Taxation & Estate Planning

What Not To Say In A Pleading To A State Supreme Court Investigating Your Possible Disciplinary Charges

By Michael D. Bonasera, Esq.

While I can imagine any number of things that fit on this list, Florida Attorney and Anti-Video Game Blow-Hard, Jack Thompson recently filed #1: “Make my day.” Seriously. He said this, not just to a court, but to the Florida Supreme Court as they were investigating disciplinary charges against him… Wow.

According to this post in today’s ABA Journal Online, the Florida Supreme Court has sanctioned Mr. Thompson for ‘court filings that are ?rambling, argumentative, and contemptuous.? The court’s order (here in PDF) …

… required Thompson to retain qualified counsel and refused to accept any more filings from him without the signature of another Florida lawyer, the Daily Business Review reports.

I love that the Florida Supreme Court just implied that Mr. Thompson is not sufficiently qualified to represent himself.

Thompson seems to have invited the court?s ruling in a response to the court?s order to show cause why he should not be sanctioned. ?This court has been foolish indeed,? Thompson wrote. Its ?bizarre, idiotic show cause order indicates that it is not done being foolish. Fine. Enter the order you want. Make my day.?

Thompson is fighting disciplinary charges brought by the Florida Bar based on criticisms he directed at judges and lawyers in letters, e-mails, faxes, news releases and court filings, the Daily Business Review says in its story. Thompson contends he has a First Amendment right to speak out, and is not afraid to criticize in a barrage of motions and filings related to the disciplinary action. The case is being heard by a Florida referee, but Thompson contested the bar prosecution in a separate federal case that was dismissed and in more than 50 filings with the Florida Supreme Court.

In one recent filing, Thompson interspersed his legal arguments with pictures, including images of swastikas, kangaroos in a court, monkeys and photos of celebrities.

In another, Thompson attached pictures of gay porn to an electronic court filing. Thompson said at the time that he filed the photos to make a point about a double standard by the bar, which had taken no action against a lawyer who linked to the photos on his website.

I removed some of the hyper links from the original story ’cause they’re really not worth my time but man, finally hearing a court call Jack Thompson what the rest of the level-headed world has known for some time, provides better Schadenfreude than a Michigan loss.

[For more interesting readings on Mr. Thompson, visit the guys over at Penny-Arcade… Trust me, hilarity will ensue.]

Full post as published by The Ohio Trust & Estate Blog on March 21, 2008 (boomark / email).