Casey Anthony attorney Jose Baez investigated by Fla. bar, say reports

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Casey Anthony, center, walks out of the Orange County Jail with her attorney Jose Baez, left, during her release in Orlando, Fla., early Sunday, July 17, 2011.

/ Pool,AP Photo/Red Huber

(CBS) - Jose Baez, the lead attorney for Casey Anthony, is reportedly being investigated by the Florida bar association after a complaint was filed against him.

Pictures: Casey and Caylee Anthony, Personal Photos

According to CNN, the complaint is in regard to Baez's "handling of when his client [Anthony]...would serve probation" for her January 2010 conviction on check fraud charges. The news station reports that is unknown who filed the report.

The issue is whether or not Anthony's defense team had an obligation to inform the court that Anthony was "serving" her probation while already in jail - an unusual circumstance that reportedly went against the intentions of the judge in the check fraud case and was brought on by what Judge Belvin Perry called a "scrivener's error," reports Fox News.

So, basically: if an attorney is aware of a clerical error that goes against a judge's ruling, is it his or her duty to report it?

What's Baez's take on this? He told TMZ that he's "looking forward to the bar completing its investigation, so that it can be dismissed just like the 20 previous complaints."

Casey Anthony, 25, was charged with murder and aggravated child abuse in Caylee's death. Her trial began in May and a jury found her not guilty of all felony charges on July 5.

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by fridaynitefriend August 24, 2011 10:24 AM EDT

I really wish that the lawyers would be forced by law just as everyone else is to take an oath to tell the truth....It seems to me that Jose Baez did nothing but lie when he gave his opening statements by attacking anyone that dear little Casey lied about. If her father molested her and her clild drowned in the pool do you honestly think she would have sat quietly in jail for all that time and not thrown him under the bus ?? Baez could not prove anything that he said and I hope he gets the business from the court. I hope he gets the JUSTICE HE DESERVES. I really think he is just as big a liar as his client .

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by katz0 August 25, 2011 10:10 PM EDT: Liar liar pants on fire..but maybe not only from the lies. His attendance at the verbal probation order superceded the written order - dah,,,, Okay BAR get him this time. Bragging about the 2 dozen complaints thrown out sickens me. Then there is the issue of gropping, fondeling and cuddling Anthony??? Just how close can a lawyer get before he crosses the ethical LINE. Bottom line birds of a feather; flock together - right?


by Irby32 August 22, 2011 1:37 PM EDT: Baez is fine. The judge screwed this up; Reply to this comment

by IntegriyR August 20, 2011 10:01 PM EDT

Are judges the only people in the nation not responsible for what they sign?

Lawyers aren't provided with transcripts; they're provided with court orders.

Here's the problem most people haven't considered. Casey was incarcerated without due process of law and had alread exceeded time served at time of sentencing for check fraud.

Judge Strickland was presiding over both cases at the same time. His verbal order orders probation upon release. How did he know she would ever released? Did he believe she was innocent? Or did he believe her guilty and never would be released?

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by DeclarationOfIndependence August 22, 2011 8:42 AM EDT: Thank you for revealing facts and clarifying. Most Americans have realized for quite a while that we have a level of ineptness in our government never before reached. Bottom feeders. Judges miss the boat, Juries can't read the ship schedules, LE is low IQ because higher would be waste of training money as they would quit and also would not take orders. There are reasons we are on this Great Ship America, our ancestors built it for us. There are reasons it is sinking, we have said all aboard to thugs who have a stranglehold on the USA and are stupidly thinking they can keep knocking holes in our hull. They are going to be taught another lesson, they forgot all the other lessons humanity taught them. The jig's up. Americans are mad as h*ll and you know the rest. Get Strickland a clock and a calendar and an assistant that can read to him. Don't even bother to contribute to Perry, it doesn't work. THANKS for revealing Strickland's violation of his responsibilities. People without the years of training and or back pats by cronies now understand Strickland's VERBAL orders were based on insider information that nobody was going to pin down the murderer. Judges are jealous of doctors who write prescriptions we cannot read, so they issue decrees and orders that get them caught in the wringer of public justice. Total disrespect for these people who somehow got into the positions of power over our lives and don't have the IQ, comprehension of facts to do the job right, but do have great inability to communicate. That about covers the board. No wonder so many children are abused, missing, murdered... there is no one preventing or stopping the violations.

by morris2196 August 20, 2011 10:14 AM EDT

In my opinion we are "beating a dead horse". Casey was tried and found not guilty. Move on to another child murder - there are plenty to choose from.

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by Imthaid2 August 21, 2011 2:10 PM EDT: Yes, more than plenty. Child murdering is the new american sport. Pretty soon they will be earning millions in salary to participate in this new sport.


by DeclarationOfIndependence August 22, 2011 9:03 AM EDT: there is no "reply" button to lmthaid2's response to morris2196 so am "replying' here. You are so right. Child destruction is such an American sport that Russia closed adoptions to Americans when Torry Hansen (another TH) airmailed her adopted 7 yr old son back to Russia alone. Clearly abuse and Russia examined the boy and accused the single unemployed female of child abuse. What happened? US State Dept Rep headed a team to fly to Russia to get them to thaw the freeze. The Rep answered a news reporter's question on tv arrogantly stating that NO they had not talked with TH, there was no reason to talk to TH, and did not intend to talk to TH. TH and clan had lodged in Tennessee for a while from homeland Hayfork CA and Redding CA. After the news reporters focused on trying to find out who the other little boy was in TH's household, they scampered back to their homeland, which is just down I5 from Portland where another TH was later in the news about another little 7 y/o boy. So, NO ONE has had the horses to find out who the mystery boy is/was that the reporters couldn't identify parentage in TH#1's household. Yeah, there's a lotta money in child porn, as Holder & the ICE head told us recently after "capturing" perps in a Dreamboard online porn club. No more news, folks. No news about what happened to those infants Holder said were raped and tortured on the Dreamboard dvd's and the torture of children shown to those devils in the club. CLEAN THIS UP.


by jannepeach August 20, 2011 8:20 AM EDT: The Judicial system in America is a world of it's own. Just like the government--totally out of control.; Reply to this comment

by D-Waarheid August 20, 2011 2:39 AM EDT

He should also be investigated for perjury and misrepresentation!

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by DeclarationOfIndependence August 22, 2011 9:07 AM EDT: yeah, right. you go first. No, you are right, but we can't get over the barb wire to do it anymore. O talked about change and we THOUGHT he meant improvement. Not. The only good thing out of that trickster is that we clearly understand WE the People are responsible for changing bad to good. Sure isn't the govt or Mr. O. We do know the saying ... all that is needed for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.

by viewpoints1740 August 19, 2011 10:18 PM EDT

If they Go after Jose Baez then that means,they Have to go after Judge Stricklen.He had a copy of it for months.He could have said error error,no I mean that she has to serve this after her release.The whole Judicial system is the3 Blame,Not just one Person.The problem is,they expected a guilty verdict and therefore never pursued their own error.You can't Blame the Defense attorney for their own error.if so then they should be brought up on charges also.This is a case of Sour Grapes.Mr.Jose Baez won His Case and now they are looking for someone to hang it on.They made the error,Let them be brought up on charges.(sour Grapes)They are just Whining cause they lost,Because they had no Solid Proof at all.Viewpoints1740

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by Tzarna August 19, 2011 10:37 PM EDT: True enough. Judge Stricklen would have received a copy of the original order soon after the conclusion of the Check Fraud case. He had sixty (60) days according to Florida Law to object to the incorrect citing and change it. Also, Stricklen would have received the information of her probation starting and could have had the citing changed at that time. Then, when Stricklen (as well as Casey Anthony) received the letter stating that her probation had been completed, he could have again filed to change the records to reflect the original case as he wanted - AGAIN HE FAILED... That is THREE (3) times (160 Days) in which Judge Stricklen could have changed the paperwork as filed. He DID NOT DO IT !!! Stricklen knew about it, got pissed off because the State of Florida could not get a guilty verdict on Ms. Anthony, and is trying to cheat their way out of their ineptitude. They want to make Baez suffer because he let them hang themselves by their own stupidity. You want to put someone before the Bar for investigation - put 'Judge' Stricklen there. He's the screw up - not Baez. BTW - How come all the really bad screw up's in the legal system seem to be happening in Florida lately??

by timyankee August 19, 2011 5:13 PM EDT

Well, well, well. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. However ignorance within the law establishment is ok. Everyone is obligated to oversee the actions of the justice employees to be sure the judge's intent is enforced.

It appears that since a clerk misinterpreted the order then that is the end of the issue. It doesn't matter who the offender is, If they said that that they were accused of was not their "intent" they still do not have a leg to stand on.

Let it go. Case closed. Move on!!!

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by Jclabeaux August 19, 2011 11:44 PM EDT: The prosecution also received notice of the same information. Notably, nobody is bringing Ashton up to the Florida Bar. I agree they are trying to hang both Baez and Anthony because they lost.