Despite witnesses taking the Fifth, judge OKs trial of 3 lawyers accused of DUI setup
Three Florida lawyers accused of setting up their opposing trial counsel in a hard-fought civil case for a drunken-driving arrest won’t get a legal ethics pause while an FBI investigation proceeds.
Six ethics-trial witnesses, who are currently part of a grand jury investigation, will take the Fifth. The senior circuit judge overseeing the ethics case ruled Tuesday that trial will begin May 11, according to the Tampa Bay Times and the Tampa Tribune
The six witnesses include the respondent lawyers in the ethics case, partners Stephen Diaco, Robert Adams and Adam Filthaut of Adams & Diaco; an associate at the firm; a fired former Tampa police sergeant; and law firm paralegal Melissa Personius, who was at the center of the claimed setup of C. Philip Campbell in a DUI charge. (It was quickly dropped after more details about the situation came to light.)
“It’s difficult to believe how a vigorous debate about the facts will be brought before this court,” said defense attorney Greg Kehoe.
Kehoe said he would appeal to the Florida Supreme Court when Pinellas-Pasco Senior Judge W. Douglas Baird refused to stay his order.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Plea deal rejected for 3 partners in claimed DUI set-up of opposing trial counsel”
Updated on April 1 to correct a typo in the headline.
