Heier v. Fleet

Sep 21, 1994
94-1615
Reporters:
,
Before:
Hersey, Stone, Warner (per curiam)

PER CURIAM.

The petition for writ of prohibition to prohibit respondent from hearing petitioner‘s case is denied as the motion was legally insufficient.

A verified motion for disqualification of a judge must contain an actual factual foundation for petitioner‘s alleged fear of prejudice. The facts asserted by a petitioner in a ‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍motion to disqualify a judge must be reasonably sufficient to create a well-founded fear in the mind of the party that he or she will not receive a fair trial. Fischer v. Knuck, 497 So.2d 240, 242 (Fla. 1986). The standard to be applied by the judge is whether a reasonably prudent person would, on the basis of ‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍the stated facts, fear that he or she cannot get a fair trial with this judge presiding. E.g., Jernigan v. State, 608 So.2d 569 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992). Adverse judicial rulings are not a proper basis for disqualification of the judge. E.g., Jackson v. State, 599 So.2d 103 (Fla.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 113 S.Ct. 612, 121 L.Ed.2d 546 (1992).

Here petitioner‘s allegations lack ‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍specificity and go almost entirely to judicial rulings of the judge. Regarding the one issue raised regarding alleged defamatory remarks made by the judge, which appears not to concern directly a judicial ruling, petitioner fails to say what remarks the judge has made about him, and is not sufficiently explicit about the circumstances in which they ‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍were made.

The judge correctly denied the motion for disqualification. Petitioner has failed to make an adequate preliminary case for a writ of prohibition.

HERSEY, STONE and WARNER, JJ., concur.