Counsel for embattled First District Court of Appeal Judge Paul Hawkes has called on his accusers to release more material regarding the investigation leading up to a call for sanctions against the appellate judge for judicial misconduct and actions surrounding the construction of the First DCA courthouse in Tallahassee, which has been comically referred to as the Taj Mahal.
Attorney, Ken Sukhia on Thursday filed a disclosure demand asking the special counsel to release any and all evidence from interviews that may have taken place with a handful of potential witnesses.
Specifically, Sukhia is requesting information from interviews with Department of Management Services Deputy Director Tom Berger; DMS project manager Gene Nicoloso; retired First DCA Judge Edwin Browning, First DCA marshal Stephen Nevels; First DCA deputy marshal Leslie Tharp, furniture salesman Stan Nettles; DMS employee Joanna Price, former state real estate director Dean Izzo; and former First DCA marshal Don Brannon.
Sukhia said his client has reason to believe that the above were interviewed during an investigation by the Judicial Qualifying Commission of Hawkes.
Last week, Sukhia requested that special prosecutor Wally Pope be pulled off the case. A hearing on the disclosure motion and other issues is scheduled for July 15.
