JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

ADVERSE POSSESSION

Means never having to say you're sorry- as long as you do it openly, continuously, and notoriously.

The NY Times reports here that Florida's adverse possession statute, circa 1869, is back in vogue as an enterprising realtor is using homeless families to help him take possession of abandoned homes. The article is here.

Remember when?

The prosecution of ex-Yankee star Jim Leyritz in Browierd got us to thinking about other prominent sports stars that have run afoul of the law in South Florida.

As near as we can remember, one case started it all in the 1970's in Miami. It was a drug trafficking charge. For extra blog credit, who was the sports star, who was the Judge, who was the prosecutor and who was the defense attorney? Double extra credit- when the star was found guilty and the judge imposed the 15 yr min man, what did the Judge say as the star was led away?

And lets go back even further. The Doors Jim Morrison was convicted right here in Miam-ah in 1970 for exposure of his sexual organ during a concert. Who was the great prosecutor in that case? Who was the Judge and who defended Mr. Morrison?

"Don't ya love her madly...Don't ya need her badly...Don't ya love her ways ... Don't ya love her as she's walkin out the door?"


31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Question 1
Judge= Ellen Morphonius
Star= Mercury Morris
Prosecutor= ?
Defense Lawyer= ?

___________________
Jim Morrison Case

Judge=?
Prosecutor= Terry McWilliams
Defense=?

Sick bastards! said...

Real sick to know that after making me pay 14% more home tax that the county has over 3000 people making over $100-K and over 75 people making over $300-K

Disgusting!

Anonymous said...

HR
to 454 am
Dont worry
Gov. elect Rick Scott made 7.14 million in interest last year and ONLY paid 13% Fed income tax
DS

Anonymous said...

Question 1

Prosecutor was George Yoss who garnered that into a connection with the NFL that has lasted 25 years

Anonymous said...

4:54
Quit complaining. Organized Society cost , and we who live in it must pay for the society we want. Under the new property Tax I pay less than $300 a month for the Public Schools. Police, Fire , Jails , So Fla Water. Trash and all the rest of local government. Many pay more on condo/ home assn. fees so stop bitching. You get alot for your buck,
Man up and pay what society needs to get done.
WWJD?
D.Sisselman

Anonymous said...

Rump - For the 40th anniversary post (surprised you missed it) of the Morrison case, go here:

http://menagealaw.blogspot.com/2010/09/40th-anniversary.html

Judge = murray Goodman

Defense was second chaired by Bob Josefsberg.

Jose Pagliery said...

Wow, I'm usually terrible at this, but I know at least one.

Jim Morrison's attorney was Robert C. Josefsberg.

the trialmaster said...

Little Yoss was the prosecuter. Lady Ellen said"good luck merc" as he was lead away by corrections guard rick massy.

Anonymous said...

You get good value in Dade County for your tax dollars, move to broward and pratcice there, the judges don't deserve what they are paid.

Anonymous said...

F-82-020259-A
Eugene Mercury Morris

Anonymous said...

Judge Morphonios got off the bench, walked down the steps, raised the hem of her robe to expose her lower leg, and told Mercury Morris:

"Take a good look cuz it's the last time you'll be seeing any of these."

I should get triple extra credit for knowing this b/c I am not old enough to know first hand.

Anonymous said...

morrison case was judge goodman with max fink and the great bob josefsberg for the defense

Anonymous said...

3300 employees X $100,000 = OVER one quarter of a BILLION dollars.

$330,000,000.00

This has to be wrong!

But wait no it is not.

Mayor Al is handcuffing the citizens of Miami Dade wrists to their ankles and then giving it to them by taking their wallets and purses with his rise of property taxes to pay his kind.

The sooner the Recall the better!

Anonymous said...

Emas Emas he's our man. If he cant be the jude no one can.

Anonymous said...

Too bad for him he did not kill someone in Dade. Would have gotten the mandatory 30 days and KR's blessing while he cried a bucket of crocodile tears to the peanut gallery.

Anonymous said...

If you do any PIP cases or any kind of appeals, you really need to read Custer Medical v. United Auto from Fla. Sup Ct out last week.

That case changes the practice of second tier appellate juridiction....like when you appeal the the 3rd after you win or lose at the circuit.

On a blog note, boy did the Supremes blast the 3rd DCA for really fucking up the law, making up facts, going outside the record and treating three circuit judges like shit.

3rd DCA judges who were downright insulted were: Shepard, Gersten and Good Old Leslie Rothenberg.

Cir Judges who were praised and loved: Scott Silverman, Jennifer Bailey and Marc Schumacher.

You gotta read this one.

Anonymous said...

Jim Morrison case:

Robert Josefsburg for the defense?

Anonymous said...

Ruiz Cohen to Juvenile?

Anonymous said...

13-1969-CF-002355-0001-XX Name: MORRISON, JAMES Date of Birth: 12/08/1943
Date Filed: 03/05/1969 Date Closed: 10/30/1970 Warrant Type:
Assessment Amount: $0.00 Balance Due: $0.00 Stay Due Date:
Hearing Date: Hearing Time: Hearing Type:
Court Room: REGJB - JUSTICE BUILDING, ROOM No.: 2-8
Address: 1351 N.W. 12 ST
Previous Case: Next Case:
Judge: CUETO, JORGE Defense Attorney: JOSEFSBERG, ROBERT
Bfile Section: F004 File Location: SCANNED Box Number:



Charges:

Seq No. Charge Charge Type Disposition
1 L&L BEHAVIOR MISDEMEANOR ACQUITTED BY JURY
2 INDECENT EXPOSURE MISDEMEANOR CONV AND SENT
3 OPEN PROFANITY MISDEMEANOR CONV & SENT-CONCUR
4 DRUNKENNESS MISDEMEANOR ACQUITTED BY JURY
NEW SEARCH MODIFY SEARCH CASES PAY CASE

the trialmaster said...

defense attorney, ron strauss?

Anonymous said...

Think A guy named Strauss was the Morris defense attorney. What about Dolphins Don Reese and Randy Crowder who were also charged with trafficking at about the same time? Bruce Zimet got Mark Super Duper a not guilty on an entrapment defense in federal court.

Anonymous said...

10:42 you are an idiot and you get points off not extra credit.

That incident was at the end of a rape trial and Morphonios never got off the bench. She just pulled up her robe, stuck out her leg and said those words.

Get it right or don't tell the story to those of us who were there.

Bob Amsel said...

Ron Srauss represented Merc, Jeff Weiner represented co defendant Vincent Cord. I remember the case because Judge Morphonious swore me in as an attorney in the middle of that trial.

Bob Amsel said...

Ron Strauss represented Merc. Jeff Weiner represented co defendant Vince Cord. I remember the case because Judge Morphonious swore me in as an attorney in the middle of that trial.

Anonymous said...

Yeah it was Ron Strauss. Druing the Motion to Suppress he kept popping Lifesavers in his mouth.

The Devil's Advocate said...

hmmmmmmmm I thought Jim Morrison was represented by none other than M. Minette Massey of the U of Miami Law School faculty ???

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

10:42 am; you are confusing two separate cases. Judge Ellen Morphonios Gable did not say that to Merc; she said that to another defendant.

She also was one of the ASA's assigned to prosecute Jim Morrison. Murray Goodman slammed Morrison upon conviction with a six months jail sentence.

The trial lasted six weeks; this was printed in one book that wrote about the trial:

"The trial began on August 10, 1970with the verdict being handed down on September 20, 1970 . The trial lasted all of 15 days. Alternating days were used in order that the duration of the trial was sufficient for Judge Goodman to obtain the necessary exposure to ensure his election to the post to which he had been appointed."

Morrison never served a day of the sentence. He appealed it and died in Paris, France before the appeal was ever completed.

Interesting note: Today, Governor Crist spoke at a press conference in Tallahassee about the Clemency petition that he and the Clemency Board is considering on the Morrison case. The request is for a full pardon.

Cap Out ....

old guy said...

To 10:42:

The tale you tell was based upon Horace Rucker [who got 140 years] - not Mercury. Other than that, you got it mostly right.

the trialmaster said...

the trialmaster recalls terry mcwilliams well. In fact, the trialmaster took down Mcwilliams and Ira Dubinsky in a major major case many moons ago.

Anonymous said...

I was there, and there was no such incident in the Mercury Morris case. That was a another case, I think a sexual battery or something like that, I wasn't there.

Kissimmee Kid said...

Re: Jim Morrison.

Here in Florida, if you die while an appeal of your sentence is pending, the conviction is voided.

Is this another "different in Miami" aspect of the law?