Judge Laurel Myerson Isicoff ordered William P. Smith, of the famous comment that the judge was "a few french fries short of a Happy Meal", to take an online course in professionalism administered by the Florida Bar. Smith could have had his pro hac vice license pulled, which would have been a big blow to his practice. In addition, he is going to do pro bono work and has agreed to step down as the head of McDermott Will & Emery's bankruptcy practice.
Did this thing get a wee bit overblown? Thoughts?
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
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
TMZ ordered to show cause...
...for posting the entire book IF I DID IT -- OJ's "fictional" account of the murders. Bankruptcy Judge A. Jay Cristol (pictured) had a hearing on the emergency motion today and ordered TMZ to show cause why he should not hold them in contempt. Here is trustee Drew Dillworth's* motion.
Some background from the Smoking Gun:
A court-appointed bankruptcy trustee wants a gossip web site held in contempt for its publication yesterday of the entire manuscript of "If I Did It," O.J. Simpson's purportedly fictionalized account of the murder of his ex-wife and a male friend. The "exclusive" posting of the 235-page book by TMZ.com came days after a federal judge ruled that the work's copyright can be pursued by the family of the late Ron Goldman, who was murdered along with Nicole Brown Simpson in June 1994 (Simpson was acquitted of the killings). According to an emergency motion by Drew Dillworth, the federal trustee, the web site's posting of the manuscript in a downloadable PDF format has likely "diminished or destroyed" the value of the book, which the Goldmans may eventually publish (and promote) as Simpson's confession.
*Disclosure: Drew Dillworth works at Stearns Weaver where my wife works.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Caruso on cross
Lead Jose Padilla lawyer, Michael Caruso, cross-examined the lead FBI agent today and by all accounts, did a ton of damage.
The agent conceded that Padilla never used any of the code words that the other defendants had used. And he admitted that Padilla was focused on learning Arabic and memorizing the Koran. Some examples from the AP article:
Caruso asked Kavanaugh if Padilla ever was heard using what prosecutors say were code words for violent jihad, such as "picnic," "smelling fresh air" or "eating cheese."
"No, he does not," Kavanaugh replied.
***
Caruso asked Kavanaugh if Padilla was ever overheard discussing jihad training.
"No jihad training that I've seen," Kavanaugh said.
***
"He's not referring to anything here but studying Arabic, correct? Study means study, right?" Caruso asked.
"That's what they're talking about," Kavanaugh testified.
More on Caruso's cross from the Miami Herald here.
This isn't the first time that the defense has scored points on cross. See here and here and here and here. My wife says boring (but she's watching a rerun of Brothers & Sisters, so what does she know!). I say fascinating.
The agent conceded that Padilla never used any of the code words that the other defendants had used. And he admitted that Padilla was focused on learning Arabic and memorizing the Koran. Some examples from the AP article:
Caruso asked Kavanaugh if Padilla ever was heard using what prosecutors say were code words for violent jihad, such as "picnic," "smelling fresh air" or "eating cheese."
"No, he does not," Kavanaugh replied.
***
Caruso asked Kavanaugh if Padilla was ever overheard discussing jihad training.
"No jihad training that I've seen," Kavanaugh said.
***
"He's not referring to anything here but studying Arabic, correct? Study means study, right?" Caruso asked.
"That's what they're talking about," Kavanaugh testified.
More on Caruso's cross from the Miami Herald here.
This isn't the first time that the defense has scored points on cross. See here and here and here and here. My wife says boring (but she's watching a rerun of Brothers & Sisters, so what does she know!). I say fascinating.
Broward Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin resigns
The DBR has the scoop here. First Judge Korda, and now Seidlin...
You remember Judge Seidlin -- the one who cried during the Anna Nicole litigation. State court, especially in Broward, seems so much more exciting than the Southern District, no?
I'm sure lots of commentary to follow from the Broward Blog.
You remember Judge Seidlin -- the one who cried during the Anna Nicole litigation. State court, especially in Broward, seems so much more exciting than the Southern District, no?
I'm sure lots of commentary to follow from the Broward Blog.
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