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Features
Florida Supreme Court Disciplines 15 Attorneys
Family Of Slain Mother Of Two Maintains Hope
In recent court orders, the Florida Supreme Court disci- plined 15 attorneys. One attor- ney was permanently disbarred, the license of one attorney was revoked, eight at- torneys were suspended, and six were publicly reprimanded. Three of those attorneys are in the Tampa Bay Area.
Danielle E. Weber, of Tampa, has been suspended for 91 days, effective immedi- ately, following an Oct. 29 court order.
Weber represented a client on criminal charges and fell asleep in court, causing the court to defer consideration of the case. She was denied ac- cess to visit clients at a jail be- cause she was impaired due to alcohol and/or other sub- stances.
Weber failed to respond to multiple inquiries from The Florida Bar regarding her con- duct. In addition, Weber pleaded no contest and was adjudicated guilty of a misde- meanor for driving under the influence. In representing an- other client, Weber appeared late to at least one hearing and failed to appear for another.
Garry Lee Potts, of Clear- water, has been suspended until further order, effective 30 days from an Oct. 15 court
order.
Potts was found in con-
tempt of court for failure to re- spond to an official Florida Bar inquiry. He also failed to ap- pear and failed to produce records related to a client as directed in a subpoena served upon him by The Florida Bar.
The Supreme Court granted Andre Keith Sanders’ re- quest for a disciplinary revoca- tion, effective 30 days from a November 5 court order, with leave to seek with leave to seek readmission after five years.
Sanders, of St. Petersburg, had several matters pending including an order entered by the U. S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, permanently and indefinitely terminating his admission to practice, based on findings that Sanders had previously prac- ticed law in that jurisdiction while ineligible.
Disbarred lawyers may not re-apply for admission for five years. They are required to go through an extensive process that includes a rigorous back- ground check and retaking the bar exam.
Historically, fewer than 5 percent of disbarred lawyers seek readmission.
On the morning of Novem- ber 7, 2015, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office re- ported that deputies found the body of 37-year-old Erica Gaffney inside her home on Beechcraft Way in Seffner.
Gaffney’s body was found by her 11-year-old son, and a neighbor reported hearing a disturbance coming from the front of Gaffney’s home.
Detectives said they want to question Dave Allen, 53, who they believe was inside Gaffney’s home at the time of her death.
Detectives have not had any success in locating Allen, but their investigation is continu- ing into the incident.
Gaffney’s grandmother, Ms. Fannie Keith, has as- sumed custody of her two children, and said from what she understands Allen has gone back to his native Ja- maica.
“I think he went to a place
Erica Gaffney and Dave Allen.
he knows and feels comfort- able in. He also is around a lot of people who are probably protecting him.”
Ms. Keith said the children are doing great and they had a nice Christmas.
“Erica’s 18-year-old daughter is doing fine and has found a job. They both miss their mom, but her son was closest to Erica, and still talks about her. It was like they
were joined at the hip.
“This is a tough time for all
of us. Erica’s mother died in 2002, and she handled that pretty good. Right now, all of us are holding on and waiting to see what’s going to hap- pen.”
Ms. Keith said everyone is optimistic that Allen will eventually be picked up and then everyone will find out what happened.
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