Texas EquuSearch lawyer says Casey Anthony team acts in bad faith

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-casey-anthony-searchers-debate-20100722,0,1822196.story
Texas EquuSearch lawyer says Casey Anthony team acts in bad faith
By Anthony Colarossi, Orlando Sentinel

7:00 p.m. EDT, July 22, 2010

The Orlando attorney representing Texas EquuSearch says in court documents that the Casey Anthony defense team is acting in "bad faith" by pursuing information about people who took part in searches for Caylee Marie Anthony early on in the case.

"The defense is clearly operating under bad faith and looking to harass the volunteers," attorney Mark NeJame noted in a motion filed today to quash an earlier court order on the issue.

NeJame argues that the defense team has had earlier opportunities to review Texas EquuSearch records, as directed under court orders, but failed to follow through.

Casey Anthony, 24, is charged with first-degree murder in her daughter Caylee's death. Her defense team has sought information about TES volunteers involved in searches that occurred months before Caylee's remains were found in late 2008 in a wooded area near her home.

But NeJame notes in his motion that Anthony lawyer J. Cheney Mason stated publicly last month that the area where the 2-year-old child's remains were found "was impassible at the time."

Because of Mason's statements, NeJame said, "It is patently obvious and apparent that the defense knows the conditions of the area, and that they are no longer in need of the names of any searchers to verify this information."

NeJame further suggests the defense "is filing these motions, requesting irrelevant documents all to create seemingly bogus appellate issues that do not exist." He calls the pursuit of the records "a ploy to harass volunteers of TES who donated their free time to search for the remains of the innocent Caylee Anthony."

Anthony attorney Jose Baez said today his team is preparing its response to NeJame's motion.

NeJame's motion was filed soon after Chief Circuit Judge Belvin Perry spelled out in an order the rules for the review of the TES volunteer records by the defense team. Perry appointed a special magistrate to supervise the document inspection. And he allowed both parties to take notes during the inspection, a change from earlier court rulings.

Anticipating NeJame's bad faith motion, Perry's order says that document will be reviewed and then a hearing will be set on the arguments presented.