I maintain a Florida FReeper list, but my business has been busier than ever these last few years, and my time on FR has been limited. But here's a ping for ya.
Posted on 07/10/2017 12:25:40 PM PDT by SoFloFreeper
Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday was ordered to file a written response to a lawsuit claiming she forces businesses to donate millions of dollars to unregistered charities as part of settlements in consumer protection cases.
Circuit Judge Charles Dodson, sitting in Tallahassee, also granted a request from Orlando entrepreneur John D. Smith to seek “discovery” in the case—that is, to get information from Bondi’s office in preparation for a possible trial.
Smith filed a petition for a “writ of quo warranto,” which demand government officials to prove their authority to perform a certain action. He did not attend Monday’s hearing.
Russell Kent, Bondi’s special counsel for litigation, objected to discovery, saying it was “generally not allowed” in quo warranto cases. He also said he intends to ask the court for summary judgment in the case, allowing Bondi to win without a trial.
But Scott Siverson, Smith’s attorney, said one of Bondi’s defenses is that donations to groups that weren’t registered as charities were OK because they were “unsolicited,” or not asked for.
“There is only one way for is to find out about that, and that’s to get discovery from” their office, Siverson told Dodson.
“I don’t know of anything that would prevent you at this time” from asking for records, Dodson replied. The judge also said a previous order he issued was “a little misleading” about whether Bondi needed to file an answer to Smith’s complaint.
“I don’t mind taking the fall for messing up on that,” Dodson said.
Smith had been investigated on a consumer fraud allegation by Bondi’s office in 2015. He invented Storm Stoppers plastic panels as a “plywood alternative” to protect windows during storms.
He says some of the unregistered charities Bondi makes settling parties give money to is her own “Law Enforcement Officer of the Year” award and various “scholarship funds designated by the Attorney General.”
Smith also said Bondi was improperly directing contributions to her office’s nonprofit, Seniors vs. Crime, which is a “conflict of interest,” the suit says. Two of its directors work for Bondi.
Since she first assumed office in 2011, Bondi’s office settled enforcement actions with 14 businesses in which they wound up paying more than $5.5 million to 35 unregistered charities, Smith’s suit says.
In a previous statement, Bondi called the legal action “meritless” and “harassment.” Siverson said his client just wants Bondi to play by the rules.
“This is a citizen’s lawsuit to make the Attorney General comply with the law,” he said after Monday’s hearing. “That, I think, is remarkable.”
I don’t know who has the Florida ping list anymore BUT, this web site appears to be a NEW ONE and it was trending on my twitter this AM as “#FlaPol”
a quick perusal of the site FLORIDAPOLITICS.COM seems to reveal a VERY liberal site, perhaps set up as a “clearing house” for the coming election cycle.
maybe we ought to keep an eye on it...or overwhelm the #flapol on twitter with conservatism.
just sayin’.
So Obummer and his cronies have been doing this scheme for years until AG Sessions put an end to it. I expect the media to point this out in their coverage of this issue. *snicker*
This appears to be payback for supporting Trump.
Remember, liberals don’t care in the least about corruption.
What they do find great interest in is making up corruption charges against their political opponents.
The 0bama regime regularly made corporations make “donations” to Eric Holder’s favorite “charities” as part of settlements in litigation against said companies. It was a shakedown to fund various radical leftist groups. It has not been specifically banned by act of Congress, but certainly should be.
If the Florida attorney general was doing this, it may well be legal in Florida, but it is a practice I do not like, even if the money is going to a group a I may like or being done by a Republican office holder. Tomorrow, the office holder may be a democrat and the “charity” of choice may not be to my liking.
Money in fraud cases should go to the victims (and to the government treasury).
She needs to give Lois Lerner a call to learn how to avoid being held accountable for her crimes.
I maintain a Florida FReeper list, but my business has been busier than ever these last few years, and my time on FR has been limited. But here's a ping for ya.
Don’t forget the honorable Jesse Jackson
We HAVE TO remember that the Democrat Party is a gigantic criminal enterprise!
If a particular Democrat Party “activity” garners the Party or the respective Party Hack running the scam in question (there is ALWAYS more than one scam underway!) more money or votes or power (preferably ALL OF THE ABOVE!), said activity will be vigorously pursued irrespective of the legality or amorality of the activity in question.
When (IF) caught, Democrats (AND their LIEberal LAMESTREAM LACKEYS) ALWAYS:
DENY! DENY! DENY!
OBFUSCATE! OBFUSCATE! OBFUSCATE!
BLAME REPUBLICANS! BLAME REPUBLICANS! BLAME REPUBLICANS!
SUE! SUE! SUE!
RIOT! RIOT! RIOT!
WAKE UP! AMERICA!
We have ALMOST lost our country!
PRAISE GOD that Donald J. Trump is POTUS!
Let us help him Make America Great Again!
WE HAVE OUR WORK CUT OUT FOR US!
We will see a real war on women if she announces.
No mention of a party, but it sounds like something that a Crony Capitalist Republican would pull.
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