Why some lawyers don’t take RSO cases.
Wonder why so many lawyers refuse to touch any cases involving RSOs? Here’s one reason why?
Attorney, Patricia Sigman is a candidate running for Florida Senate, District 9. She is the target of a smear campaign by her opponent, which accuses her of representing a former Osceola County deputy that was charged with a sexual offense. A group by the name of “Floridians for Equality and Justice” is mailing out fliers saying she was “defending a sexual predator”.
Shame on “Floridians for Equality and Justice”, You are nothing about equality and justice or you would be aware of the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of the right to counsel. Also, shame on Patricia Sigman, for reacting as if the suggestion of her merely representing this individual in the context of a legal defense as a practicing attorney would be so offensive! Her response to Orlando’s WESH News, that she represented him years before in an employment matter, but God forbid no, not when he was accused of a sex offense, seems a bit haughty,
Some attorneys are so worried about the stigma of representing a registrant (even in post conviction, family law, or matters completely unrelated to the offense) that they think they will become infected with some virus that will destroy their business and friendships if they take the case.
Look, nobody has to take on any cases they don’t want to or represent a client they personally find repugnant, but what’s absolutely disgusting is when lawyers are shamed by others for doing their jobs and upholding a constitutional right they swore to uphold.
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A group by the name of “Floridians for Equality and Justice” is mailing out fliers saying she was “defending a sexual predator”.
Welp! So much the part about “Equality”, eh? People are shitbags no matter which political party they belong to. “Equality” my ass. This ‘group of Floridians’ should get tons of emails from everyone in here asking how they are encouraging “equality”.
Really? the public defender office doesn’t give A rat’s AZZ about trying to defend you. All they wanted to do is make deals.. I got into trouble in 1989 I was told to take probation bam !
I got violated by a probation officer who felt he was my judge jury and excutioner so I ran and the B*tch I was dating lied on me and false charges on me and guess what another plea deal Now after 30 years I am still paying for my crimes!!! No decent job but yet I have an Assoicates degree.
My apt has bed bugs and cock roaches beats 114 heat and I have other neigbors who feel their sex crimes are better than mine and lie on me… So the public defenders office should be label as Assistant state attorney office… After all they have their hands up the P, defenders butt and move their lips.
Some attorneys won’t take them simply because they think they’ll lose, amirite?
Where do I start?
I’ve had two civil cases that were seen as unlooseable until the attorney discovered my s/o conviction.
I’ve been turned down for employment after same.
Second year out, my tax refund was rejected because the IRS thought I was still in prison. The official I spoke with revealed to me her discovery of my s/o conviction and now I owe for a student loan that I paid off in 1992 but I cant prove it so they take my refund.
I’ve tried to retain legal counsel and have come to the conclusion that these punishments wouldn’t exist if not for my conviction.
Lesson learned; Don’t put your hands on little kids and these bad things wont happen to you.
And oh by the way, this business of lessening the degree of your crime by stating “it not like I touched anyone ” or words to that effect? Devided we fall.
Repeat the words of Federal Judge Esther Salas “what we cannot accept is when we are forced to live in fear for our lives because personal information, like our home addresses, can easily be obtained by anyone seeking to do us or our families harm.”
Give her credit for it. Spread the word.
What’s the worst could happen? She say for me and not for thee?
Ex communi Periculo 🍺
Lesson learned; Don’t put your hands on little kids and these bad things wont happen to you.
Touching little kids is NOT the only crime considered to be a “sexual offense”. Lemme give you a little bit of a list:
•DON’T GET CAUGHT SCREWING IN THE BACK SEAT OF A CAR.
•DON’T GET CAUGHT HAVING SEX ON A TROPICAL BEACH NO MATTER HOW TEMPTING AND MEMORABLE IT COULD BE.
•DON’T BE A TEENAGER AND SEND/RECEIVE NUDES TO/FROM OTHER TEENAGERS.
•DON’T BE MORE THAN 2 YRS AND 1 DAY OLDER THAN YOUR ROMANTIC PARTNER IF YOUR PARTNER IS UNDER THE STATE’S LEGAL AGE OF CONSENT LAW.
•DON’T STOP ON THE HIGHWAY TO PISS IN THE BUSHES.
•DON’T HAVE A ONE-NIGHT-STAND WITH A FEMINIST WHO MIGHT DECIDE THE NEXT DAY THAT SHE REGRETS SLEEPING WITH YOU.
•DON’T ACCIDENTALLY DOWNLOAD CHILD PORN WHEN DOWNLOADING MUSIC/MOVIES FROM INTERNET SITES.
•DON’T ACCIDENTALLY WALK THROUGH YOUR OWN HOME NAKED OUT OF THE SHOWER WHEN YOUR WINDOWS ARE OPEN.
•DON’T ALLOW YOUR KIDS/STEP-KIDS TO ACCIDENTALLY WALK IN ON YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE/PARTNER HAVING SEX. PAD LOCK THE BEDROOM DOOR.
•DON’T HAVE SEX WITH YOUR PARTNER/SPOUSE WHILE ONE OR BOTH OF YOU ARE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ANYTHING (TONS OF GOODIE-TWO-SHOES SEX OFFENSE HATERS WOULD BE IN PRISON AND ON THE REGISTRY IF THEY WERE EVER CHARGED AND CONVICTED OF SCREWING WHILE HIGH ON SOMETHING. CAN’T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I’VE BEEN TOLD HOW AMAZING SEX FEELS WITH THE USE OF CRYSTAL METH AND ECSTASY).
And that’s just a short list of things that can get a person on the most feared list in the USA. I’m sure there’s more.
**And oh by the way, this business of lessening the degree of your crime by stating “it not like I touched anyone ” **
Well…if the registered person actually DIDN’T touch anyone then please explain what it being “lessened”? Your words tell me that you have been officially brainwashed by the formula used in the S.O. treatment groups. This is definitely THEIR type of language.
Yeah that’s a fact. Even judges are more worried about tomorrow than the constitution. My attorney basically told me on a registration violation 22 years after original sentence he didn’t wanta file for a lot of the stuff we know to be winners in other districts he was scared of the judge and his friends. He put it like the judge would be mad and give me more time for raising the issue than just accepting it. He also said he won a dui case based on the tester having a flaw that the deputy couldn’t explain and he took shit about it from everyone at the court saying it was a low blow and refusing to have lunch with him. A lot of attorneys aren’t gonna tell you shit about what’s an illegal sentence so that’s why it’s important if your an SO you study yourself. It’s legal to give you an illegal sentence but you can go back anytime and get relief. Really there should be study groups once a month like when I was in prison we could bounce ideas off each other and move forward. We won 100s of years for people. This is a profession for the state workers and attorneys and their really is a code of silence among legal professionals to lay down when it comes to SOs. The SO attorney in Polk is a huge joke I met with him and he wanted 10k saying these cases are difficult we’re talking about a dumb ass registration law that cost me 14k dollars to date. Harmed no one except my family by being forgetful.
Please God, let there be someone who will speak up and work against the injustice of Grouping All as sex offenders when there’s a million degrees of various actions that Never even touched another person, yet are labeled for life!
If there is any doubt about the registry being all about politics read The Horn News August 7 . What a NJ Republican has to say about a Democratic that voted to get rid of the registry.
Ms.Nancy L.Patterson..I am totally in agreement with you..and it’s ashame how all of us are put in one group!! What we need to do is start suing the lawyers that refuses to take on cases like ours!!
Nancy,
While your point that there’s a range that can get one classified as “sex offender,” is valid, I’d argue for removing the label and shaming mechanisms rather than improving and perfecting the classification system. I’ve met people who have committed horrible crimes who are currently the least likely of anyone to reoffend. Nobody is the worst thing they’ve ever done. We need to toss out the broken system that hurts registrants, hurts families, hurts communities, and sometimes creates new victims while doing nothing to repair damage done and leaving survivors of sexual assault broken.