From “TOT MOM” to “TORT MOM”

Nancy Grace famously penned Casey Anthony “Tot Mom” throughout the murder trial of the century this summer.  Now it seems it may be more appropriate to call Anthony “Tort Mom,” for she has clearly—and admittedly—done wrong.

Multiple entities have come forth demanding money from Casey Anthony.  No, the damages are not for the death of her daughter Caylee, of which she was acquitted earlier this summer.  The reason for the requested financial compensation stems from the fact that Anthony misled police and search/rescue teams for months, instructing them on the “possible” whereabouts of her daughter Caylee, when she knew for a fact that Caylee lay deceased in a swamp ground near her parents’ home.  Despite being found “Not Guilty” of the main charges of murder, manslaughter and neglect, Tort Mom was found guilty of misleading police and she was sentenced to serve four years in jail.  She was released days later, however, having been given time served for the time she spent incarcerated during her trial and for good behavior.  But the repercussions for her lying may just be getting started.

Texas Equusearch, and its founder Tim Miller, are suing Casey Anthony for $100,000.00, the amount they claim the search group spent during its naïve efforts to bring Caylee home.  The group asserts that it spent money (as well as time and energy) looking for the little girl because of information given to them by Casey Anthony—information known to be false by Casey Anthony.  Miller has said that other families of missing children had to conduct their searches without the help of Texas Equusearch, which allocated a great deal of itself to the search for Caylee Anthony, while her mother, Casey, knew she was nowhere to be found alive.

In addition to Texas Equusearch, Florida Sherriff’s detectives are asking to be recompensed by Tort Mom as well.  They have asked the Court in Orange County, Florida to demand that Anthony repay them the $293,123.77 that they spent searching for her daughter when she knew all along that her daughter would not be found in any of the places she told them (or Texas Equusearch) to look.  The $293,123.77 is what Lt. Zambouros of Orange County Sheriff’s Office said the criminal investigation division’s work on this case added up to.  Furthermore, state prosecutors are seeking compensation for the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement’s expenses through investigation totaling $71,939.56 and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation’s expenses which amounted to $10,645.38.

It may be the case that Anthony is found guilty of an intentional tort.  That is, Anthony could possibly be found to have violated these groups’ legally recognized rights to freedom from deception by engaging in misrepresentation and fraud.  While Anthony did not intend for a specific consequence of her deceptive stories, she did intend for quite the opposite (and equal) outcome: that the groups would find nothing based on her contributions, and that did end up being the case.  As Newton’s Third Law argues, “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”  So based on Florida Tort Law and Isaac Newton’s third law, Casey Anthony may be up a creek (or down a creek, wherever she is).

Hopefully you’re never in a position to have to deal with a tortfeasor (wrongdoer) such as Casey Anthony, but if you do feel that you have experienced harm (whether it bodily, emotional or financial) due to the wrongdoing of another, please contact the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg.  You may call us at 561-266-9191 or email us at daronberg@build.simple.biz.

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