit her ass on the way out.
Laura Seidman -- you got pwned.
This resignation was in lieu of removal for gross misconduct and malpractice.
Now she can try to earn a living in private practice, although the full-time work hours may be beyond her skill-set.
Will she put in for her husband's seat when he resigns? I mean, given the short hours he works, maybe Mrs. ADJ could handle some small claims work.
Oh wait, even that 3-day a week position is 2.5 days a week more than what she's used to.
New on the Market:
Exquisite Asheville NC McMansion available. Property is in pre-foreclosure due to unexpected job loss by one of the owners.
Features of the home:
Full ice cream parlour in basement.
High-tech internet system with redundant T-1 lines for blazing fast connections -- want to run your own blog, or just post every 30 seconds on one, this is the system to have.
Bomb shelter/bunker also included.
Seller's Disclosure: Please note that all fixtures, cabinets and toilets are lowered to children's heights due to the inadequacies of one of the current owners.
This home will sell fast (faster if your name doesn't end with a "Z").
Priced to sell as owners are literally heading for zee hills.
Sounds like incumbent judges have more to worry about now than ever. Kulik's in the dosh, and they're looking for a way now to limit the damage. News flash: The damage is done, and you've created the entire mess to begin with. It's not too late to run. May 2nd is the cut off date. Maybe we can clean up this mess once and for all. Sprinkles is gone so the enforcement arm of the old regime is dead with little to hold it intact. Now's the time. Gardiner's gonna have problems too and the focus is squarely on Broward. OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS. ANSWER THE DOOR.
You gotta love him. Missed ya Cyberpops! Just can't stay away? What did the guy ever do to you? Everybody wants to know.
Betcha he's bitten his fingernails down to the first knuckle by now.
Yeah. How do you shuffle papers with no fingers?
Put him in Trachman's division to move some cases beyond a snail's pace. What's going on in there anyway?
Where are the ex rays of Ana Nichole Smith's body that were found in Judge Larry's condo dumpster? I want to know. Somebody said Sprinks planted them. Anybody know? I thought that maybe that information would be forthcoming on Larry's first show.
Resign without fighting for their good name. Wasnt this the logic used with Spechler. Guess it applies here too
Guess all the work given to Bill Scherer and Tripp Scott and other firms with big republican ties couldnt save her this time.
Laura learned before she resigned that she had no "good name" to even put up a fight for. Ask the hundreds of patients at NBHD who lost out as a result of her actions whether they thought she was a Good GC for the District.
Uh-oh ADJ -- looks like you should start buying that Grecian Formula in bulk for the savings now.
Good name? Sprinks had no choice in the matter. "Banned" from the Temple of Hypocrisy for life was the word used in the media. That is unless he becomes a defendant or something.
$230k a year. Wow ADJ -- you weren't even the man of your own house. We can see who wears the pants in your family. Now I understand why you always had that defeated look on your face.
I betcha she used to strap one on to give it to you.
she is a good political hack, crist and the boys will find another no show job for her.
is this shocking it was reported her inattention to the job cost the taxpayers 50 rumor has it there many more costly errors that led to her firing
Bill Scherer? How could he help her? He was canned from the same job wasn't he?
I bet she has something better lined up anyway.
We have 3 Kaplans and 2 Murphys, why not 2 Judge Seidman's?
Palm Beach Post, April 26, 2008
Rappers' foe in on state Bar lawsuit
By JANE MUSGRAVE
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/local_news/epaper/2008/04/25/s6c_barsue_0426.html
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 26, 2008
WEST PALM BEACH — A conservative Christian lawyer best known for persuading a federal judge to outlaw a rap group's sexually laced lyrics is behind a lawsuit that accuses The Florida Bar of violating federal racketeering and antitrust laws.
While the lawsuit was filed this week by Mary Alice Gwynn, the Delray Beach attorney referred phone calls about it to Jack Thompson. The Coral Gables anti-porn crusader in 1990 fought to have 2 Live Crew's lyrics declared obscene and later filed a complaint that ultimately pushed radio shock-jock Howard Stern off the air.
A longtime critic of the Bar, Thompson said he did much of the research Gwynn is using in her suit alleging the Bar is putting its own interests above those of protecting the public from unscrupulous attorneys.
The crux of the suit involves the Bar's relationship with Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Co. The company, which provides malpractice insurance to lawyers, was created by the bar, and some top Bar officials serve on the insurer's board of directors.
Gwynn claims that lawyers who are insured by the company get preferential treatment from the Bar's disciplinary committee. Such a relationship not only hurts those who count on the Bar to weed out bad lawyers, it is also a way to extort business from lawyers, she claims.
The relationship also gives the insurer an advantage over rivals, a violation of antitrust laws, she says.
Zannah Lyle, a spokeswoman for the Bar, said the bar and insurer "are separate and distinct legal entities," though members are offered discounts.
Thompson said the lawsuit is part of his continuing efforts to get the Florida Supreme Court, not the Bar, to probe lawyer misconduct.
[Somebody wake up Sean Conway and his lawyer.]
The truth is, as I have repeatedly said and been criticized for, yet keeps popping up by other posters is that Ani GArdine is a lying fruudulent cu-t of a person and a judge who constantly acts above the law, ignores the law , ignores and violated the Canons, the Rules of Court and any scintilla of decency taht can reasonably be expected of a judge, a lawyer or a human being and Satz, the 4th DCA and the JQC all cover her up and let her get away with is by just simply ignoring or denying the phisical evidence presented to them from hers and other court records. So not only does Ana think she's above the law, all proper oversight entities from the 17th Jud. Cir CJ to the 4th DCA and a CJ there to the JCQ allow her to be by refusing to blow the whistle and if it is blown, bury it.
To my previous stupid JO detractors who think it is just me--then you ain't readin' what so many others also say and keep saying again and again and again.
She is a criminal and needs to go to prison along with the rest of her cronies, ig she doesn't give them a dose of something incurable, first.
Sen. Crist's office has already stated it he has no authority to do anything about anything judicial in Broward. His ofice only minds its own business and really doesn't care about the corruption in Broward Courts. It is their feeling that this is a new era and corruption and protection of it is just part of the new way of doing things. You can call his assistant, Jennifer, and ask her.