By Rene Stutzman, Orlando Sentinel Ousted Orange-Osceola Circuit Judge N. James Turner has agreed to a 90-day suspension of his right to practice law in Florida, according to pleadings made public today. Turner, 65, was tossed off the bench by the Florida Supreme Court following a series of questionable actions, including repeatedly hugging and kissing a clerk at the Osceola County Courthouse and serving as his mother's attorney while he was a sitting judge — something prohibited by Florida's judicial canons. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-02-20/news/os-judge-turner-bar-suspension-20120220_1_suspension-florida-bar-ninth-judicial-circuit … [Read more...]
Florida’s Caldwell Theatre Company Hit With Foreclosure Lawsuit
February 17, 2012
By Kenneth Jones Caldwell Theatre Company in Boca Raton, FL, is "reviewing various options of reorganization" in light of its mortgage lender's $6 million foreclosure lawsuit, artistic director Clive Cholerton said, adding that the resident Equity theatre is not discussing or considering Chapter 7 bankruptcy or liquidation. The Palm Beach Post reported on Feb. 14 that Legacy Bank of Florida claims in a suit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court that Caldwell has failed to repay two notes totaling nearly $6 million in debt on its new venue, the Count de Hoernle Theatre. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/159809-Floridas-Caldwell-Theatre-Company-Hit-With-Foreclosure-Lawsuit … [Read more...]
Tobacco award thrown out for widow of Ocala man
February 16, 2012
News Service of Florida An appeals court on Tuesday reversed a ruling that R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. should pay $40.8 million in punitive damages to the widow of an Ocala man who died of lung cancer after smoking the company’s cigarettes. The decision by the 1st District Court of Appeal could have implications for a flood of smoking-related lawsuits moving through Florida courts. Despite the punitive-damages ruling, the appeals court upheld a jury award of an additional $10.8 million in “compensatory” damages in the 1995 death of Frank Townsend — the largest amount it has upheld in such a case. http://www.ocala.com/article/20120215/WIRE/120219791 … [Read more...]
Florida Senate approves new restrictions on medical malpractice lawsuits
February 13, 2012
by JIM SAUNDERS TALLAHASSEE—In a deal tying two controversial health-care issues, a Senate committee Thursday approved a plan that would put new restrictions on medical-malpractice lawsuits and expand optometrists' power to prescribe drugs. The deal, which surfaced in a 65-page amendment in the Health Regulation Committee, came after negotiations between the Florida Medical Association and the optometric industry --- longtime adversaries about the prescribing issue. http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/02/10/florida-senate-addresses-medical.html … [Read more...]
Progress reported in settlement talks in decades-old Everglades lawsuit
February 10, 2012
By CHRISTINE STAPLETON Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Settlement talks in the oldest, costliest and most contentious lawsuit over Everglades restoration are going so well that the case should be put on hold to give negotiators more time to talk, government attorneys said in recently filed court papers. Using phrases never before heard in the 24-year-old lawsuit, such as "substantial progress," "productive discussions" and "ongoing positive dialogue," attorney Parker D. Thomson asked federal Judge Federico Moreno for a 90-day stay. "There is, remarkably, significant consensus between and among these varied interests, but despite same, certain issues remain," wrote Thomson, who was hired by Gov. Rick Scott to settle the case. Without a stay, pending deadlines will "distract attention and resources away from the negotiations and towards pointless, expensive and time consuming … [Read more...]
