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Tuesday, March 28, 2006

A Tampa Judge Remembers Judge Leyte Vidal

A Judge From Tampa writes in to remember Judge Leyte-Vidal:

My name is Judge Dee Dee Pomponio from Tampa. Iwas appointed to the bench on the same day as Henry. We became very close friends and because of Henry I have become good friends with many Dade Judges. I am writing this from a conference in Denver. I wanted to tell all my friends in Miami that my heart and prayers are with you and I wish I could be with you during this difficult time.I truly loved Henry for the wonderful man he was and I know God put him in my life to teach how to live life to its fullest


Rumpole says: wonderful post.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Although I unfortunately never had the opportunity to become friendly with Henry Leyte-Vidal off of the bench, I did appear before him on many occasions, and had the recent opportunity to try a two week trial in front of him. He always demonstrated all of the qualities that lawyers - and our community in general - could ask for in a Judge. He was intelligent, humble, patient, practical, and fair. Whether he was doing his morning calendars or was in trial, he listened intently to the litigants and always had a smile on his face (no matter what was spewing forth from the attorneys’ mouths at the time). This was a good indication that he truly loved what he was doing. He was a Judge who really liked to be in trial. He will be missed.

On another, but a related note… The trial which I just mentioned was the one wherein Sabrina Puglisi and Brian Tannebaum were opposing counsel to Dan Bernstein and I. A couple of you anonymous posters out there in our little “blog world” have criticized Brian Tannebaum for posting his comments on Henry Leyte-Vidal by saying things such as “Brian Tannebaum, can't you just go away for a little while? You weren't real friends with Leyte-Vidal. Why did you feel the need to quote to the Herald (or here in the blog)? Why not refer them to someone you did know the guy? Or, just don't offer a comment out of respect for the fact that you didn't really know him?…”

I do not know if Brian Tannebaum knew Judge Leyte-Vidal off of the bench or not, but even if he did not, as I did not, during the course of spending a couple of weeks in trial with Henry Leyte-Vidal, I got a good sense of the qualities in him that both Tannenbaum and I expressed, and I am sure that his family is comforted in knowing that even those of us who did not know him very well off of the bench noted the same qualities in him on the bench that he must have had in his personal life. Let’s not let the passing of one our finest become a source of divisiveness.

Anonymous said...

SARMIENTO (HIRES) A LAWYER

Looks like a recently departed asa is getting his first case:

NOTICE OF APPEARANCE
TIMOTHY M. VANDERGIESEN, ESQ. AND GREG V. CHONILLO, ESQ.

I predict the fee is ZERO

Anonymous said...

That is about how much it is worth

Anonymous said...

Looks like Sarmiento did get his attorney (Ch) from the bondsman.

Anonymous said...

i thought we agreed no more B.T.. EVER.

Anonymous said...

Why wait untill tomorrow's "moderated" blog to find out what hapens at the fundraiser for Sheldon Schwartz at 6pm tonight at Perricones? Come find out for yourself.
Sunny

Anonymous said...

WELL SAID HOWARD

Anonymous said...

who is hosting the fundraiser?

Anonymous said...

Some of the "traffic attorneys." Myself(Sunny Goldin), Myra Perez, Angie Serra. I know Schwartz has his detractors and I myself have bitched about his long calendars but I think he does right by both defendants and the state and I think that's more impt than whether I get out of his courtroom quickly. (and no, I don't have any cases on his mtigation calendar tomorrow)

Anonymous said...

Greg Chonillo:

Admitted: 2000, Florida; 2001, U.S., District Court,Southern District of Florida Biography: Articles Editor, Nova Law Review, 1999-2000. Member: Dade County Bar Association; American Immigration LawyersAssociation; Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.Military: United StatesNavy, 1987-1990Languages: Spanish Educated: FloridaInternational University (B.A., Chemistry, 1997); Nova Southeastern University(J.D., summa cum laude, 2000) Born: Queens,New York, June 22, 1970

Seems like he should charge at least something.

Anybody have a resume for Timothy Vandergiesen?

Anonymous said...

http://www.stpetetimes.com/2004/06/04/Hillsborough/For_judge__a_week_wit.shtml

Anonymous said...

chr is a friend to many bondsman. That is what is missing from this resume.

Anonymous said...

the judge looks nice in that pic fro the above link.

Anonymous said...

Chr is a bondsman? I don't understand.