Bar Complaint Against Former Lawyer Picazio Filed By Crystal Sheffiel

[stilettos]

Once again please provide me with links to the court documents that found him guilty on all of these charges. I must of missed it while reading all of the other lies that have been put out there to ruin the reputation of some of the players involved in this case. TYIA

The unabridged version of his arrest and conviction record is here at WS in the stickies. I am not so delusional as to disregard reliable witness statements just because there has yet to be a conviction on the current charges.

 

[petresq_algc]

I agree that KP shouldn't have been posting on any forums without her client's permission. Did she have it? Was it implied, since her own family members and friends of the family were posting all over the place? I can only speak for myself when I say that if I were ever involved in a case, the attorney AND family members/friends posting on the internet would be shown the door.

 

[txsvicki]

I didn't even know that Marie or Crystal were posting, but can understand why they might post on boards. I can't understand why an attorney would though or what purpose it served.

 

[Littleone48]

The unabridged version of his arrest and conviction record is here at WS in the stickies. I am not so delusional as to disregard reliable witness statements just because there has yet to be a conviction on the current charges.

Oh do you mean the version by the person who has admitted to being at the home after 10pm? The one who just "happened" to remember that version of events? Is this the same one that was dragged out of his van after dropping his child off at the bus stop and he was arrested for being under the influence of drugs? Yup I agree the "unabridged version" I am sure

 

[VolLady]

i have to agree about the representation .. i thought that was supposed to be protected and privilaged ect.. if she took the case pro bono it didnt give her the right to spill the beans about cs .. the only ppl she shouldve told were the cops and ppl working on the case ..that were directly involved ..(havnt had time to go through all the posts just yet but ) if im reading correctly she got on here and was posting about crystal ? .. wtf for .. ? and how did the documents between cs and her get in the news and internet .. i dont understand how that can happen but i dont know a whole lot about lawyer stuff .. im just a furniture making stay at home mom .. although i do study lots of medical stuff cuz its interesting to me

Well this is new for me to be defending Kim but this is what happened. Pirate/Marie/Crystal filed a bar complaint on Kim which is public in the state of Florida. One of their complaints was that Kim would not file for a change in custody for Junior. According to the bar, a defense for this would be to show that the filing would be frivolous and a waste of the court's time which attorneys are not supposed to do.

In order to show that, she had to put in her response that she could not file for a change of custody due to those things she knew about Crystal because the case would not succeed. She asked that her response be kept confidential but the Florida Bar did not agree. We only know these things now because of the bar complaint, not because of any posts made by or for Kim here.

 

[petresq_algc]

Well this is new for me to be defending Kim but this is what happened. Pirate/Marie/Crystal filed a bar complaint on Kim which is public in the state of Florida. One of their complaints was that Kim would not file for a change in custody for Junior. According to the bar, a defense for this would be to show that the filing would be frivolous and a waste of the court's time which attorneys are not supposed to do.

In order to show that, she had to put in her response that she could not file for a change of custody due to those things she knew about Crystal because the case would not succeed. She asked that her response be kept confidential but the Florida Bar did not agree. We only know these things now because of the bar complaint, not because of any posts made by or for Kim here.

CS, KP, MG, and Pirate:furious: all live in FL. Certainly they are aware of the Sunshine Laws. It seems that everything in that state is a matter of public record. I think they all knew when the initial complaint was filed, that any and all info contained in it (and the rebuttal from KP) could be made public. It was a chance they took.

 

[elle1919]

So let's see...you are a Mom or Dad in a custody dispute. You have had a DUI that no one is yet aware of...you still drink and sometimes drink when your children are home. Your case makes it's way to the internet and bloggers ask your attorney if you drink or not. Do you actually want your attorney to tell people that yes, you drink...in fact you have a DUI AND you sometimes drink with your children in the home. Yeah..that's what I want. Instead of your attorney saying..hey poster...my client is a straight arrow and does not do what you are saying and I think I can prove it. Better yet, sounds like we are saying a good professional attorney would belly up to the sidebar and spill to the judge all the information that would lose the client custody. THAT is adequate representation....NOT. BTW-if we fired every attorney that lied in their clients favor...there would be no one left to represent anyone.

Stilletto's with all due respect you are talking about a client that did not have custody to lose. She specifically states in her letter that she went to Satsuma to improve the public's opinion of Crystal, More specifically after the onslaught of questions by Nancy Grace. The pictures that were given to Art Harris and then shown on national tv were pictures that DCF already had investigated. They were flashed on national television in the throes of a missing child investigation. How did that protect Crystal's reputation? How did that improve the public's opinion of her? In my opinion it didn't.

We are not talking about what a person's lawyer attests to in court, we are talking about an attorney that CHOSE to join a message forum to improve the opinions of her client. Not only were there lies, but a complete and total misrepresentation of the facts. I have no problem with Kim P protecting Crystal, of course not that is her job, but if she wasn't here posting then she would never have been put in that position in the first place. Crystal is human, and I for one never expected her to be perfect and I would have looked at her no differently than how I looked at Ronald. Problem is I was never given the opportunity to show that because everyone around Crystal was convinced that she wasn't good enough to stand on her own without trying to take the attention off her and deflecting it back on Ronald. I am saddened, but the reality is that this is Crystals world, and Ronald's world, and someone needs to tell them that it isn't to late to do the right thing by their children. Nothing else matters but the safety and happiness of their children.

 

[VolLady]

CS, KP, MG, and Pirate:furious: all live in FL. Certainly they are aware of the Sunshine Laws. It seems that everything in that state is a matter of public record. I think they all knew when the initial complaint was filed, that any and all info contained in it (and the rebuttal from KP) could be made public. It was a chance they took.

I'm sure Kim knew but they lobbed the first shot and she had to respond or be found at fault. I guess the others didn't think the Sunshine Laws would extend to bar complaints but I sure would have checked before I filed one.

 

[Littleone48]

CS, KP, MG, and Pirate:furious: all live in FL. Certainly they are aware of the Sunshine Laws. It seems that everything in that state is a matter of public record. I think they all knew when the initial complaint was filed, that any and all info contained in it (and the rebuttal from KP) could be made public. It was a chance they took.

What makes me angry about this whole thing is that there was an effort to make Ron and his family look like horrible people. It was planned to post lies about them all the while knowing what Crystal was doing and what she had done.

I am not against Crystal at all even after all of this has come out. I think her mother has way too much influence on her. I said that from the very start of this case. IMO Crystal is and has been looking for acceptance from mommy dearest for a very long time. Now it's time for her to put on her big girl panties and make this right. Make this about Haleigh as it should have been from the start. IMO.

 

[petresq_algc]

I'm sure Kim knew but they lobbed the first shot and she had to respond or be found at fault. I guess the others didn't think the Sunshine Laws would extend to bar complaints but I sure would have checked before I filed one.

You would think that the ones filing the complaint would assume that KP would respond. She had to. She would also include evidence/statements/emails etc. in her response. Are they surprised this info came out? If so, why? They filed a claim in FL and should have known that it would be made public. :waitasec:

 

[VolLady]

Elle, at the time Kim showed those pictures, she didn't know it had already been investigated. I think that was her first or second day there. I don't know what would be proper to do then. Do you go back on Nancy Grace & apologize that your client didn't tell you the truth?

I agree it would be better for her to not have posted here, but Pirate brought this on Marie & Crystal, not Kim. She made Crystal look much better until backed into a corner with no choice but to reply.

Now I'm going to hush before I ruin my Ronette street creds.

 

[bisaillon]

I just want to say that this whole thing sickens me..literally.Grown people acting this way
(Kim and CS!) This world is full of drama...what gets lost in it all..is HALEIGH....Pathetic

 

[petresq_algc]

What makes me angry about this whole thing is that there was an effort to make Ron and his family look like horrible people. It was planned to post lies about them all the while knowing what Crystal was doing and what she had done.

I am not against Crystal at all even after all of this has come out. I think her mother has way too much influence on her. I said that from the very start of this case. IMO Crystal is and has been looking for acceptance from mommy dearest for a very long time. Now it's time for her to put on her big girl panties and make this right. Make this about Haleigh as it should have been from the start. IMO.

BBM ~

Unfortunately, I think that is a chance you take when you allow a rumor thread. I don't think there was anything that could be done to avoid it. We knew before reading it that none of it was proven, no links required, locals interpretations, etc. and to make our own decisions on whether we believed it or not. I chose not to, but many did.

 

[txsvicki]

I can see why Kim P. decided not to help file for custody of Jr., but part of the complaint was that she didn't do anything about getting the child support lowered or suspended. Since the lady in Texas paid the arrears, it seems like it wouldn't have been that difficult to get into court to request support modifications then consider the custody at a later date. I can definitely see why Crystal would be upset about that.

 

[elle1919]

Elle, at the time Kim showed those pictures, she didn't know it had already been investigated. I think that was her first or second day there. I don't know what would be proper to do then. Do you go back on Nancy Grace & apologize that your client didn't tell you the truth?

I agree it would be better for her to not have posted here, but Pirate brought this on Marie & Crystal, not Kim. She made Crystal look much better until backed into a corner with no choice but to reply.

Now I'm going to hush before I ruin my Ronette street creds.

What is a Ronette?

I understand what the circumstances were when Kim arrived in Satsuma and I can also sympathize with her after reading the response to Crystal. I am just saying that in my opinion she should have made certain that she was accurately representing the facts before she spoke of child abuse in the middle of a missing child investigation. This wasn't her first rodeo I seen and heard of her credentials. And she was no more forced to reply than I am when I quote a post and give my opinion. Kim owed no explanation to anyone of her client. But hindsight is 20/20 and to dwell on all this will keep our feet stuck in the mud. I just wish all this could have came out sooner because in my opinion there is a lot of lost time to make up for.

 

[Shawdy]

Stilletto's with all due respect you are talking about a client that did not have custody to lose. She specifically states in her letter that she went to Satsuma to improve the public's opinion of Crystal, More specifically after the onslaught of questions by Nancy Grace. The pictures that were given to Art Harris and then shown on national tv were pictures that DCF already had investigated. They were flashed on national television in the throes of a missing child investigation. How did that protect Crystal's reputation? How did that improve the public's opinion of her? In my opinion it didn't.

We are not talking about what a person's lawyer attests to in court, we are talking about an attorney that CHOSE to join a message forum to improve the opinions of her client. Not only were there lies, but a complete and total misrepresentation of the facts. I have no problem with Kim P protecting Crystal, of course not that is her job, but if she wasn't here posting then she would never have been put in that position in the first place. Crystal is human, and I for one never expected her to be perfect and I would have looked at her no differently than how I looked at Ronald. Problem is I was never given the opportunity to show that because everyone around Crystal was convinced that she wasn't good enough to stand on her own without trying to take the attention off her and deflecting it back on Ronald. I am saddened, but the reality is that this is Crystals world, and Ronald's world, and someone needs to tell them that it isn't to late to do the right thing by their children. Nothing else matters but the safety and happiness of their children.

Hi guys! I just finished reading the document dump. Whoa. Since it's fresh in my mind, I wanted to respond to one issue in this post. With regard to the pictures of Haleigh's black eye, etc., Kim said in her papers that she was asked by Marie to give a lot of info to the media to hurt Ron's rep. Kim said she did not feel comfortable complying with Marie's every request. Further, Kim said that it was AFTER she showed the abuse photos that she became aware that the DCFS already had investigated this, and cleared Ron. The clients I guess FORGOT to tell her this pretty important fact. She had egg on her face, she implied. At least that's what I got out of the documents.

If an attorney isn't given truthful info by her clients, the lawyer can't represent them well. I'd sure hate to have gone on Nancy Grace and been chewed up like that because of something my client was hiding from me. I'd blame the lawyer for not doing her homework on this one, but these DCFS complaints are highly confidential. NO ONE can get copies of them. I remember trying to get one for my ex husband, but it was not allowed.

 

[Shawdy]

I can see why Kim P. decided not to help file for custody of Jr., but part of the complaint was that she didn't do anything about getting the child support lowered or suspended. Since the lady in Texas paid the arrears, it seems like it wouldn't have been that difficult to get into court to request support modifications then consider the custody at a later date. I can definitely see why Crystal would be upset about that.

It said in the docs that she couldn't get Crystal to get her the necessary paperwork. There was email after email of Kim trying to get this from Crystal or Marie, but they never got it to her. In one email, Kim sounded pretty PO'ed, and said that even Ron's attorney was waiting to get the paperwork from them, but they weren't responding to her. There was like 4-5 emails on this of Kim trying to get Crystal to get her some necessary paperwork. IDK.

 

[Shawdy]

What makes me angry about this whole thing is that there was an effort to make Ron and his family look like horrible people. It was planned to post lies about them all the while knowing what Crystal was doing and what she had done.

I am not against Crystal at all even after all of this has come out. I think her mother has way too much influence on her. I said that from the very start of this case. IMO Crystal is and has been looking for acceptance from mommy dearest for a very long time. Now it's time for her to put on her big girl panties and make this right. Make this about Haleigh as it should have been from the start. IMO.

I totally agree with everything you posted. However, if you think about it, Kim wasn't hired to be neutral or unbiased. She was hired to make her client look good. How can you do that with a client like she had? Her only choice was to shine the bad light on the other side. Kim wasn't hired as a child advocate, or even an advocate for Haleigh. She was hired to make Crystal smell like a Rose, and to get custody from Crystal's ex.

If I was in that predicament, and my lifestyle was like Crystals, I guess I'd want a bulldog. Not a mouse. KWIM?

 

[Littleone48]

I totally agree with everything you posted. However, if you think about it, Kim wasn't hired to be neutral or unbiased. She was hired to make her client look good. How can you do that with a client like she had? Her only choice was to shine the bad light on the other side. Kim wasn't hired as a child advocate, or even an advocate for Haleigh. She was hired to make Crystal smell like a Rose, and to get custody from Crystal's ex.

If I was in that predicament, and my lifestyle was like Crystals, I guess I'd want a bulldog. Not a mouse. KWIM?

I agree 100% with what you have said. The only part that bothers me is the lies that were put out there for the soul purpose of making Ron look bad and Crystal getting custody of Jr. It really shouldn't have been about that at the time. It should have been ALL about Haleigh.

It just makes me wonder why Crystal and her side made the focus on getting custody of Jr. Was this so when Haleigh came home that she would go with Crystal? Things that make me go hmm.

I think KP did what she was suppose to do however there is a fine line between truth and fiction and I think she crossed this line. Does that make her a good lawyer? I have to think about that.

 

[RR0004]

bbm

The specific wording that "drug addiction/seizures prevented her (Picazio) from filing a petition for a change in custody" is quite interesting. It is not worded as "drug addiction and seizures". To me, this implies a relationship between the two, and some drugs can lead to seizures.

Thanks. To me it just looks like someone trying to inflict damage...how to phrase something to do the most harm. Sad.