Casey Anthony's attorneys: Judge Perry 'eviscerated' her chance of fair defamation trial - OS

Casey Anthony's attorneys: Judge Perry 'eviscerated' her chance of fair defamation trial

By Amy Pavuk, Orlando Sentinel
12:09 p.m. EDT, May 13, 2013

Casey Anthony's bankruptcy attorneys said Judge Belvin Perry "completely eviscerated" her chance of having a fair defamation trial in Orlando because of public comments he recently made about her first-degree murder case.

Perry, the chief judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, presided over Anthony's murder trial in 2011.

Anthony was acquitted in that case, but continues to face civil legal battles, including a defamation suit filed by Kissimmee mother Zenaida Gonzalez.

Gonzalez sued after Anthony said a nanny with a similar name kidnapped her daughter Caylee. Investigators said no such nanny existed, but Gonzalez said she was impacted since her name was linked.

Gonzalez wants her case to be handled in state circuit court, where the suit was proceeding until Anthony filed for bankruptcy in Tampa.

For his part, Perry had remained publicly quiet on Anthony's high-profile first-degree murder trial, until he appeared on NBC's "Today" show earlier this month.

Anthony's attorneys said in a document filed Friday in bankruptcy court that Perry revealed confidential information on the national news program and expressed his personal views on the evidence and the outcome of her case.

"Judge Perry's public announcement that he believes Ms. Anthony was guilty and that 'God' would be the one to ultimately administrate justice, further tainted the prospective juror pool and ensured that Ms. Anthony could not receive a fair trial in Orange County, Florida."

Anthony's attorneys said Perry's comments create a public perception that there is no judge in the circuit who could fairly oversee her defamation case.

"Perry is the 'boss' of other Ninth Circuit judges and is responsible for judicial assignments. It is not unreasonable to fear that any Ninth Circuit judge who might preside over a Defamation Claim would, even if only subconsciously, try to mete the punishment that Judge Perry clearly stated he believes Ms. Anthony deserves," the attorneys wrote.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/caylee-anthony/os-casey-anthony-judge-perry-20130513,0,3918348.story

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