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![[SUPREME COURT OF FLORIDA]](sc3d.gif){kind=small}
The following summaries are drawn from briefs and lower court judgments. They are meant to provide a general idea of facts and issues presented in cases, and should not be considered official court documents. Facts and issues presented in these summaries should be checked for accuracy against records and briefs, available from the Court, which provide more specific information.
![[ETCHING: SUPREME COURT OF FLORIDA]](press1.gif)
Robert Craig Waters, Director of Public Information
(850) 414-7641
Florida Supreme Court Oral Arguments
Monday, January 10, 2005
Arrive early. Times & order of appearance are tentative and subject to change with no notice. Cases may be postponed due to exigent circumstances.
| Case | Time | Facts & Issues | Place of Origin |
| Michael L. Robinson v. James v. Crosby, Jr.
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
9:00 | In 1995, Robinson pled guilty to the January 1995 murder of Jane Silvia and told the trial judge he wished to receive the death penalty. The trial court imposed it, but the sentence was reversed because of errors in considering mitigating evidence. On remand, Robinson attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, but the trial court denied this request, reconsidered the mitigating evidence, and again imposed the death penalty. This was affirmed on appeal Later, Robinson filed a motion to vacate his conviction and sentence. The trial court denied the request, and Robinson appeals. | Orange County |
| The Florida Bar v. Keith Douglas Baron
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 9:40 | Baron, an attorney suspended from the practice of law due to ethical violations, was charged with continuing to practice law during his suspension. A referee has recommended that he be permanently disbarred. | Broward County |
| Amerisure Insurance Co. v. State Farm
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 10:10 | Kelly Jo Edman and her five children were injured while occupants in a vehicle insured by Amerisure. Edman's insurance provider, State Farm, paid nearly $12,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) benefits and later sued Amerisure to recover this amount. The question is whether State Farm is entitled to reimbursement under the facts of the case. | Pinellas County |
| Case | Time | Facts & Issues | Place of Origin |
| Amendments to the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
9:00 | The Florida Bar has petitioned the Court to amend the Rules regarding certain legal education requirements for attorneys. | Statewide impact |
| William Coday v. State of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 9:40 | Coday was charged with the July 1997 murder of Gloria Gomez. The jury convicted him of premeditated murder and recommended the death penalty 9-to-3. The trial judge sentenced him accordingly, and Coday appeals. | Broward County |
| Scott Mansfield v. State of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 10:40 | Mansfield was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the October 1995 murder of Sara Robles. His sentence was affirmed on appeal. He now challenges its validity. | Osceola County |
| Southern Baptist Hospital of Florida v. Jeffrey Welker
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 11:10 | While Welker's children were visiting his ex-wife, she took them to an employee of Baptist Hospital for a psychological evaluation, resulting in a letter stating that contact with the father was psychologically harmful to them. The ex-wife then used this letter to obtain an injunction against her former husband, resulting in him being unable to visit with his children. Welker successfully sued to enforce his visitation rights, resulting in the injunction being dissolved. He later sued Baptist Hospital. Among other things, he sought damages for negligent interference with parental rights. The trial court dismissed all claims, but the First District Court ordered that the negligent interference claim should go to trial. | Duval County |
| Case | Time | Facts & Issues | Place of Origin |
| Mark Allen Davis v. State of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
9:00 | Davis was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the July 1985 murder of Orville Landis. His sentence was ultimately affirmed. He now challenges its validity. | Pinellas County |
| Stephen Scipio v. State of Florida
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 9:40 | Scipio was charged with the January 2001 murder of Ogard Smith. At trial, he was convicted, and the judge sentenced him to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. Scipio alleged that the State had withheld discovery evidence from him, but the Fifth District Court found that any resulting error was harmless. | Volusia County |
| State of Florida v. Gary Alan Matheson
View briefs in Acrobat format by clicking the case number(s) here |
Approx. 10:30 | Matheson was arrested and convicted on drug charges solely because a narcotics detection dog named Razor reacted positively when brought to Matheson's vehicle. Matheson alleged that the dog was unreliable. On appeal, the Second District Court reversed the conviction on grounds the State had failed to meet its burden of proof about Razor's qualifications. | Hillsborough County |
| Case | Time | Facts & Issues | Place of Origin |
| No cases scheduled |
| Case | Time | Facts & Issues | Place of Origin |
| No cases scheduled |
