I have been looking around the web at blogs this weekend and came up with this question. What Polarizes Bloggers on High Profile Cases from Anna Nicole Smith to Haleigh Cummings and Caylee Anthony?

There seems to be few out there with an open mind to follow the legal paperwork, let Google be your friend and make up your own mind of what is the truth for you; or has that been done already?

Whether it is Anna Nicole Smith with the pro Howard K. Stern bloggers on TMZ.com or the Virgie Arthur bloggers on Topix.net, few seem to be open about either side. It has become a hate festival with each side bashing the other and when Court papers come out reading through them and declaring a victory for “their side”…

I have now went out and done the same with bloggers on Haleigh Cummings and Caylee Anthony and found them just as divided and polarized with few bloggers still open to facts. For instance in the Caylee Anthony investigation we now have the 5 inch piece of brown hair found that DNA cannot match it to Caylee Anthony, her mother Casey Anthony, the Anthony family and even the crime scene investigators. I would think this would cause many to back up and take a second look, who does that hair belong to? Added to that you have the FBI lab contaminating the duct tape so any evidence on that is now useless. However with all those new revelations in the past week has any blogger decided to back up and take a second look? If so I cannot find them. They spin it to their side and bash the other side or even those still open minded for being dumb or having an agenda.

Then you have Haleigh Cummings, a case that has been spun out of control by Infotainment “News” as the newest hot story. We see the same players, Greta Van Susteren, Geraldo Rivera and Nancy Grace, each competing for the “bombshell or exclusive only here”, but what they talk about is all over the news by the time they come on at night. So there is neither new evidence, an exclusive and/or a bombshell, only bottom line ratings. We are now seeing lawyers in that case, like the Casey Anthony case; beginning to remove themselves from these cases or have bar complaints and then the defense of the lawyers and not the case becomes the focal point.

In Anthony’s case it is Jose Baez for Casey Anthony being reported by the D. A. with what seems to be ongoing never ending complaints against Jose Baez. In the Cummings case we have a lawyer now saying that because in the beginning things were going so bad that, Kim Picazio the attorney for Haleigh’s mother, Crystal Sheffield, had a media consultant who assisted Crystal Sheffield and the legal team, lending their expertise and advice on the strategic placement and release of information to turn around the negative press Crystal Sheffield was receiving. Crystal Sheffield and Kim Picazio spent a great deal of time with their media consultant. “The release of information, or breaking news, in a high media case, must be preplanned, time-sensitive, and intentional,” said Ms. Picazio. Ms. Kim L. Picazio is out of the Haleigh Cummings case and has been cleared by the Florida State Bar of any wrongdoing.

We have seen a lot of that here at Rose Speaks.com in relations to all cases connected to Anna Nicole Smith and I still find it a phenomenal situation with the new instant news of celebrity or high profile cases on the internet.

In public filings by Ms. Picazio she gives her insight about the lawyer turned media spokesperson for a family member in one of these cases saying; “As the spokesperson for Crystal Sheffield, the release of positive information to the public, whether on the internet, or to other media sources, in furtherance her best interest or desired results. …

…The very nature of the role of a “media spokesperson” is different in kind than most other roles customarily served by an attorney. It requires the disclosure of information customarily thought of as “off limits” to the public and/or your opponents. This job requires more than showing up at media interviews. It requires complex strategy, intelligent calculation, finding and maintaining inside sources for information, and trusted contacts who can be your eyes and ears for the “feel” of the public. Damning information about a client that is swirled around the Internet will surely be aired in national headlines, and can devastate your client’s image, credibility, case or cause. Disclosures of information are aimed at directing, it was imperative that we kept key contacts in law enforcement, the community, the media, as well as on the internet, to properly counter many unflattering stories which could have destroyed Crystal’s credibility and chances of ever having custody of her children. Quite simply, guiding, directing and dodging the release of information from your client’s detractors, is an intensely calculated process in a high media case. The parties were involved in a high media tragedy, and “fault” and “blame” for the disappearance of Haleigh Cummings is still being discussed nationwide. Disclosures of this nature were done in the obvious effort to steer suspicions away from her as a suspect in her daughter’s disappearance, raise her public image, and gain an advantage in the very public custody issues that were being televised each day on the news.”

[These] “cases have created a nationwide obsession, and it continues to be a prime topic in local and national news, and internet crime news sites.”

Ms Picazio goes on to say; “The internet is essentially where a growing number of the general public gets their news every day. I received thousands of emails from the public commenting on the Crystal Sheffield/Haleigh Cummings matter, some of which even told me how to better put on my make-up. The public sent tips, leads, support, well-wishes and sometimes screaming insults, my way.”

Then Ms. Picazio addresses the new phenomena of internet bloggers saying; “… [That both Ms. Picazio and] Crystal Sheffield, have suffered libelous attacks on their reputations by internet bloggers, and avant guard journalists.” [You have to] “always attempt to protect your client from these types of self-serving intruders who would befriend the family, or members of the legal team, only to be secretly feeding a hidden agenda for fame, fortune, or the notoriety. From the inception of the Haleigh Cummings case, scheming bloggers have sought the coveted “inside scoop”, attempting to befriend family members, journalists, and law enforcement officers.”

[Lawyers now] “have to have sophisticated computer equipment installed, and often staff member will “catch” fishing expeditions from bloggers attempting to get an email back from the legal team/spokesperson. Emails are easily edited, and on many occasions, you will catch these schemes as they were being planned in chat rooms dedicated to the Haleigh case.”

… “Insidious bloggers can be devastating to a client in modern-day high media cases.”

Ms Picazio finishes her thoughts on bloggers by saying; “Often fanatical about missing children’s cases, bloggers spend countless hours “sleuthing” information about all people connected to the case, call and write to authorities with rumors for false tips, and try to become personally close with insiders or family members involved in the case. The most coveted information source for a blogger is to obtain insider information directly from a family member in a case. Unfortunately, the Crystal Sheffield/Haleigh Cummings matter is a prime example of the intrusion and disruption caused by modern-day, fanatical bloggers, who go to great lengths for an “inside scoop” in high media cases. The internet and manipulative bloggers was, and remains, a hurdle to contend with in the Haleigh Cummings case by all involved. There have been countless news articles on the subject of the internet frenzy that plagues the Haleigh case and investigators. The Haleigh Cummings case is the most active criminal investigation blogged about on the internet to date, other than the Caylee Anthony matter. Although I was surely not obsessed with blogging, the internet frenzy was a very real fact and hazard that existed in the case.”

I found Ms. Picazio thoughts expressed to the Florida State Bar something to ponder. Is this the new typical “blogger”? As you know we have had bloggers cross state lines to take pictures of our home just because. We have read where bloggers where doing screen shots or even sending things from Rose Speaks.com to lawyers in the Anna Nicole Smith cases only to find out later from the lawyers, they would never use something obtained in that way. So are bloggers the next step in reporting news or are bloggers angry people who take out that anger towards the world behind the safety of a computer screen in these high profile cases? Do we all need to “own our words”?

NEWEST PAPERS FILED IN CASES WE ARE FOLLOWING:

April 26, 2010 Notice of Hearing for the Motion for Continuance set in Harris County for May 7, 2010 at 11:30 A. M.

April 26, 2010 Art Harris Supplement Motion for Protective Order.

Be sure to participate in our MEMBERS ONLY FORUMS, get the most out of the site by learning your way around in the forums where you can safely discuss things you do not want to see copied and pasted on another site.

©Rose Turner
April 26, 2010
All Rights Reserved, do not reproduce in whole or in part without the express written consent of the author.

The expressions in this blog article are based on the opinions of Rose Turner or our featured authors, please remember we are not lawyers and those opinions expressed here are each of our individual opinions and should not be taken as legal advice and/or legal opinions. The comments following this blog article are the opinions and sole property of the blog site members and do not necessarily reflect those of the site owners.

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Tags: Anna Nicole Smith, avant guard journalists, Casey Anthony, Caylee Anthony, Celebrity Trials, contaminating DNA, criminal investigation blogged, Crystal Sheffield, Crystal Sheffield - Haleigh Cummings, Florida State Bar, Geraldo At Large, Geraldo Rivera, Greta -On The Record, Greta Van Susteren, Haleigh Cummings, high media case, high media tragedy, High Profile Trials, Infotainment, Infotainment News, inside scoop, internet bloggers, internet frenzy, Jose Baez, Kim L. Ms. Picazio esq., Kim Picazio, lawyer spokesperson, manipulative bloggers, media consultant, media consultant High Profile Cases, Ms. Picazio, Nancy Grace, Nancy Grace Headline News, nternet frenzy, obsessed with blogging, Polarizes Bloggers, scheming bloggers, self-serving intruders, spokesperson for a family, TMZ.com, Topix

With a head line like that you can just imagine where this article is going.

I woke up this morning to a bunch of B. S. in my in box and was sure this was a surreal Trick or Treat Halloween prank and a pretty good one I thought. That is until I realized it was REAL and then the anger and feeling sick began to settle in.

We have Rita Cosby’s good friend, James Edstrom, writing on his “gossip site” today that at a party or nightclub he was at in December 2007 that O’Quinn was, “Two Sheets to the Wind”. We are please to say because of a tad of nudging by Rose Speaks.com, Edstrom cleaned up his article and gave Mr. O’Quinn the credit he deserved and took away the New York style of bragging when you really can’t remember for sure what happened.

The Houston Chronicle is now reporting that John O’Quinn was driving at a high rate of speed when his SUV became airborne and impaled on a t tree killing O’Quinn and Johnny Cutliff instantly. The Houston Police Department has turned the investigation over to it’s “Vehicle Crimes” department for a thorough investigation. That department said although the road was slightly wet it would not have caused the type of accident that killed O’Quinn and Johnny Cutliff unless O’Quinn had been traveling at a high rate of speed. They have recovered John O’Quinn’s cell phone from the wreckage and with that and the black box from the SUV they hope to have some answers next week. It will take several weeks to get the toxicology reports back, but police said it did not appear that any medication etc. was involved in the fatal crash. Which brings up a question I have. We have all heard the stories of a police officer placing a speeding ticket in the pocket of a speeder killed in a vehicle accident, could a posthumous charge apply to O’Quinn for the death of Johnny Cutliff? Mr. O’Quinn’s funeral will be on November 4, 2009 at 11 AM at the Second Baptist Church in Houston with a showing open to the public from 4PM to 8 PM on November 3. We do not have the funeral arrangements yet for Mr Cutliff but as soon as we do we will list it here for those of his friends whom have asked us to keep them updated.

With John O’Quinn now dead the fear of Houston publications being sued by this giant of a man literally and figuratively. They appear to be beginning understanding that and so slowly they are printing “their truth” about O’Quinn. Some if it includes that; “The death of John O’Quinn in a single-car vehicle crash abruptly and prematurely ended the saga of a man as big and brash and full of contradictions as his native city.” The Houston Chronicle article went on to say in part; “Like Houston — a brilliant, rambunctious city that sometimes seems to have a chip on its shoulder — the 68-year-old, 6-foot-4 O’Quinn combined great achievement, wealth and generosity with a gnawing insecurity. In this brilliant, rambunctious lawyer’s case, it took the form of alcohol abuse and a tendency to push his practice of law beyond his acknowledged courtroom brilliance to the ethical boundaries of the profession.”

“…O’Quinn was demonized by tort reform advocates as a symbol of frivolous lawsuits and outrageously large damage awards. … O’Quinn established himself as a premier plaintiff’s lawyer in a city renowned for its legal giants. Yet he rarely seemed at peace with that status, trying to fill a void that money and fame could not reach. In recent years, O’Quinn’s friends say he found a measure of contentment and stability. Even so, it’s hard to imagine this most dynamic of Houstonians ever wanting to rest in peace.” Many in Texas say that John O’Quinn almost single handed was the motivation for tort reform in Texas and thus Texas is now a safe haven for doctors to practice and not have to pay a fortune for malpractice insurance.

Virgie Arthur, Anna Nicole Smith’s estranged mother, will be making her first public interview since the Inquest into Daniel Smith’s death in 2008. Ms. Arthur has returned to a trusted allied in Geraldo Rivera to do the interview. It is ironic the interview will on Halloween night, kind of fits Geraldo’s bizarre sensationalism. Ms. Arthur is expected to talk about her personal loss with John O’Quinn’s death. Knowing Geraldo though I am willing to bet the conversation will cross over to her enemy Howard K. Stern being bound over for trial in California with two of Smith’s doctors, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich with the third arraignment of the three scheduled for December 11. Surely as a “lawyer” (cough – cough) Gerlado knew this was to be expected and is no real win which equals high fives for his participation in this “alleged” lynching. So be sure and set your clocks for Geraldo, have a glass of red wine and see how Geraldo turns all of this into sensational infotainment for the All Mighty Dollar, [advertising revenue]. Does Geraldo, you think, ever feel any shame or is the nature of infotainment is those who bring in the advertising dollars get to keep their much lusted after shows?

Then there is Harvey Levin, the Jewish gay lawyer/journalist that has made internet sensationalism via his celebrity gossip blog into a way to bring in tons of money via advertising. Are we seeing a picture emerge here that involved infotainment and dollar signs? There are plenty of allegations around Hollyweird, we have learned, that Levin, if our source is correct and the allegations are true, also shares one thing with Anna Nicole Smith – an addiction to Methadone. Isn’t he just a tad afraid that feel good Jerry Brown might hone in on him next?

Levin, since Anna Nicole Smith’s death, has hardly held back his personal disdain for Howard K. Stern while showing favor in positive articles for his “good friend”, Larry Birkhead. Levin and his staff have allowed, since 2007, many – many posts of anti-Semitism and right down hate for Stern to flourish uncontrolled on TMZ.com and often fed by Harvey Levin via TMZ.com.

The sickest example of this lust for that all mighty advertising dollar, is the horrid reference to the now infamous Anna Nicole Smith’s clown video that has been released in public discovery in both the New York defamation suit of Howard K. Stern vs. Rita Cosby but also as of yesterday the California criminal proceedings.

If one is to believe what Harvey Levin appears to be alleging about Anna Nicole Smith in her ninth month of pregnancy, then we must assume Levin is implying that Dannielynn Birkhead was born suffering from the effects of multiple drug addictions. Now how is Levin going to explain that one to his good friend Larry Birkhead? Perhaps the free face time and positive press he has always lavish on Birkhead will be enough for Birkhead to forgive what Levin appears to saying in his most recent allegations involving the infamous clown tape and Howard K. Stern.

I bet this morning or yesterday, Levin was beating himself up for not buying that tape himself at the time he bought the photos of the refrigerator from the Bahamas home known as Horizons; the infamous unfilled fax for medication from Dr. Eroshevich to Dr. Kapoor just days after Daniel Smith, Anna Nicole’s son, died. Then of course there are those continuous changing and selling of affidavits by the nannies which neither the National Inquirer or Birkhead found to be believable but Levin bought them right up for publication on TMZ. Do you feel sorry that Levin let the infamous clown video slip through his greedy hands?

Harvey have you not been watching the preliminary hearing and the sharpness of Stern’s criminal attorney Steve Sadow? My bet is you ain’t seen nothing yet, and get some new news not the recycle bull shit appearing on your web celebrity slamming blog site. You like all of us knew Stern and the two doctors would be bound over for trial, so why the cheap shots by you? Oh yea I forgot that constant chase for the illusive advertising dollars in a shaky economy.

Finally we have Lin Wood playing with Georgia Attorney Susan M. Brown a frustrating game for him called “where are the hard drives”.

In the latest filings in the South Carolina federal court the Estate of Anna Nicole Smith is asking for contempt charges and sanctions against G. Ben Thompson and his “former” attorney, Susan M. Brown.

In more of the excerpt of Brown’s deposition released with the October 29 filing, you have to wonder where Brown got her law license. Now to think that Wood made a comment about Texas lawyers lacking ethics, I bet he is feeling a Georgia lawyer is also a tad shy of ethics today.

As you read the excerpt with again some pages redacted, at the end do you have any clear idea of “where are the hard drives”?

I came away scratching my head after seeing so many attorneys in the deposition of Susan M. Brown in person and by phone distancing themselves from Brown in what has to be an old time record of “we don’t have them, do you”, behavior, of “where’s the hard drives”.

What does happen to an attorney if it is proven that she did commit a crime of fraud as the Memorandum from the Georgia Court ordering her to appear for a deposition states and proves to be true?

There is the Motion for Contempt, the Memorandum of Law in support of the contempt and sanctions, new exhibits to read, some old exhibits referred to and the excerpt of Lin Wood trying to pin a room full of lawyer down to “Where are the hard drives” in a game which is funny and sad at the same time.

Ah the continued entwining of all things Anna Nichol Smith and the money and publicity she has continued to earn in death. Do you think the Georgia attorney, Susan M. Brown is being investigated for ethics violations in Georgia as well as the charges she faces in South Carolina?

Ms. Brown as does Gaither Thompson II, Gina Thompson Shelley and Melody Thompson have to file their answers by November 16 after being added to the lawsuit in place of a few Doe names. We also have a far more serious filing from Brown due on November 16, the Contempt of Court and Request for Sanctions against both her and her previous, or is she still his current lawyer, G. Ben Thompson. Ah to be a fly on the wall when that hearing finally takes place.

Is Anna Nicole Smith more famous in death then she ever was in life? Has her death created a new piranha feeding frenzy not seen before in the land of gossip and infotainment?

I’ll get back with all of you after I force myself to watch Geraldo, I really don’t like the guy. I wonder how Virgie Arthur looks after being out of the lime light for the last 18 months.

We will have all of the latest documents listed by date and court here today. Check back and remember that the downloads are opened to ALL not just members of Rose Speaks.com.

October 29, 2009 Anna Nicole Smith’s Estate Motion for Contempt and Sanctions against G. Ben Thompson and lawyer Susan Brown for keeping Estate property and copies of property WAY after the Court Ordered all property and copies of property to be returned to Wood’s office.

http://www.rosespeaks.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&op=getit&lid=2618.

October 29, 2009 Anna Nicole Smith’s Estate Memorandum of Law to support the Motion for Contempt and Sanctions against G. Ben Thompson and lawyer Susan Brown for keeping Estate property and copies of property WAY after the Court Ordered all property and copies of property to be returned to Wood’s office.

http://www.rosespeaks.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&op=getit&lid=2619.

October 29, 2009 Exhibit A of the Estate of Anna Nicole Smith vs. G. Ben Thompson, Ford Shelley, et. al, which is an additional excerpt of the deposition of Susan Brown from October 5, 2009.

http://www.rosespeaks.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&op=getit&lid=2617.

October 29, 2009 Exhibit C of the Estate of Anna Nicole Smith vs. G. Ben Thompson, Ford Shelley, et. al, which is the courier receipt for picking up the Hard Drives to deliver them to Wood’s office dated January 21. 2009.

http://www.rosespeaks.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&op=getit&lid=2620.

October 29, 2009 Exhibit H of the Estate of Anna Nicole Smith vs. G. Ben Thompson, Ford Shelley, et. al, which a letter from Teresa E. Lazzarom to Luke Lantta returning additional Estate property dated September 22, 2009.

http://www.rosespeaks.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&op=getit&lid=2621.

October 29, 2009 Exhibit I of the Estate of Anna Nicole Smith vs. G. Ben Thompson, Ford Shelley, et. al, which a second letter from Teresa E. Lazzarom to Luke Lantta returning additional Estate property dated September 24, 2009.

http://www.rosespeaks.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&op=getit&lid=2622.

October 29, 2009 Exhibit K of the Estate of Anna Nicole Smith vs. G. Ben Thompson, Ford Shelley, et. al, which is an Affidavit from Niall Cronnolly that the hard drive had been removed from Susan Brown’s computer on October 8, 2009 and destroyed and method used to destroy the hard drive on October 9, 2009 at 11:15 AM.

http://www.rosespeaks.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&op=getit&lid=2623.

©Rose Turner
October 31, 2009
All Rights Reserved, do not reproduce in whole or in part without the express written consent of the author.

The expressions in this blog article are based on the opinions of Rose Turner or our featured authors, please remember we are not lawyers and those opinions expressed here are each of our individual opinions and should not be taken as legal advice and/or legal opinions. The comments following this blog article are the opinions and sole property of the blog site members and do not necessarily reflect those of the site owners.

Please also read our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.

Tags: Adam Braun Esq., AG Jerry Brown, Anna Nicole Smith, Bryan Cave LLP, Celebrity News, Celebrity Trials, Chris Smith Esq., Daniel Smith, Dannielynn, Don Clark, Don Clark ex-FBI, Dr. Kapoor, Dr. Khris, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, Elizabeth McNamara, Elizabeth McNamara Esq., Ellyn Gerafalo Esq., Estate of Anna Nicole smith, Ford Shelley, G Ben Thompson, Gaither Thompson II, Geraldo - Live, Geraldo At Large, Geraldo FOX News, Geraldo Rivera, Gina Thompson Shelley, Harvey Levin, High Profile Trials, Hollyweird Criminal Justice, Hollywood Criminal Justice, Horizons Lawsuit Bahamas, Howard K Stern, Infotainment, Infotainment News, J. Christopher Smith Esq., John J. Nazarian, John J. Nazarian P. I., John O'Quinn, Johnny Cutliff, L. Lin Wood, Lin Wood, Luke Lantta, Melody Thompson, Neil McCabe, Nicole Jennings Wade Esq., Rita Cosby, Stancil Fod Shelly, Steve Sadow Esq., The O'Quinn Law Firm, TMZ.com, Virgie Arthur