Casey Anthony asks judge to block criminal case evidence from Zenaida Gonzalez civil suit - OS

Casey Anthony asks judge to block criminal case evidence from Zenaida Gonzalez civil suit

By Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel
10:25 a.m. EST, September 5, 2012

With a January trial looming in the defamation lawsuit brought by Zenaida Gonzalez, attorneys for Casey Anthony want a judge to block any testimony or evidence related to the last time their client was in court — for her murder trial.

In a motion filed late last week, Anthony's attorneys ask Circuit Judge Lisa Munyon to block "any evidence, comment, or other reference by counsel of any witness in this case concerning" Anthony's highly publicized murder prosecution and trial.

"The criminal proceedings are not relevant to any issue in this case," Anthony's defense argues in their motion. "Moreover, any evidence, comment, or reference to the criminal proceedings would inject collateral issues into this matter and would be unduly prejudicial to Ms. Anthony."

In July, Anthony, 26, was acquitted on all major charges in the death of her daughter, 2-year-old Caylee. Gonzalez is suing Anthony because Anthony initially told authorities in 2008 that a similarly named nanny had kidnapped Caylee.

Authorities determined — and Anthony's criminal defense team acknowledged at trial — that the girl was dead, and the nanny didn't exist.

The Anthony civil defense's latest motion is based on a ruling by Munyon in April, which threw out part of Gonzalez's lawsuit. The part that remains centers on a videotaped visit Anthony's parents, George and Cindy Anthony, made while their daughter was in jail, in which Anthony denied that she had ruled Gonzalez out as a suspect.

Cindy Anthony relayed that information to the media, Gonzalez's lawyers say, linking her to the case in a defamatory manner.

In their latest motion, Anthony's defense argues that evidence in the civil suit must be "limited to evidence which is probative and admissible concerning" the issue of the videotaped visit — not the criminal allegations that landed Anthony in jail.

Gonzalez, Anthony's team argues, "should be barred from presenting any evidence or making any argument concerning the criminal proceedings."

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-09-05/news/os-casey-anthony-zenaida-gonzalez-motion-20120905_1_zenaida-gonzalez-cindy-anthony-circuit-judge-lisa-munyon