Posted on 04/28/2006 3:11:12 PM PDT by kristinn
Edited on 04/28/2006 3:20:03 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Rush Limbaugh's attorney has issued a statement announcing a settlement of the Florida prosecutor's investigation into alleged doctor shopping by Rush Limbaugh.
Details have been read by Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. Basically, the charge of doctor shopping is dismissed, with some conditions.
In response to media and other inquiries, Roy Black, Rush Limbaugh's attorney, released the following statement today concerning a settlement agreement with the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office to end the investigation of Mr. Limbaugh:
"I am pleased to announce that the State Attorney's Office and Mr. Limbaugh have reached an agreement whereby a single count charge of doctor shopping filed today by the State Attorney will be dismissed in 18 months. As a primary condition of the dismissal, Mr. Limbaugh must continue to seek treatment from the doctor he has seen for the past two and one half years. This is the same doctor under whose care Mr. Limbaugh has remained free of his addiction without relapse.
"Mr. Limbaugh and I have maintained from the start that there was no doctor shopping, and we continue to hold this position. Accordingly, we filed today with the Court a plea of 'Not Guilty' to the charge filed by the State.
"As part of this agreement, Mr. Limbaugh also has agreed to make a $30,000 payment to the State of Florida to defray the public cost of the investigation. The agreement also provides that he must refrain from violating the law during this 18 months, must pay $30 per month for the cost of "supervision" and comply with other similar provisions of the agreement.
"Mr. Limbaugh had intended to remain in treatment. Thus, we believe the outcome for him personally will be much as if he had fought the charge and won."
The actions taken today are as follows:
-- The State Attorney has filed a single charge of doctor shopping with the Court. The charge is being held in abeyance under the terms of an agreement between the State and Mr. Limbaugh.
-- Mr. Limbaugh has filed a plea of "Not Guilty" with the Court.
The formal agreement between Mr. Limbaugh and the State Attorney will be filed with the Court on Monday. The terms of the agreement are substantively as follows:
-- Mr. Limbaugh will continue in treatment with the doctor he has seen for the past two and one half years.
-- After Mr. Limbaugh completes an additional 18 months of treatment, the State Attorney has agreed to drop the charge.
-- Mr. Limbaugh has agreed to make a $30,000 payment to the State of Florida to defray the public cost of the investigation.
I FOUND RUSH'S PRESS RELEASE.
http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=35151
The payment I'm sure will save Rush money; however, it's a crock that you have to pay off the prosecutor to get them to drop the charges, but in the long run it's for the best. Now that this is behind him, we can focus more on the coming election and making the dems even more crazy.
Right. My mistake.
Probably processing.
Here's the distinction I make with Rush. The root cause of his addiction was his attempt (with doctor's help) to alleviate severe back pain. He wasn't snorting cocaine at parties or shooting up. He wasn't dealing. If I cut him any slack, it's because of his back pain because I suffer from some amount of back pain, myself, and it's very debilitating. At this point, I am not taking any prescriptions for it, only over-the-counter pain relievers.
Unfortunately, Integrity is a dying value in many circles.
I don't listen to him anymore anyway, so if he agreed to a settlement, that is his choice.
I still feel he did something wrong here, addiction or not. he should admit to any wrongdoing and then move forward.
Having his attorney do a presser statement saying he does not admit to anything in one breath and then reading that he has accepted a settlement in another breath is spinning.
I hope he continues his treatments and puts this episode behind him with lessons learned.
I posted one of those threads. All I had was the announcement from the radio. No problem in pulling them for a thread with the correct info.
Unless I counted wrong that brings us to November 07'. I wonder if they are trying to teather him politically during the beginnings of the primary season. I wouldn't put anything past the Rat Ba$+&rD$ Dem's in West Palm Beach.
I believe you have that backwards.
No, not really. The prosecutor has been through months of bogus investigation, and spent lots of money on it. At this point he could go ahead and file charges, and lose, and bring more scorn down on himself. With this gambit he basically saves face and can say "hey, it didn't cost the taxpayer anything. Which is better than losing in a jury trial, which is where this dog was headed.
As Rush's attorney points out he was going to do what he's required to anyway (one doctor, no drugs) so there is no downside, other than the $30,000. Lets face it $30,000 to rush is like $300 to you or me (well I don't know you, so I'm assuming your not worth $500 Million like Rush).
I was charged with a completely bogus traffic offense that was a misdemeanor last year. Eventually it was dismissed with prejudice (DA can not refile) but I had to pay $250 bucks in court costs. Conveniently, there was an ATM machine in the courthouse.
As going to court is very expensive (missing work, etc) anyone who has the opportunity to have charges dropped for a small amount of cash will do so. It would have cost me more to have my attorney come back to court one more time, only a trial probably would have taken several more times, not one.
They got you by the b*lls in these situations, and they know it. Having been through this experience I'm a lot less of a supporter of LEOs and DAs than previously. Sure some risk their asses and deal with really bad people. Others make big mistakes, won't admit them, and shakedown citizens with scams.
They are wrong. But can you blame them? They hate Rush, and the truth has never held them back before.
Rush reached a plea deal. (I don't think Palm Beach would have won) They put him in jail and bailed him out for show and announced the deal about the same time. Couldn't rob the Dems of their pound of flesh.
We all know it was a witch hunt. Not that Rush didn't didn't have a drug problem, but this lib DA was going to make an example of him.
Lesson of the day (re Delay and Rush) If you are a hugely effective conservative, do NOT live in a county with a partisan lib DA. They will inspect your life until you spit the wrong direction, then destroy you, if they can.
I was listening to Michael Savage and he made it sound like the cops came busting in and Rush was arrested again. Hmmm... Savage has lost quite a bit credibility with me this hour.
Keep in mind that this post is a PRESS RELEASE from Roy Black. The media can spin away, but so can Rush Limbaugh's lawyer.
Sure, but you still do this exactly when he did it. You don't do it any other time.
Shep Smith just 'gleefully' announced on Fox that Rush had been arrested.
Ok, so is this for the old charge?
-- The State Attorney has filed a single charge of doctor shopping with the Court. The charge is being held in abeyance under the terms of an agreement between the State and Mr. Limbaugh.
-- Mr. Limbaugh has filed a plea of "Not Guilty" with the Court.
The formal agreement between Mr. Limbaugh and the State Attorney will be filed with the Court on Monday. The terms of the agreement are substantively as follows:
-- Mr. Limbaugh will continue in treatment with the doctor he has seen for the past two and one half years.
-- After Mr. Limbaugh completes an additional 18 months of treatment, the State Attorney has agreed to drop the charge.
-- Mr. Limbaugh has agreed to make a $30,000 payment to the State of Florida to defray the public cost of the investigation."
The only problem I see with this agreement would be if the sleazy prosecutor decided to go after the doctor that Rush is obligated to see. Take away the doc's license to practice and Rush fails, by default, to meet the terms of the agreement.
It is not beyond the scope of reality that a liberal with prosecutorial powers would ruin a doctor's career in order to get to Rush.
Yep, MSNBC said arrested and released an hour later after posting bail...huh...
I just heard on Fox News that Rush was arrested!
as usual the du'ers are going crazy...but only after a brief celebration...then they learned the facts.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2253404
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