The SDFLA Blog is dedicated to providing news and notes regarding federal practice in the Southern District of Florida. The New Times calls the blog "the definitive source on South Florida's federal court system." All tips on court happenings are welcome and will remain anonymous. Please email David Markus at dmarkus@markuslaw.com
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Lawyer jailed in state court
I really don't cover the state court system and this blog is dedicated to this federal district, but I couldn't help but notice this article about Broward State Judge Cheryl Aleman jailing a lawyer for 60 days for not appearing for court. For those state practioners who think the federal judges are rough, I've never heard of such a thing. Anyone have any good contempt stories from our district?
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Once upon a time, Judge Manuel Real, former Chief Judge of the Central District of California, came here as a visiting judge. He called a long trial calendar and when two civil lawyers failed to appear at the sounding he issued warrants for their arrests. I'm pretty sure the Marshal arrested at least one of the lawyers before the judge learned the case had settled awhile back, a fact known to the chambers of the judge who transferred the "trial" to the visiting judge's docket. Oops.
Moreno put a lawyer in jail for a night once, but then took him out after a couple hours.
I'll bet that lawyer didn't think he was the funniest judge in the district.
A license to lie finally caught up with a defense attorney. Praise Judge Cheryl Aleman. As a resident Broward county, you have won my vote.
So much for compassionate convservatism.
Someone wrote... "A license to lie finally caught up with a defense attorney. Praise Judge Cheryl Aleman. As a resident Broward county, you have won my vote."
She won yours and lost so, so many.
The question isn't whether an attorney did wrong... the question is whether the punishment fit the "crime." Sixty days in jail is ludicrous. A big fine would have gotten the message across. A night in jail would have sufficed. Or... A big fine, a night in jail and refferal to the florida bar. But sixty days for failing to show is beyond any reasonable sentence.
Shifting gears...what strikes me about Aleman is that she seems to run hot and cold. Most of the time she does nothing too far out of the ordinary...then WHAM... she infuriates everyone. From afar, it appears as an emotional unsteadiness. Is this a consequence of the media, or is she always ready to blow her stack.
HEREEEEEEEEE'S Adam
http://www.sheriff.org/apps/arrest/details.cfm?ID=500601777
Jeez. With friends like you....
Judge Aleman is the definition of a "bitch". She is cruel and heartless. She does not believe in giving second chances and seems to enjoy putting people in jail. she has no compassion and it is all because she thinks she is untouchable. she does not deserve to be presiding over anyones case and i feel sorry for those who do face her because she will put them in jail I know i watched her work...... We need to get her off that bench and get her out quick!!!!!!!
I completely agree with the above post. how do we get her off the bench?
she is insane...i practice in front of her regularly, and have never heard anything but horror stories from others as well...literally never...truly frightening
Recently, Collier County judges, who have a reputation for being tough but fair, did the same thing. We have a problem with the Florida Bar and its looking the other way when it comes to well connected attorneys. Case in point is Troy Lovell, the assistant Bar Counsel assigned to represent the interests of the State Bar and protect the Florida public in matters pertaining to the Sixth Circuit, which includes Tampa Bay, and the adjacent Twentieth Circuit, which includes Collier County. It was Lovell who agreed in 2006 to allow a well connected attorney to receive a mere reprimand for coercing clients into “sex retainer contracts”. This reprimand occurred only after local newspapers exposed the Bar for dismissing the original complaints. It should also be noted that this same Troy Lovell who wrote a disparaging and rather bigoted response to an article in 2006 that called Jesuit Catholics irresponsible in their support of the increase in the minimum wage and implied that African Americans and other minorities were too stupid to be hired at the increased rate. More recently, in February 2008, Troy Lovell is quoted in an article by the Pakistani Spectator – YES, THE PAKASTANI SPECTATOR: “On one occasion, I was being interviewed in a law-related matter, totally unrelated to my blog, but someone had Googled me and quizzed me about some things I had written that were later proven to be wrong. It totally caught me off guard, but is pretty funny in retrospect. I just . . . . move on.”
This person is the point man and represents the organization on which the Florida public depends for its constitutional right to access to the judicial process. Yet, he appears completely unable to grasp the problem in allowing these traffic ticket attorneys to blame Collier judges for the results of their own false advertising, or the problem with claiming Catholics are bad for supporting the minimum wage (anti-Catholic blasts appear twice more on page one of his blog – “Guava Bay” - not very wise considering that Catholic Ave Maria University and soon, the Law School, are located in Collier County – leading one to wonder what Lovell thinks about other minorities such as Asians or Buddhists or Jews), or the problem with declaring that being wrong is really, really funny when careers and lives and the trust of the Florida public are on the line. It does make one wonder what he really does with his time at the Florida Bar and the paycheck from the public coffers when he is engaged in such far flung internet surfing and blogging and the bashing of other religions and minorities while protecting the well off and politically connected. No wonder Collier judges have had to take matters into their own hands and send a clear message to the legal community that unprofessional conduct in Collier County will not be tolerated. Since the job is now being done through the court system, perhaps the Florida Bar should find a place for him other than Catholic and minority infused South Florida.
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