Casey is serving a 12-year prison term for running down and killing an elderly woman in Miami Beach, leaving the scene, and then fleeing the country to avoid prosecution. He has an August 13 court hearing before Judge John Thornton to unseal transcripts of secretly recorded conversations he had with his former criminal defense lawyer, Milton Hirsch, and his former therapist, Michael Rappaport, whom Casey claims advised him to flee the country.
If the judge sides with Casey, it could mean serious trouble for Rappaport and Hirsch, a well-known criminal defense lawyer who is running for county judge in 2010.
Julin hopes to convince the judge that the conversations are evidence that Hirsch and Rappaport committed a crime when they allegedly advised Casey to flee the country to avoid prosecution. I've read the transcripts of the conversations, and I don't think Casey has the goods on Hirsch, but Rappaport might be another story.
Casey, who maintains his innocence, agreed to a plea deal in 2004 that landed him the prison sentence.
Having a noted media and free-speech lawyer certainly plays in his favor. Last week, Julin represented lobbyists Ron Book, Guy Spearman, and the Florida Association of Lobbyists before the U.S. Supreme Court in a petition to strike down the state's ban on lobbyists buying meals and gifts for state legislators. The court has not yet ruled.
For obvious reasons, this story has piqued the interest of local legal-eagle bloggers SouthFloridaLawyers and JusticeBuilding, where I read with interest retired state prosecutor Abe Laeser's rather insightful analysis of Hirsch's character.
