A bankruptcy judge has ruled that the two defamation suits against Casey Anthony will proceed in his court and not be moved to the Orange County Circuit where they were initially filed, according to the Sun Sentinel.
The ruling comes from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge K. Rodney May in Tampa, and is considered a victory for Anthony. Her attorneys argued that they wanted the lawsuits handled federally.
Zenaida Gonzalez and Roy Kronk are each suing Anthony for defamation. The cases previously had been progressing in Orange County, until Anthony filed for bankruptcy protection in January.
Gonzalez claims that Anthony harmed her reputation by telling detectives that a nanny with a similar name kidnapped her daughter Caylee in 2008.
Kronk claims that Anthony's defense attorney, Jose Baez, wrongly implicated him in the child's death after he was the one to discover her body.
Gonzalez and Kronk wanted their cases to continue in Orange County Circuit Court, but Anthony's attorneys want the judge to determine if the suits are dischargeable claims before proceeding, which her bankruptcy would then force to be dropped, before determining the merits of the cases themselves.
May stated that Anthony appeared to be "destitute" before a hearing on Tuesday. The judge then questioned the wisdom of spending time on claims for suits that may end up being discharged by the bankruptcy filing.
The judge is giving Gonzalez and Kronk 21 days to file their claims in his court. If the claims still proceed in bankruptcy court, a federal judge may ultimately hear the case.
The attorney for Kronk, Howard Marks, said his client looks forward to his day in court. Marks will be filing a claim in bankruptcy court and will ask to depose Anthony.
Anthony's attorneys said they were happy with the ruling. Anthony didn't attend the hearing and her attorneys didn't provide any information regarding her location or employment status.
Casey Anthony stood trial for murdering her daughter, Caylee, in 2008. She plead not guilt to first-degree murder. The jury found Anthony not guilty, a ruling that was met with public outrage.
CNN report on the ruling.
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