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2nd Contempt Charge Spurs Bar To Pull Lawyer's License

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By DAVID SOMMER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 17, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - A lawyer twice jailed after raising the ire of local judges has had her license to practice suspended by the Florida Supreme Court.

Jessica Kathleen Miller is free on $5,000 bail while facing a misdemeanor contempt of court charge for missing a divorce court hearing in December. On Tuesday, the high court suspended her license to practice law in the state at the request of The Florida Bar.

Miller, who turns 30 on Friday and who is married to a Pinellas County sheriff's deputy, already had taken a leave of absence for health reasons when she ran afoul of Circuit Judge Shawn Crane by missing last month's hearing date, said her attorney, Steve Bartlett of Holiday.

Although Tuesday's order requires her to cease representing clients, her practice in Port Richey has been closed for some time, Bartlett said Wednesday.

"The Florida Bar did it for her," taking all of Miller's client files and freezing her trust accounts, he said.

Miller was out of state visiting relatives for the holidays when she missed a hearing in December at which Crane intended to ask her why she broke a promise made in October to turn over more than $28,000 from the sale of a home in the case of Morales v. Morales.

Crane ordered her arrested on the contempt charge. It was the second such arrest for Miller. In August, Circuit Judge Daniel Diskey sentenced her to five days in jail or a $1,000 fine for felony contempt of court, records show.

In that case, Miller chose to pay the fine, and that triggered The Florida Bar investigation that led to Tuesday's suspension. In both contempt cases, Miller spent a short period of time behind bars.

It was the Bar's actions that got Miller in trouble the second time, Bartlett said. By December, Miller had no access to her accounts and had no way of knowing the $28,000 was never transferred to William Morales' new lawyer, he said.

"Up until she went to court for a hearing earlier this month, Jessica thought the money was there and was transferred" in October, Bartlett said.

Assistant State Attorney Mary Handsel, asked to investigate by Crane, told the judge the $28,000 is gone.

"The money was stolen, apparently at an earlier date," Bartlett said Wednesday. "There are numerous suspects, and Jessica will cooperate" with investigators.

Handsel said Wednesday that Miller never reported any thefts from her trust accounts.

Reporter David Sommer can be reached at (727) 815-1087 or dsommer@tampatrib.com.

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