Wire Services
The Florida Supreme Court has rejected a proposed settlement involving misconduct by a former Jacksonville-area public defender and ordered The Florida Bar to file a formal complaint.
The court on Thursday unanimously rejected what is known as a proposed consent judgment reached by the Bar and former 4th Judicial Circuit Public Defender Matt Shirk. Under that proposal, Shirk would have been suspended from practicing law for six months.
Shirk was elected public defender in 2008 and re-elected in 2012. But he came under investigation, including by a grand jury, for alleged misconduct. Among the allegations were that he improperly hired women to work in the public defender’s office and then fired them “for the private benefit of himself, his wife, and their marriage,” according to a document filed at the Supreme Court. He also was alleged to have had alcoholic beverages in a city building and improperly revealed information about a former juvenile client. The 4th Judicial Circuit is made up of Duval, Clay and Nassau counties.
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Republished with permission from The News Service of Florida.
