Attorney Reid M. Hart's Legal Cases

Criminal defense

State vs. A.H.

Apr 24, 2017

OUTCOME: Dismissal of All Charges

Our client was accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with more than five (5) women over the course of six (6) months. As is sometimes the case, only one of the alleged incidents was reported a ... t the time it supposedly occurred, as the others were said to have occurred sometime during the several months prior. All of the women who made allegations against our client were his coworkers at the time of the alleged incidents, and claimed the assaults occurred during work hours at their mutual place of employment. After our client was arrested and details of the investigation were made available to us through the discovery process, we began our own investigation into the facts and circumstances of each claim, and quickly discovered tremendous inconsistencies as to each version of events. In addition to these credibility issues, we were able to prove that all of the women lied about not having communication with each other during the initial investigation of their claims—a fact we were able to prove after obtaining phone records, which showed hundreds of texts and calls between all of the alleged victims, as well as others who were listed as witnesses in each case. Our investigation further illustrated that the reason these women were making these false allegations was in hopes of filing a lawsuit against their employer for a big payday. At the conclusion of our investigation, nearly three years after the allegations were made, the case(s) were set for trial. However, in recognition of the many issues we discovered during our investigation of each allegation, the State Attorney’s Office dismissed ALL charges against our client on the morning of jury selection. Though the road to justice was a long one, our belief in our client’s innocence never wavered, and we are proud to say our client walked away a “free man.”

Criminal defense

State vs. R.W.

Jan 20, 2017

OUTCOME: Dismissed

The state of Florida alleged that our client, a nurse at a local clinic, sent an electronic prescription order to a local pharmacy, seeking to have a prescription filled for himself. The ordering proce ... ss required our client to confirm that a medical doctor was consulted and that he or she authorized the filling of the prescription, as required by law. Subsequently, our client had the prescription filled and personally picked it up at the pharmacy. Later that year, during an annual audit, the clinic discovered what they believed to be a discrepancy in their records, which indicated that the doctor who authorized our client’s prescription had not actually done so. Following a cursory internal investigation, the clinic administrators called law enforcement to report the supposed fraudulent prescription. During that investigation, the doctor was asked whether he recalled the conversation with our client in which he provided the necessary authorization, at which point he apparently told them, "no." Based on that statement, our client was arrested and charged for obtaining a controlled substance by fraud (which also triggered a suspension of his nursing license pending the results of the criminal case). During our investigation, we spoke with several clinic employees, including another doctor who worked in the clinic, who provided statements that the record-keeping practices at the clinic were highly unorganized, and that it was not uncommon for doctors to provide verbal authorization for prescriptions when they knew the patient and their medical history (as was the case for our client, who worked there). When confronted with this information at his deposition, the doctor admitted that he "did not recall" authorizing the prescription, but agreed that it was completely possible that he did, and simply forgot. He further agreed that the electronic prescription order was submitted according to the proper procedures for a lawfully authorized prescription, and that there was otherwise no reason to suspect the prescription was fraudulent based on how it was obtained. Based on our investigation of the case, after more than a year of litigation, the state ultimately agreed to dismiss the case. Following that dismissal, our client's nursing license was fully reinstated so he could find another nursing position and move on with his life.

DUI and DWI

State vs. D.S.

Dec 01, 2016

OUTCOME: Jury Verdict: Not Guilty

Our client was arrested for their 2nd DUI within 6 years upon being stopped by a police officer for running a light red in front of the officer. The officer noted that our client's breath smelled like ... alcohol, and that our client had slurred speech, bloodshot/watery eyes, etc. Our client also admitted to having 5-6 beers that night. The DUI officer called to the scene was a certified Drug Recognition Expert ("DRE"), and arrested our client following the administration of field sobriety exercises. Our client thereafter refused to provide a breath sample after being transported to the jail. At trial, we were able to expose the weaknesses of the arresting officer's investigation, which made it clear that he never gave our client a fair chance and completely failed to consider any other reasons for the way our client appeared that night. We were also able to show the jury that our client performed the field sobriety exercises exceptionally well, contrary to the officer's own conclusion on the night of our client's arrest. At the end of trial, the jury took less than 15 minutes before returning a verdict of NOT GUILTY.

DUI and DWI

State vs. S.T.

N/A

OUTCOME: Jury Verdict: Not Guilty

The Defendant's vehicle was stopped for driving the wrong way on a one way street. According to law enforcement, the Defendant was arrested after performing poorly on Field Sobriety Tests. During sub ... sequent testing, the Defendant had marijuana and valium in their system to go along with a low breath alcohol level. Due to the factual issues presented in the case, it was taken to a jury trial where the Defendant was found Not Guilty.

DUI and DWI

State vs. J.T.

N/A

OUTCOME: DUI Reduced to Reckless Driving

Defendant was stopped at a local Air Force Base after attempting to give the guard at the gate $1.00, believing it to be a toll booth. Law enforcement was called to the scene due to suspicion that the ... Defendant was DUI. An investigation was conducted and the Defendant was ultimately arrested after performing poorly on Field Sobriety Tests. A subsequent breath test produced a breath alcohol level of .22. Due to the various legal issues we presented to the State Attorney's Office throughout the case, the charge was later reduced to Reckless Driving.

Violent crime

State vs. Tr.B.

N/A

OUTCOME: Jury Verdict: Not Guilty

Defendant was charged with Kidnapping with a Firearm, an offense punishable by life in prison. The Defendant was accused of being one of four individuals who held the alleged victim in a house at gunp ... oint over a prior drug debt. The victim claimed they were beaten and threatened with their life over the course of several hours in the home. The case ultimately went to a jury trial where the Defendant was found Not Guilty.

Criminal defense

State vs. Ty.B.

N/A

OUTCOME: Motion for New Trial Granted

The Defendant was charged with two counts of Felony Battery. The case went to a jury trial where the Defendant was ultimately found Guilty on both counts and sentenced to six years in prison. However ... , a Motion for New Trial was filed arguing that false evidence introduced at trial by the prosecutor prevented the Defendant from receiving a fair trial. The trial Judge agreed and granted our Motion for New Trial. The Defendant later entered a No Contest plea and received a time-served disposition (no further jail time).

Reid M. Hart's Legal Cases (7)

State vs. A.H.

State vs. R.W.

State vs. D.S.

State vs. S.T.

State vs. J.T.

State vs. Tr.B.

State vs. Ty.B.