Judge Kyle Cohen (pictured) has set a hearing for October 1st at 9AM in the lawsuits John King and Karen Woodson have filed against Ray Murphy and Bill Veach. King and Woodson are asking for a speedy trial. They want Cohen to throw out the recall on the grounds it is based on lies about them.
The hearing will also address whether Cohen should throw out the lawsuits. Veach and Murphy argue that the court has no jurisdiction to get involved in whether the statement on the recall petition needs to be truthful. They say that’s up to the voters to decide based on how the recall statute was written by the Florida legislature.
The judge is also expected to address Veach and Murphy’s request for a protective order. They do not want to have to provide any documentation to the court, also known as discovery, because they are expecting the lawsuits against them to be dismissed.
The reason for the request for a speedy trial is that the recall election has been set for Tuesday, November 4th.
The October 1st hearing is being held by zoom (Zoom Link /Â ID: 896 600 3281). It’s open to the public and we will be there to cover it live.
The recall is expected to cost Fort Myers Beach taxpayers between $20,000 and $25,000. Taxpayers are also on the hook for King and Woodson’s attorney fees which are already over $20,000.