Welcome to the NEWSLETTER of Fisher's Law Office, providing you with legal information you can use in your everyday life. If you have questions about what you read in this newsletter, please call us today. In this issue of the Fisher's Law Office Newsletter, we discuss Past Cases Fisher's Law Office Has Handled. If you have questions, don't hesitate to call or send us an e-mail today.

Past Cases Fisher's Law Office Has Handled

Here are some examples of past cases that Fisher's Law Office has handled and the outcome:

Case #1 - A woman is sued to reduce her alimony and she defends herself. An elderly client whose husband had been employed as a truck driver came to Fisher's Law Officw, P.A. She was being sued by her former husband to reduce her $100.00 per week alimony. She offered to lower the alimony to $50.00 a week so as to not go to trial but her former husband insisted on having a trial. After a lengthy, the court awarded her $5,000.00 in attorney's fees and made her former husband continue to pay her the $100.00 a week and ordered him to pay an additional $25.00 a week to make up for the time he had missed paying her during the litigation.

Case #2 - An attorney was sued for divorce by his wife. A well-known attorney from another state who had moved to Florida with his new wife was sued for divorce. He had a properly written Prenuptial Agreement, which his wife challenged. He offered to give her $25,000.00 to leave him alone and to consent to an uncontested divorce. She refused. The case went to an all day trial. During the trial, it came out that the wife had personally corrected grammar and made substantive changes to the Prenuptial Agreement. It was also determined that full financial disclosure had been made. The court upheld the agreement and gave the woman no relief. She also denied the woman all attorneys' fees and Fisher's Law Office's client was very happy. He was divorced and went on with his life.

Case #3 - Fisher's Law Office had a male client who was having his child support deducted from his wages. He discovered that his employer was refusing to pay the money deducted to his former spouse for child support. When Fisher's Law Office filed for a contempt against the former employer, the employer went bankrupt. Fisher's Law Office went to bankruptcy court and had the "stay" lifted in order to impose a jail sentence on the employer. The employer eventually paid all of the child support owed and began to properly deduct and pay over the monies to the client's former wife.

Case #4 - A client who cared for his three children finally had his status as custodial parent confirmed. Fisher's Law Office's client was a very caring man who was caring for his three children without any support from the mother. The mother then sued him for custody and support. Fisher's Law Office was able to negotiate a temporary settlement in which the man's status as custodial parent was confirmed by the court and the issue of child support was deferred until final hearing.

Did You Know...

Tattooing is illegal. Florida Statute 877.04 makes tattooing without a license to practice medicine or dentistry illegal. Anyone who tattoos a human body without such a license can e sent to jail for sixty days.

Florida Statute 877.05 states that whoever kills a calf that is under four weeks old for purposes of sale shall be fined $500.00.

Florida Statute 877.15 makes it a misdemeanor to fail to take reasonable measures to put out a fire when one can do so without a substantial risk.

Florida Statute 877.09 makes it a crime to plug up any sewer system.

Florida Statute 877.16 makes it a crime punishable by a jail term of 60 days to charge for admission or advertise for any exhibition of a deformed animal. If you know of anyone with a deformed animal, you may want to warn them about this law.

You can go to jail for one year if you encounter anyone who has a burn over ten percent of the surface area of their body and fail to report treatment of the person to the local sheriff's office! (See Florida Statute 877.155)

It is a felony under Florida Statute 876.24 to be a member of a "subversive organization". If you know of anyone who is a member of a subversive organization, you may want to dial 911.

Under Florida law, it is a felony if two or more people assemble for the purpose of advocating communism, nazism or facisism. See Florida Statute 876.03. (Also, no one who owns a building may allow anyone to assemble for the purpose of teaching anarchy, communism or nazism or facisism under Florida Statute 876.04).

It is against the law for anyone over 16 years of age to wear a mask and enter on another person's premises. (See Florida Statute 876.14).

Florida Statute 876.15 makes wearing a mask by anyone over 16 years of age illegal at any meeting or demonstration upon the private property of another without written permission to do so. (There is an exception to the above two laws for anyone wearing traditional holiday costimes or attending Gasparilla celebrations.) See Florida Statute 876.16.

Gasparilla Day is a legal holiday in Hillsborough County under Florida Statute 683.98. All government offices and schools may close on this day in Hillsborough County.

Florida Statute 870.05 gives police officers the right to kill anyone who refuses to disburse from an assembly. Moreover, no such officers may be convicted under law if they kill anyone who fails to disburse from an assembly.

House parties outlawed. Florida Statute 856.015 makes it illegal for open house parties to take place if alcoholic beverages are served. There is an exception for religious services even if alcohol is served.

Loitering is now a crime under Florida Statute 856.021. It is illegal for any person to loiter "at any time or in a manner not usual for law abiding individuals…"Anyone who loiters in a manner that is not usual for law abiding individuals shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Under Florida Statute 856.04, any man who shall willfully withhold support for his wife or children is guilty of a felony of the third degree. However, if a man has grounds for divorce, he can withhold support for his wife only.

Florida Statute 877.16 makes it a crime punishable by a jail term of 60 days to charge for admission or advertise for any exhibition of a deformed animal. If you know of anyone with a deformed animal, you may want to warn them about this law.

It is a felony under Florida Statute 876.24 to be a member of a "subversive organization". If you know of anyone who is a member of a subversive organization, you may want to dial 911.

Under Florida Statute 856.04, any man who shall willfully withhold support for his wife or children is guilty of a felony of the third degree. However, if a man has grounds for divorce, he can withhold support for his wife only.

DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE TAX UPDATE

Did you know that the Department of Revenue has forms to allow you to pay your intangible taxes and use taxes for items you order over the Internet? It's true. Contact the Department of Revenue at 1-800-352-3671 so that you can pay your intangible tax and tax on items you purchase over the internet. There is a Tampa service center for those living in Tampa. The phone number is 813-744-6344.

DID YOU KNOW?

Swimming pool fence law - Florida is considering, and will probably pass by the time you read this, the "Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act" which requires all new swimming pools, spas and hot tubs to have gates or fences to protect children. If you build a new swimming pool, make sure that you comply with this new law.

COST OF LIVING - HOW DOES TAMPA RATE?

The average community in America has a cost factor of 100. Tampa's cost factor is 95. New York City is 134. The cheapest place to live in America is Brownsville, Texas, where the index is only 88.

ARE YOU AN ALIEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME?

The Florida Supreme Court will give you two years in which to contest the criminal charges you pled guilty to. You must do this or you will be deported. The reason the Supreme Court is giving aliens two years to contest their criminal cases is that most of them did not receive notice that they could be deported if they pled guilty to the crime. Act now, ask for a new trial if you are an alien who has been convicted of a crime in the past.