Casey Anthony hearing in Tampa ends with no decision - OS

Casey Anthony hearing in Tampa ends with no decision
Attorneys for Zenaida Gonzalez wanted to depose Anthony last week.

By Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel
1:36 p.m. EDT, October 17, 2013

TAMPA — During a tense hearing in federal bankruptcy court on Thursday, a judge delayed ruling on whether Casey Anthony will be forced to answer the questions of a woman suing her for defamation.

Attorneys for Zenaida Gonzalez, who are fighting to salvage their lawsuit from Anthony's Chapter 7 bankruptcy, wanted to question Anthony last week.

But Anthony's lawyers asked a judge to prevent the deposition.

Her legal team has its own motion pending, seeking to have Gonzalez's federal complaint dismissed, which is set to be heard Nov. 5.

Anthony attorney Debra Ferwerda argued Thursday that Anthony may never need to be deposed, and shouldn't face questioning "without the court deciding if (Gonzalez's lawyers) have a case."

Gonzalez attorney Scott Shuker told the judge he was fine with waiting until after Nov. 5 to depose Anthony, and with accepting terms for the deposition her attorneys have requested.

"I don't care if we take it in your chambers," or somewhere else out of the public eye, he told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge K. Rodney May. "I don't care if we seal it."

May responded with frustration at the two sides' lack of communication and progress: "I don't want to hear about what hasn't been done…Let's go…I want to hear how we can move forward."

The judge said he will wait to deal with the deposition issue until after he decides whether or not to toss Gonzalez's complaint next month.

"We don't need to set a deposition if I do dismiss," he said.

Shuker seemed agitated throughout the hearing, and lashed out afterward, calling Anthony attorney David Schrader "bush league," and later adding: "You used to have a good reputation."

Shuker rushed past reporters after the hearing. Schrader and Ferwerda dismissed the outburst, and expressed confidence the sides would figure out how to handle the deposition, if needed.

Asked if Anthony would need to be present in court Nov. 5, Schrader replied, "I don't believe so."

Gonzalez sued after Anthony told authorities in 2008 that a similarly named nanny had kidnapped her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

Authorities determined the nanny didn't exist and the girl was dead. Anthony was found not guilty of murder in her daughter's death at trial in 2011.

She has been living in hiding ever since.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/caylee-anthony/os-casey-anthony-deposition-hearing-20131017,0,1242653.story