DamnYankee
No Neg Policy
- Apr 2, 2009
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It's hard for me to fault the ACLU here though. Please do not misunderstand.... I'm not pro-ACLU. All I'm saying is, there are people out there who are so f*ed up that they can't deal with their own disapointments, let alone their childrens' -- who are absolutely perfect BTW. Example, with the ACLU's response:
Frivolous suits lose to new law
Those who frequently file lawsuits without attorneys, and lose, will find access to circuit courts limited. But legal challenges are expected.
By ANITA KUMAR
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 6, 2000
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Anthony Martin sued Oldsmar after the city found he violated a sign ordinance. He sued Walt Disney World over its plans to use $57-million in tax-exempt bonds. He sued the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee for supporting former Gov. Bob Martinez.
Martin, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, has filed hundreds of lawsuits across the nation against judges, public officials, governments, lawyers and random people he has come into contact with.
In one case, he even sought to intervene in the divorce of a federal judge and moved to have himself appointed as a representative of the judge's young children in court.
It's people like Martin -- probably Florida's most prolific filer of lawsuits -- that state lawmakers targeted this year when enacting a law designed to prevent frivolous lawsuits from further clogging an already overburdened court system.
The law will be one of the few like it in the nation when it goes into effect Oct. 1.
People without attorneys who file -- and then lose -- five lawsuits in five years will be barred from suing again unless they hire an attorney or receive special permission from a judge. It applies only to circuit court and does not affect family or small claims courts.
Filing a lawsuit can cost less than $200 in the Tampa Bay area, but defending one easily can cost thousands of dollars. That's why the law also could require litigious people to post a bond to cover any court costs defendants might incur.
"There are hundreds of lawsuits pending that use the court system for improper purposes," said Richard Simring, a Miami lawyer who helped draft the bill. "Judges need a way to control the courts."
The bill received almost no publicity or opposition during this year's legislative session. But legal experts say it eventually may be challenged because some may argue it violates the Florida Constitution, which guarantees citizens access to courts to settle grievances.
"As annoying as some lawsuits are, we would rather have people filing lawsuits than throwing rocks through windows to settle their differences," said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Miami.
State: Frivolous suits lose to new law
This is what people do....
