Thompson v. The Florida Bar

Filing 136

RESPONSE TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE by John B. Thompson. (Attachments: # 1 # 2)(Thompson, John)

Thompson v. The Florida Bar

Doc. 136 Att. 2

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Wednesday, 26 September 2007 22:25

Decency Advocate Thompson Charged with Indecency
Federal Judge Accuses Evangelist Lawyer of Filing Obscene Pleadings By Bill Meyer, in conjunction and cooperation with Norm Kent Jack Thompson, the evangelical Coral Gables lawyer who is already being prosecuted by the Florida Bar for professional misconduct, has taken a giant leap towards his own disbarment. On Wednesday, a United States District Court Judge, Adalberto Jordan, appointed to the bench by President Bush, ordered Thompson to Show Cause why he should not be held in possible contempt of court. Thompson is accused of filing obscene materials, accessible to the public, with federal pleadings which accuse the Bar of "collaborating" with National Gay News Publisher Norm Kent. Related Links: SlashDot - http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/26/185247 GamePolitics.com - http://www.gamepolitics.com
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Specifically, in a federal civil rights action, Thompson alleges that he is an honorable lawyer fighting to prevent pornography from being distributed to the public, and he, a devout Christian, is being unjustly prosecuted by the liberal Florida Bar, while Norm Kent, "a homosexual lawyer with an activist ACLU agenda" has been given a free ride. To prove his point, Thompson went to the National Gay News website, and proceeded to hit the links to Adult Sites. Once on that page, he opened up one of the informational sites, and then went into their links, saving and downloading allegedly pornographic materials to his home computer, and then filing them electronically on the web with his federal civil rights action. Because there is a link to nationalgaynews.com on the site of Norm Kent's law firm, normkent.com, Thompson has concluded the law practice is a "porn portal." But Thompson, not Kent, is the target of Jordan's order. Neither Kent nor National Gay News are parties in the case. Judge Jordan's order accuses Thompson, who fashions himself as a crusader for decency, of knowingly and willfully distributing obscenity in a public filing, accessible to children, including graphic images of genital and oral sex. The judge further declared Thompson's actions warranted review by the Ad Hoc Committee on Peer Review, which can sanction professional misconduct. Stated the judge, "the very images Thompson found so offensive he wanted another attorney prosecuted for (Kent), he has now displayed on the Court's website," noting the filing was done without permission or a request to seal the documents. Ironically, even though the Florida Bar has gone ahead with numerous complaints against Thompson by various jurists and law firms, they have elected to strike that count of the complaint which was originally filed by NGN Publisher Norm Kent, then acting as counsel for the Howard Stern show and Beasley Broadcasting. Stated Kent, "It has taken seemingly forever, but the Florida Bar and respected jurists are finally catching up with the nightmare that is Jack Thompson, noting that amongst the multitude of charges against him are allegations that Thompson "has interfered with the administration of justice, filed multiple false pleadings, lied brazenly to courts, disparaged and berated judges inappropriately, engaged in blatant misrepresentations, and acts of deceit and dishonesty, as well as threatening litigants without just cause." The various complaints come from three jurists in two states and three counties, as well as reputable law firms representing video game companies and radio stations. "My one count seems minimal compared to what else he is charged with," Kent stated. Thompson's trial is set for late November of this year. "My reward for bringing Thompson's professional misconduct to the Bar's attention is to have had Thompson

file dozens of charges against me" While the Bar has dismissed every one of them with a finding of no probable cause, Kent charges they have been "vindictive, vitriolic, and retailiatory." Publisher Norm Kent is presently in litigation against Jack Thompson in Broward Circuit Court for the second time in three years, suing him for libel, slander, and defamation of character. Thompson is alleged to have called Kent a "drug addict, mentally impaired, a criminal pornographer, and an extortionist." Similar claims cost Thompson $50,000 in 2005, when his insurance company paid Kent that amount of money in order to settle the previous libel lawsuit Today, in federal court pleadings Thompson accused Kent of criminally distributing pornography and demanded the Publisher be arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated. Thompson then wrote an additional letter to the US attorney for the Southern District asking that Kent be jailed, and that Acosta "do his job." Thompson is also facing a Rule to Show Cause why he should not be held in contempt of court in another case involving radio talk show host Neil Rogers. In that cause of action, where Thompson was originally charged with stalking the host, a Broward Circuit Court judge entered a permanent injunction and restraining order against Thompson, protecting Rogers. Thompson responded unsuccessfully by filing a lawsuit against both Norm Kent and Neil Rogers in United States District Court earlier this year. In dismissing the claim as frivolous and without merit, United States District Court Judge Huck ruled that Thompson had made a series of "baseless and wild accusations." Thompson replied by trying to remove Judge Huck from the case, but those motions were thrown out as well. Last month, however, Thompson revealed to video gaming sites across the world the results of mediation discussions he had with the Florida Bar over their present complaints against him. Thompson issued a press release admitting that the Bar, which in 1992 ordered him to go for psychiatric counseling to establish his fitness to practice law, had done so again. In asking that he consent to a suspension from the practice of law for not less than ninety days as a condition of at least one year of probation, the Bar also demanded he enter into a counseling program and receive psychiatric help. Thompson has refused, hiring his own psychiatrist to submit an evaluation declaring him sane. In asking that he consent to a suspension from the practice of law for not less than ninety days as a condition of at least one year of probation, the Bar also demanded he enter into a counseling program and receive psychiatric help. In order to avoid the trial, and the charges thereupon, Thompson has gone to legal extremes. Most recently, he has sued the entire Florida Supreme Court individually, as well as separately suing the judge trying his case. Legal experts expect both cases to be dismissed in the next ten days, as federal courts have no legal right generally to interfere with prosecutions by the Florida Bar. In one instance, the court has dismissed three of Thompson's amended complaints, and in another, he has missed judicial deadlines for filing pleadings on time. "The suits are going nowhere," an NGN source stated, declining to identify himself in order to avoid "an endless barrage of Thompson's emails." Today, Kent reported for the first time that Thompson has been systematically making the National Gay News an issue in the Florida Bar's case against him. "My goal was to avoid all this and let the Bar proceed, but when you get emails which threaten your life one day, and others asking for your arrest, it comes time to expose just what level of professional misconduct Thompson is engaging in," Kent said. "On one hand," Kent said, "he is probably one of our most avid readers. Do you know how much time it must take to go first to our web page, then to our advertisers, then to their links, then to the pictures of their models, then to paste and save them to your own computer, and then to send them out to others. What was it they say about protesting too much?" Even before today's order by Judge Adalberto Jordan, the Florida Supreme Court entered a comparable admonishment on April 12, sending an edict to Thompson that he had improperly and unprofessionally submitted "inappropriate and pornographic materials" with his court pleadings, warning him that a second violation would lead to sanctions.

Kent said he intended to send copies of the April order to Judge Jordan. "He continues to disgrace himself and the court with his legal pleadings. I am simply a witness who will cooperate fully with the Florida Bar to insure that justice is ultimately meted out for Thompson's misconduct. The National Gay News was founded in 2007. The charges against Thompson have been evolving since 2004. We are not responsible for his misconduct and disgrace. He has done that on his own."

http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/1742/173/