Sunday, December 1, 2013
Good afternoon:
I write today to criticize Mark O’Mara and Don West for charging a $2.5 Million fee for representing George Zimmerman. I believe O’Mara’s announcement after the trial ended regarding the fee probably violates the fee agreement that he reached with Zimmerman before officially entering the case. Pursuant to that agreement, he agreed to represent Zimmerman pro bono. In other words, he agreed not to charge a fee.
A fee agreement is an enforceable contract under the laws of the State of Florida and I believe Zimmerman would have a good chance to prevail, if he challenges the fee on the ground that it violates the fee agreement.
Costs are a separate matter. Clients are always responsible for paying the costs win, lose or draw.
Costs typically include court reporter fees for deposition transcripts, expert witness fees and investigation fees to name a few.
I recall O’Mara announced several weeks after trial that, as the prevailing party in a self-defense case, he had submitted a cost bill for $200,000 to the State of Florida. I do not know if the State has paid some or all of the creditors, but I think it will pay most, if not all of the costs.
Lawyers generally do not charge their clients by the hour in criminal cases, unless they are representing a rich client or a corporation. Instead, they charge a non-refundable retainer up front that will compensate the lawyer for the time spent working on the case, assuming it does not go to trial. If the case is unlikely to be resolved without a trial, the lawyer will request an additional non-refundable fee to cover the time spent trying the case.
I am going to guess that O’Mara and West did not think about an hourly fee until they started filing motions for sanctions and terms against the prosecution for various alleged discovery violations. Since they were seeking compensation for the additional time they had to work on the case due to the alleged misconduct, they had to come up with the total number of hours for the extra work and multiply it by an hourly amount.
Voila! O’Mara claimed a rate of $400/hour and West claimed $350/hour.
Most criminal defense lawyers base their non-refundable retainers on an estimate of the time they will devote to the case at an hourly rate of compensation.
Of course, I do not believe Zimmerman will ever pay any portion of the $2.5 Million. I do not believe the civil suit against NBC will be successful.
Frederick Leatherman Law Blog 
I wonder the mf is? Why won’t Taffee babysit him?
I imagine GZ is scared silly to believe in his god anymore.
If he continues in his Catholic belief, it will mean to him that he can’t hide from his god and will have to answer to his god on Judgement Day for the real manner in which he really killed Trayvon.
Woe unto him if he still holds to his Catholic belief.
Oh, and Trayvon is still watching!
from LLMPapa:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/trayvon-martin/os-george-zimmerman-bodyguards-settle-20131202,0,2430300.story
Shellie Zimmerman, Mark O’Mara settle lawsuit with bodyguards.
CMR executive Chris Rumbaugh today said O’Mara and Shellie Zimmerman settled by paying a combined $30,000.
He said George Zimmerman refused to settle but that he had no plans to continue legal action against the former Neighborhood Watch volunteer.
HA! I’m surprised George didn’t call the cops on them like he did on his Landlord and server at his (non) graduation party.
MOM and Shellie settled. That implies that Shellie had money to settle with.
Maybe that allowance GZ was giving her was being tucked away in her secret stash drawer. She probably knew she wouldn’t ride off into the sunset with “cutie” and tucked away a little defense fund each month.
That being said, any money she has is still considered community property as they are still married, right?
Could be the reason they declared him not indigent.
So somebody else has once again picked up the tab for Fogen?
http://myclerk.myorangeclerk.com/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=8676970
It looks like someone picked up his latest traffic fine as well. You know, the failure to obey a traffic control device ticket that not one news media ever knew about. It was paid on the 28th of Nov. On Dec 2nd there is a line that says…
What does that mean?
It means that his license had been suspended for failure to pay the fine. After he paid it on 11/28/13, the suspension was lifted as of 12/2/13.
Looks like the ticket was issued on 10/12/13 and on 11/4/13, an assessment was entered, meaning that the ticket should have been paid by 11/4/13 but wasn’t.
If Zimmerman was driving on or after 11/4/13, he was doing so without a valid driver’s license until the suspension was lifted yesterday.
He’s just an all-round deadbeat.
Can someone tell me if this means GZ was denied his free Public Defender by the courts and THAT is the reason he now has a private attorney?
http://www.seminoleclerk.org/CriminalDocket/case_detail.jsp?CaseNo=592013CF003316A
Hmmm. If he’s not indigent, then what does he have, besides his shcruck, and what did the court find?
11/19/2013 AINA AFFIDAVIT INDIGENCY/NOT APPROVED MO 11/20/2013 FEE – AMT: $50.00
I’d say you nailed it…..this says it all.
Based on “chamber” experience, Zimmerman’s application to be declared indigent was granted, then denied once it became known that Taaffe was asking for donations for Zimmerman. The court is not going to grant indigence status to a defendant who is getting money from the public.
Remember during his murder 2 case that O’Mara said several times that there was no money in the Trust to pay for costs of trial, but if he filed for George to be indigent, it would cut-off money for his living expenses. In other words, O’Mara would have needed to dissolve the Trust — George can’t get money from public donations and be indigent because the court has no way of knowing when there might be a windfall.
I agree.
Taaffe is now running the Zimmerman defence fund.
http://www.therealfranktaaffe.com/donate-george-zimmerman-defense-fund/#comment-14
And don’t forget folks……
“All contributions will go directly to help George in his quest to beat these bogus charges.”
@ahickel:
Taaffe is a freaking loon! I literally, have to turn the channel if I see him on a show. He is a bonefide racist and this is who Fogen aligns himself with? A man who called his daughter names when she denounced him? This is a man who lost two sons and nothing has humbled this man. Not even the loss of his children! What woman was crazy enough to marry this lunatic?
Can anybody out here explain to me why Fogen, who is 30, hangs out with Taaffe and Osterman who are in their 50’s? I don’t believe in age discrimination, because I have friends of all ages, but have you noticed a patten with Fogen? Where are his contemporaries? Where are Shelly’;s girlfriends? How come Fogen has no “friends” in his own age group where they hang out, go to clubs and share the same hobbies etc,? Things younger people do when they are in their 20’s and 30’s??
Great questions, Deborah!
You are on a roll!
Hmmmm. How to put this delicately….
Could these two pairings–MO+GZ and FT+GZ be sort of evil versions of Batman + Robin?
Fogen manages to get himself “cared for” by older men who fit a certain mold: unsuccessful, unsure of their masculinity, rejected by most people for stuff others can get away with more easily, unattractive, craving attention, foolish and big-mouthed. Osterman. Taaffe. Jeez — they are a “type” already. And Fogen has no use for them when he has no USE for them. And they flutter around him eating up his self-serving lies and making up their own idiotic tall tales about him. “I’m his token white friend.” Ugh. Excuse me, I have to go take my anti-nausea medication now.
Laaaaaadieeees and geeenteeeeelllmannnn……In the Racist Corner……weighing in with short term vision at 220 pounds….
Frank “The Racist Tank” Taaaaafffeeeeeeeeee
and in the Moronic Corner Mark “The Lying Shark” Ostermaaannnnn also known as “The Tooooookeeeenn White Friennnnnddddddd”
This is a fight to the finish death match for FogenPhooles final BFF position……..The winner will face Joe “Rent a Friend” Oliver in a match to be named later.
Great questions. And is anybody besides me surprised that Fogen managed to burp his way through the Thanksgiving holidays without getting in more trouble involving cops?
Not siprised at all.
Foggage may as well have been castrated when he was stripped of his right to bear arms twice.
First he was told he could no longer walk around packing firearms with a bullet in the chamber ready to prematurely activate with the press of his finger .
Secondly he was told he could no longer harrras or threaten his Wife or GF with violence either verbal or other type physical hence his short sleeveless vest had to come of his fashion choice so no bear arms there either.
Given his present limitations of defence lack of funds lack of body gaurds .
But an abundance of paranoia I think foggage will be hunkered an bunkered up to sceerd to venture out an about in public.
Log cabin in the woods may be an he is self produceing the logs he is so a feart.
I feel sorry for whatever family member ends up stuck with GZ.
And, yet, as I learned from the trial, they just think the world of him! How wonderful that they can hug and kiss him every day now. 🙂
Wherever he’s hunkered down, he’s got his blubber and bullet-proof vest to keep him warm.
I’m not surprised. He managed to stay out of trouble before his trial. He’s not totally senseless. But one can hope.
I pray that the Department of Justice charges GZ with a hate crime and violating the civil rights of Trayvon Martin.
from LLMPapa:
from LLMPapa:
from LLMPapa:
Civil law allows for a lot more testimony about the character of George Zimmerman to be made public. Criminal law has to keep testimony restricted to that which pertains to the criminal act under adjudication. I see that the mental midget got an “A” in some sort of criminal law course and probably thought the same tactics apply in a civil proceeding.
Nope.
It is not against the law to be a racist, and asshole or associate with other racists.
However, when you claim that someone implying that you may be racist is cause for damages, then the accused party can bring up anything and everything that may give validity to their accusation.
And Fat Boy can’t avoid the chair.
That would be fun to see.
Q: Did you or did you not state that Frank Taffe was someone you admire?
A: I dunno
Q: So you did not know that a man you admire thinks that black men dating white women is an abomination? Or that black males wearing hoodies are thugs?
A: I dunno
Q: Seeing as you don’t know much of anything, is it safe to assume that your claim of damages is just more of your “I dunno”? I mean the claims of Taffe are patently racist and you are on record as admiring the man.
A: I dunno
Q: Why are the majority of your 9-11 calls based on nothing that turns out to be a fact and involve black males?
A: They act suspicious
Q: How so? Seeing as the accusations turned out to be false, then on what do you base the suspicions?
A: I dunno
Q: You don’t know they are black?
A: I am Afro-Peruvian
Q: And how is that relevant to the fact that your calls always involved black males and were never based on anything you thought being suspicious being true?
I could go on, but feel that a grilling of George would ultimately result in his loss of temper.
IOW, game set and match.
Love you post, MDH!
@MDH:
I cannot stop LOL at your post! I can see Fogen jumping out of his chair on the witness stand, and attempting to strangle the attorney who is questioning him! LOL!
🙂
😀
Remember him answering Nelson’s question about giving up the SYG hearing? He was afraid to say “yes” or “no” to any question, kept looking at West, and finally called her “Sir.”
The NBC suit was always dubious and more of a pr tactic pre-trial than anything else. Now it’s laughable. They probably hoped to pressure NBC into settling and when that didn’t work they had no plan b. I suspect they thought that GZ would have some great well of public sympathy after the verdict when in fact the opposite happened. Has the suit even been refiled yet?
Also GZ is not just supposedly suing NBC, he’s suing several people individually. The idea of him surviving several rounds of depositions is absurd. Can you iamgine what would come out of those depos? On top of that, he’s the plaintiff so he has to prove they intentionally or maliciously damaged his reputation and that he should be compensated for such damage.
Given his actual actions/reputation before he met TM
assaulting a cop, dv. accusations of molesting his cousin, unstable employment history, other episodes of violence as a bouncer, etc and his actions after the verdict, the notion that NBC’s edits hurt his reputation is beyond laughable. The lawsuit is dead in the water and any nuisance settlement they might have been able to squeeze out of NBC is probably gone too.
O’Mara is a shark. If George has no pot to piss in, then O’Mara can milk his image as having got George off. If George does fall into some cash, then he can put a lien on it.
IOW, George is F’cked.
He should have stayed inside his truck and drove on by like any sane person would have done.
Two Sides hit the nail on the head with the answer. MOM changed his mind after he found out about the actual funds that Z was sitting on and how quickly it was coming in. What he didn’t expect was the donations drying up to a trickle.
Here is an early link to the story, back on May 8, 2012:
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-08/news/os-george-zimmerman-free-lawyer-20120509_1_casey-anthony-mark-o-mara-circuit-judge-kenneth-lester
I also remember, but can’t find the link, where MOM gave a live interview where he said he would no longer work pro bono. I can’t imagine that there isn’t some sort of signed paperwork outlining the deal. He had been keeping track of all of his hours and early on he said that he knew he would benefit in other ways.
Why would you reach for your cell phone when someone is inadvertently telling you they are about to knock you silly? I’ve always questioned that bit from George saying he is going to reach for his phone when the person he is allegedly terrified of is standing right in front of him. Its illogical.
If George was facing a real criminal who was armed, he might have his head blown off before he finishes dialing the number even if he did go for his phone. Its not like they are going to stand their and watch you dial 911. He can’t be that stupid.
He’s not “that stupid” he’s “that much a liar.”
Yes, he is THAT much a liar, Malisha!
His false scenario has NEVER been believable.
Not only would it be impossible to pull his gun out when being straddled, it would be impossible to pull that PARTICULAR gun out under that circumstance because that gun is KNOWN to get tangled up in clothing.
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/03/foghorn/the-truth-about-george-zimmermans-kel-tec-pf-9/
I would speculate that his phone was still in his hand and he dropped it when he went for his weapon.
I think GZ still had his cellphone on him because he used it after he killed Trayvon.
I do agree with you, lurker, when you speculate that GZ went for his gun when they met up.
Why anyone would even presume to think he was going for a cell phone and not a gun is WAAAAAAYYYYY beyond me. Of COURSE he was going for his gun. The very idea he would say otherwise is insane, and that anyone would believe him is totally absurd.
You got that right, Rachael!
yeah you right, last thing I’m doing is making a phone call. ha ha.
His entire story is poop.
Exactly, Boyd!
As one of my NBC Newsvine team members said:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I hope they get nothing. They got lots of PR so the clients should be rolling in.
@a2nite says:
^5! LOL! I also hope they get nothing and from the looks of it, Fogen is in debt and has no money according to him. Where did they think this lazy, shiftesss man would get millions except through the blood money donations and he spent most of that?? If they want their money, then sue him for it!! LOL! They get what they deserve! A bunch of blood sucking racists!
Deborah.
Add to that, uneducated with no career in his future.
@Xena:
LOL! If I had a husband like this, he would be GONE! How did Shelly put up with this man not working, not taking any responsibility and paying the bills, and why wasn’t she working as well, and letting her in lawss and her family pay the rent for them?? Do you remember after that abominable verdict, Fogen was asked what were his plans, and he stated that he would like to attend LAW SCHOOL??? LOL! I looked at my husband and almost fell off my computer chair!! One thing though about this man, he will NEVER be a law enforcement officer in the U.S!
This man has never accomplished anything in his entire life and do you know why?? I am not making fun, yawl know me better than that, but Xena, I truly believe that this man has cognitive issues along with his psychiatric issues His parents knew that their were problems early on with him. What were his grades like in grammer school, grade school, High School etc.? How did he function in school and at home? Did he have many friends? Was he in trouble when he was a youngster? A teenager? What was his behavior like back then? Why did his mother put him out at age 17? How come none of their neighbors from Virginia, talk about them?
I read a long time ago when his school records were released by accident that he was in the bottom 90% of his HS graduating class. Whether it’s true I do not know.
Boyd,
Zimmerman’s school records
Click to access zimmerman-school-records.pdf
@Xena
A 2.24 GPA and failure to get an AA degree leaves George a long way off from law school. I kind of doubt he would be able to pull off a miraculous LSAT score. And then there is the little problem of having a bachelor’s degree.
The guy lives in some sort of alternate reality.
@MDH
Well, yeah!! LOL!! Figure it will take him 20 yrs to earn a Bachelor’s, and he might have to repeat 3 yrs of law school, making that 6 years. Then he has to sit for the Bar and will probably have to take that 50 times before getting his license to practice.
I’d say that George Zimmerman will be ready to practice law around the age of 80.
GZ has been a failure all of his life….failed relationships, failing grades, failure in the insurance business, failure to get an associates degree, failure at being a bouncer, failure to pay rent, failure…failure….failure!
@You all have thoughtful comments:
What is so sad is that Fogen needed help a long time ago, and his family ignored him. They banished him from the home, instead of getting him the help he needed! I hold them responsible for creating the monster that is roaming our streets today, and inflicting his violence upon an innocent boy who was screaming, crying and begging for mercy and his Momma! Fogen is a failure at being a human being! He cannot accomplish a thing and that is why he is so angry! Reminds me of Charles Manson!
Fogen’s family are a bunch of low life enablers! They are a sick bunch! Just watching them in court, the day of the verdict, I wanted to slap every one of them!!! They knew that Fogen was guilty. They know what he is capable of! I will never forget his Momma getting up on that witness stand and lying that those screams were,’Geogie?” “My son.” Hmph!
1.38 HS g.p.a.
Dumb.
Excellent post, Deborah.
Thanks!
Deborah, when I say excellent, I am referring to this of yours:
Now he is scary and dangerous. Just think of what Shellie and Samantha have recently said. Shellie has called him “a ticking time bomb.”
You can listen to Shellie say this here:
But Xena, he wouldn’t have to do all that. Just get six stupid people to say he’s a lawyer! If one of them doesn’t want to, the other five can read her the reason she should, and he’s ready to hang his shingle.
I love this LLMPapa video of the graduation that gz NEVER earned.
On another GZ topic:
Not that it is useful now with the verdict already in, but George NOW owning a cross-body holster increases the likelihood that he was reaching for his gun and not his cellphone when he confronted Trayvon.
You see, according to the description of the Kel-tec gun here:
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/03/foghorn/the-truth-about-george-zimmermans-kel-tec-pf-9/
GZ said he looked down. The only reason for him to look down was either to untangle his gun from his clothing or see to it that it was drawn out smoothly.
I think the reason for George Zimmerman’s purchase of the new type of cross-body holster to replace his hip holster IS because his Kel-tec DID snag up in his clothing when he tried to draw it out to point at Trayvon when the two met up. He NEEDED to look down to UNsnag his gun or to draw it out smoothly. (His new cross-body holster allows for an easier “drawing-out” of his gun now.)
You don’t need to look down when looking for a cellphone. To find a cellphone, you can just tap your pockets and feel around for it. In addition, it is too late in the middle of a confrontation to call 911 to have LE there in 2 seconds.
*This is the crucial Simms’ (Shellie’s lawyer) press conference about the cross-body holster.
Starting at Timestamp 0:26
First, Anything he says is probably a lie, Rule of thumb with george Zimmerman, if it does not make sense or someone has a different account. He’s lying.
He was not reaching for his cellphone. If he was reaching it was for a gun! IF!!!!! He knew exactly where his cellphone was. Right where he put it 30 seconds earlier! No one forgets that fast! The truth is what Rachel Jeantel heard on the phone. GZ found the kid hiding , and bullied him.
Yep, your are right, Boyd…..nobody forgets that fast where one puts ones cellphone!
Well, maybe a female with a big purse.
Or someone that’s high
I don’t think that either a 911 call, or pulling the gun were about immediate results. I think that in either case he was about showing power in the believe that he could somehow take Trayvon down and have him arrested.
I think that Shellie is right is saying that she doesn’t believe he set out to kill anyone. I don’t think he does that kind of planning. Rather, I think he acts and then reaches back for justification and ways in which to put the blame elsewhere.
His case against NBC is bull crap. Even he knows that.
I agree.
In a civil case, NBC can introduce, and thus make public, statements by people such as Taffe and RZ in order too ask the obvious:
If you are not racist, then how come you embrace and associate with crap like this?
And, even if he wins, there is the question of damages.
It is rather clear, when looking at the preponderance of the evidence, that George’s acts before during and after the trial are what cause him financial harm. One could reasonable argue that the NBC thing was a gain in that other racists had sympathy and, as such, donated to his cause. So damages could be one dollar.
George would not get the cushy venue of Sanford.
His suit against the paper was a “SLAPP” suit meant to keep people afraid to write about him, to keep people quiet who might tell the truth. The abusers and murderers always use SLAPP suits to shut folks up who would otherwise warn others about the dangers of a person like Fogen.
It worked.
And that is a slap in the face to anyone who has an interest in a media that is truly fair and balanced.
The propaganda had the subtle qualities of a brick through a window that could only be accepted, if anyone with eyes in the media had the critical thinking skills made famous by The Emperor’s New Clothes.
For example, when the cell phone photo came out, the headlines screamed “George’s Story Has Support”.
Really?????
What, the first broken nose in the history of mankind that does not bleed out of the nares?
The hands that can press on a large amount of blood and not smear it or get any on themselves?
In all honesty, a headline like Is George Full of Shit?, although inflammatory, is more reasonable than what we were fed a steady diet of.
Since WW1, there has been a campaign to eliminate any real Left Wing journalists in the USA. So we are left with a mainstream middle that says nothing on order to be seen as fair and balanced with respect to a Right Wing that spouts utter nonsense as the truth.
Charlie Chaplain was ran out of the USA as a Commie after WW2.
This is part of the USA’s present problem.
In Europe, Socialists and Communists were part of the resistance movement that put their life on the line to fight the Nazi’s. As a result, they had credibility and a place in the post WW2 political system.
In the USA, the shits like Prescott Bush et al who fawned over the fascists regained their honor after WW2 because they were able to make men like Chaplain the evil other. Note that the Civil Rights people were also tarred and feather as commies.
It is a sad testimony that the USA has made a hero out of Ronald Reagan, a man whose combat experience was in a cardboard mock up plane making propaganda films, who also spent the 1940 outing all the Communists in Hollywood.
Compare his “shooting war” with communists or weak leftists like Gus Hall, Howard Zinn or George McGovern.
My father was torpedoed in WW2.
All he ever told me was that those who glorify war have never been in a “shooting war”.
So that’s where I got that term from.
MDH, Hmmm, perhaps they could enter into evidence the many comments he received on his Beg-Site that are of racial content, and one could hope that they could subpoena the donor list? Wow, if that were to be done, do you suppose it would reduce George’s life expectancy? Actually a trial taking place on his suit would be a great idea… Look at all the free publicity that MOM would receive….
If I was the lawyer, I would reveal everything my private eyes {they use them} could find about everyone associated with George so that, even if they won, they would have wished they had not.
MDH, I would suggest the place to start looking is in Virginia to find out the full reason that George was exiled to Florida… Remember his My Space page where he said some one took the fall to save his bacon? I wonder if we have a prior shooting or perhaps a murder that Papa Zimmerman used his get out of jail free card to save George? I really don’t think this is the first gun incident that he was involved in… remember this comment, “He shot someone else”?
crazy: I wonder if we have a prior shooting or perhaps a murder…
Wasn’t it Osterman on the Dr. Phil show state that George had shot someone else (before he murdered Trayvon)?
I’m sure that NBC and Ben Crump would have a field day with that information.
Like the depositions in the AIS lawsuit were cancelled, and O’Mara agreed to settle, it is not in George’s best interest to conduct discovery in the suit against NBC because the feds are still investigating.
and one could hope that they could subpoena the donor list?
I was wondering why the State didn’t subpoena the donor list before jury selection.
Of course O’Mara being the snake in the grass that he is probably used the donor list for following reasons:
1) To gauge public sentiment for Piglet especially in the Seminole County area
2) To weed out potential jurors
3) To gain sympathy for Piglet. Maybe he even sent them letters back telling them how much Piglet was suffering due to being persecuted.
George doesn’t seem capable of believing that his own actions are the cause of any discomfort he now experiences. It’s always someone else’s fault.
He was having financial problems long before he killed Trayvon first he couldn’t hold down a job because he can’t leave his coworkers alone. Basicaly he’s an all around a-hole. Second he claims he abandoned his job because NBC made him seem racist he made his own self seem racist by his own call which was played all over the world before NBC got their hands on it. He abandoned his job just hours after he killed Trayvon. before anyone even heard of him or Trayvon. He has no case and he will lose. Unless the trial is held in Florida,which seems to have more than it’s share of whackos
Hmmm, so it costs $2,500,000 to buy freedom after murdering a child! Could this be an overt advertisement from MOM and the Ice Cream Man directed to or towards their racist white supremacy cohorts? I wonder if in the ad they should list that the client will be required to furnish the office and computer equipment in addition to the fees for their hours? I suppose that this could be a good time for the person who intends to murder a child to put MOM and the Ice Cream Man’s services on layaway so they can receive full benefits of their talents….
Don’t forget it wouldn’t have cost him anything to get away with killing a child if the family and community and country had not raised Hell. In general, murder [of the powerless] is free.
I don’t begrudge mom the update to his office. It’s fair that his client provide something to pay for his defense.
I don’t think that O’Mara is losing out overall. He gained some notoreity, a TV contract and some office equipment.
Whatever his motive for putting in the $2.5 mil bill, I’m certain it has nothing to do with any dream of ever collecting.
And it may put the skids on the donations to Zimmerman (now through Taaffe) to know that they will go to legal bills and not to support his life-style, ongoing security needs or more guns.
He out fitted his office an upgraded all his computers ect.
He obtained untold free publicity plus secured talking head gigs he wouldn’t have got,
Also he was handed a win by an ignorant racaist jury .
An this geedy fhuck wants paying as well.
He will get paid not in money but in dues an that will come later.
But to expect to get paid is not only wanting to eat an entire cake wich he should feed to skellator that man needs a good meal.
OT Sweden is closing some of its prison. See the picture of a cell in a high security prison. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/dec/01/why-sweden-closing-prisons
What a difference between that and the hellholes in the US. I doubt even our low security lockups are that homelike.
The Sweden prison is terrific. With a total population of 9 million and a low incarcerated number, looks like that is possible. I am not sure that the USA with a population of 340 million with 2.5 million could do the same thing, but we could try.
Non-payment could be a tax write-off against other income.
Exactly so, although, I do expect Zimmerman to collect from NBC but not pay anything towards a 2.5 million bill as West and O’Mara will have already written it off their taxes.
I would expect that if gz doesn’t challenge their bill, the IRS will accept it as an unpaid debt. If they then receive payment, it has to be declared as income and taxes paid. I don’t expect gz to prevail but if he does, expect mom to take his off the top and see to that west gets his too. nbc will be asked to make out the checks so that the lawyers get theirs first. gz will be lucky to end up with anything even if he does prevail. If it isn’t kosher for them to ask for separate checks, it won’t keep them from trying. After all, these are the lawyers who poisoned the jury pool, asked non-experts what-if questions, asked for Serino’s opinion in spite of judge’s instructions to not do it, etc. They’ll do whatever they have to to get the end they want.
I don’t believe Fogens efforts to shake down NBC will go anywhere.
I agree. It obviously didn’t affect the jury.
Another great way to get empathy from supporters – poor, poor Fogen owes 2.5 mil and never should have been charged . . .
Not if he calculates his income on a cash basis.
Good reason to switch to accrual. Been awhile since I did taxes, don’t remember all the rules that tend to change anyway.
Don’t be fooled by this. It’s O’Mara and West trying to help Zimmerman shield his money from the plaintiffs in the wrongful death suit. Also, making sure he can get state aid for his misdeeds from now on.
I agree, also to block Shellie from any money.
@Malisha:
Has the Martin/Fulton filed a wrongful death suit against Fogen yet? I have not heard anything but of course, I have not been keepin up on his case like I used too. I do remember Robbie the racist, make thinly veiled threats in the press, about the family not filing a law suit. I am sure they have ignored him and his ilk. As for Shellie, she needs to become employed on her own and not look for much out of her dead beat husband who never supported his family anyway.
Deb from NYC: As for Shellie, she needs to become employed on her own and not look for much out of her dead beat husband who never supported his family anyway.
She has no skills and what employer would want the baggage she would bring to the workplace?
She’s screwed like Maddy. On one hand Trayvon supporters believed that she still has Trayvon’s blood on her hands because she could have told the State what she knew about the murder before the trial and testified against George ( I know, I know the State wanted George acquitted).
Now Shellie’s on a media tour to reinvent herself after having the epiphany that George is her albatross.
But the George lovers hate her now and see her as a traitor.
No one has any use for Shellie because she tried to play both sides and now she’s damaged goods.
@roderick2012:
Great post roderick! You know I don’t have any love for Shelly! She was up there laughing and joking with Fogen when he was in the county jail and Fogen was making fun of TM and his hoodie! I was appalled at that and angered as to why she didn’t correct him? She did everything he wanted and never stood up for herself until now!
Fogen, only used her and she knows that now. We Martin supportors do not trust her and the Fogen supportors call her names and say she is a traitor because she has left Fogen and called him names. I don’t understand why the Fogen flunkies have placed themselves in the middle of this woman’s marriage? They are as sick as he is! She knows exactly what she married, and how evil and selfish he is!
As for employable skills, it was posted on this blog that Shelly is a hairdresser. Whether she is licensed by the state is another story.
Her license expired and was not renewed as of Oct. 2012.
@Xena:
Thanks Xena for the info! Why didn’t Shelly renew her license or at least place it on the inactive list? You know, Shelly should have left Fogen a long time ago. She must have seen his personality and behavior transform over the years. His not being able to accomplish anything and his anger getting the best of him.
Shelly will always be assoiated with Fogen and his lies. If she testifies against him i(f the feds decide to charge Fogen), I would be more than supportive of her. MLK said if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.
@Deborah
It’s a strange thing. At GZ’s first bond hearing, Shellie testified that she had not worked since their first year of marriage. I suspect that George stopped her from working. Not only would he not want Shellie being close to customers, he would not want her having her own money and ability of being independent.
I expect that there are places that will hire Shelly for minimum wage and she can re-establish herself. And she appears to have family willing to shelter her.
Same would be true of gz, if he was of a mind to. What isn’t so likely to be case for either of them will be the opportunity to cash in on their experiences.
bingo!
I’ve seen people billed by the hour by attorneys for small criminal cases such as felony assault or misdemeanor assault and similar low-hour things that go to court in Western states. I don’t know what the custom is for murder charges or much longer trial issues is in these same states.
Is it possible that OM and Fogen had a verbal agreement for pro bono prior to the time that OM found out about the Paypal site, and then he changed his mind about working pro bono?
PS – One attorney working with a friend explained to him that his hourly fee was actually cheaper for the case than other attorneys who were charging one-fee retainers in similar cases in the West. And that proved to be true – he saved about 1k by hiring the by-the-hour guy, who also allowed monthly payments with no interest after a 25% down. And the lawyer apparently was one of the best in his county and came out with a much reduced charge, etc.
PS – And the friend showed me two monthly statements showing how his case was billed per hour – even the work of the legal assistants was billed a particular hourly rate for their work of running around to file paperwork, The investigative work was billed by another hourly rate, etc.
that is typical of how many professionals bill, be they lawyers, accountants, or engineers. time sheets are filled out with project numbers assigned to all 15 minute segments of the day and the client billed according to the level of work performed.
Lawyers here actually bill for 6-minute intervals (tenths of an hour)!!
i have also seen the 15 minute minimum interval — meaning, if you read a 30 second email, you charge the project number 15 minutes. such a deal, eh?
Groans – sounds like they’re trying to be fair or there’s lots of competition for prices. Usually you end up paying a bit more if they set a price for a case, although sometimes I suppose lawyers take the short end of the stick if there are exceptional time eating aspects.