Kathy E <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: The State of Florida will have to wait a bit longer---perhaps a lot longer---for Sondra London to turn over the money she made from the stories she published on behalf of serial killer Danny Rolling. Judge Martha Ann Lott, who had ruled in December that the State of Florida could seize the profits that London made on her story collaborations with Rolling, granted London's request for a stay in state prosecutors' motion to make London turn over her proceeds. London's new attorney, Eric Block, based his motion for a stay on the fact that London has appealed Judge Lott's ruling to the Florida Supreme Court. Block argued that the state should not be allowed to seize his client's profits until the appeals process has been finished. In her December decision, Judge Lott had said that London's projects with Rolling were indeed subject to the state law that bars convicted felons like Rolling from profiting from stories and artwork related to their crimes. In granting London's motion for a stay, Judge Lott issued a few conditions: (1) that the money in question be turned over to trust account of Florida's Department of Legal Affairs (the money has been kept in the trust account of London's former attorney Lloyd Vipperman) (2) that London's attorney would provide prosecutors with a working account of which works of Rolling provided a profit and how much of a profit (3) that London would continue not to sell or profit from any more sales of Rolling-related merchandise. During Fridays's hearing, Block argued that he had only received London's case the previous week and had not adequately investigated all the issues of the case. After the December ruling, London's previous attorney, Vipperman, withdrew from the case. London filed an appeal with Florida Supreme Court in late February on her own and was not able to retain a lawyer until recently. After the hearing, London contended that she was a journalist and that her work with Danny Rolling is not different from the stories various new organizations have done on (and profited from)Rolling. Some of the relatives of Rolling's victims were also present in court today and said that London is nothing more than a frontperson acting on behalf of Rolling. These relatives also said that they attended the hearing to remind others of the horror of the crimes Rolling committed. -- Kathy E "I can only please one person a day, today is NOT your day, and tomorrow isn't looking too good for you either" http://members.delphi.com/kathylaw/ Law & Issues Mailing List http://pw1.netcom.com/~kathye/rodeo.html - Cowboy Histories http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/2990/law.htm Crime photo's Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
