The judge in the trial against three Tampa attorneys accused of setting up another attorney's DUI stop has released his preliminary findings.
And it doesn’t look good for the attorneys: Stephen Diaco, Robert Adams and Adam Filthaut.
The lawyers represented Bubba the Love Sponge Clem in his case against radio personality Todd “MJ” Schnitt in 2013.
According to the Florida Bar, the trio of attorneys orchestrated the DUI stop and arrest of rival attorney Phil Campbell, Schnitt's attorney during the defamation trial.
It only took 24 hours to learn Bubba’s lawyers may have conspired with a Tampa Police officer to trap Campbell into that DUI, and Melissa Personius, a legal aide at the Adams and Diaco Law Firm, was supposedly involved.
Authorities say Personius saw Campbell at the bar, bought him drinks, and begged him to move her car to her house. That’s when an officer swooped in, and arrested Campbell, while he was behind the wheel of her car.
After Campbell was arrested, he realized he left his briefcase in the legal aide’s care. That’s when he found out she worked at the rival law firm. The charges against Campbell were later dropped.
Preliminary findings from Florida Bar disciplinary case shows judge believes the lawyers conspired against Campbell and covered it up.
The judge finds Adams, Diaco, and Filthaut all violated rules of the Florida Bar by their actions during Bubba VS. MJ trial.
The judge will write a final recommendation to the Florida Supreme Court regarding punishment. The court will then make a final decision.
If the trio of lawyers is found guilty, they could have their licenses to practice law suspended or revoked.