South Florida Personal Injury Blog

Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys Andrew Alitowski and William Moore have been following the Caylee Anthony case since the toddler’s disappearance last summer. In addition to the criminal aspects of case, there are interesting civil implications. A few weeks ago, Caylee’s remains were discovered in a plastic bag in a swampy area near her grandparents’ home, where Caylee and her mother 22-year-old Casey Anthony had lived. Casey Anthony has been charged with the first degree murder of Caylee, as well as giving false statements to police investigating the case, manslaughter, and aggravated child abuse. Casey Anthony did not report her young daughter’s disappearance to local Florida authorities; in fact, police only became aware of the disappearance after the child’s grandmother called law enforcement because her daughter would not tell her the whereabouts of Caylee.

Florida investigators determined that Casey Anthony’s story did not add up. Initially, she explained to investigators that she left the girl with a babysitter by the name of Zenaida Gonzalez. When local law enforcement officials tried to locate Gonzalez at the address Anthony provided, they found a long-vacant apartment. Prosecutors and police believe the tale of Zenaida Gonzalez was entirely a hoax perpetrated by Casey Anthony.

Meanwhile, Zenaida Gonzalez – the real one – has filed a personal injury lawsuit in a Florida court. Gonzalez alleges that she has been defamed by Anthony, which has had a substantial, negative effect on her life, including her ability to find employment. Anthony and Gonzalez were apparently unacquainted when Anthony gave Gonzalez’s name to law enforcement investigators as a lead in Caylee’s disappearance. Gonzalez alleges that her reputation has been tainted by the widely publicized allegation that Caylee was in her care at the time of the child’s death or disappearance.

Anthony’s injury lawyers have indicated that the Zenaida Gonzalez was a different one. The personal injury attorneys representing Gonzalez wanted to take Anthony’s deposition immediately, although she is currently behind bars and awaiting a criminal trial in March. Anthony’s Florida lawyers contended that information from civil defamation proceedings could hurt Anthony’s criminal case and that the civil case should be postponed.

Either way, Judge Jose Rodriguez was not sympathetic to either side during Tuesday’s hearing. Judge Rodriguez admonished both parties, advising them that he would not stand for personal attacks in written motions submitted to the court, telling the personal injury attorneys to "[f]ocus on the law . . . not on personal factors.” At this point in time, a new hearing has not been rescheduled. Anthony has filed a counterclaim against Gonzalez in the same civil case.