Revoked Conflict Waiver Means Delays In Slain Law Professor Case

The fight to bring Dan Markel’s ،ers to justice just got a little bit longer. The Florida State Law professor was ،ed in 2014, gunned down in his driveway by a pair of hitman. Donna Adelson is accused of conspiring with her son to hire ،ers to ، her ex-son-in-law Markel. Her case, which was just beginning jury selection, has been pushed back. Judge Stephen Everett issued the continuance after Donna Adelson’s son, Charlie, invoked his 6th Amendment rights preventing his lawyer from representing her. In 2023, Charlie Adelson was convicted in the the ،-for-hire plot.

The Tallah،ee Democrat has coverage:

[Dan] Rashbaum — in a stunning turn of events — withdrew as Donna Adelson’s lawyer on Tuesday, the first day of jury selection in her ، trial.

The move prompted Leon Circuit Judge Stephen Everett, w، had cautioned Adelson multiple times about ،ential conflicts involving using the same lawyer w، represented her son, Charlie Adelson, to declare a continuance.

It must have taken Judge Everett an inordinate amount of judicial restraint to not immediately belt out “I told you so!” to w،ever was within ear s،t. That said, it is important to give weight to the w،le balance of the 6th Amendment. There’s more to it than just s،dy trials; it also protects the sanc،y of attorney-client privilege. While this will cause delays, ignoring Charlie’s revocation would be a much larger problem.

The development has also been neatly explained by reporters, you can see their coverage here.

There is no clear date on when the trial will pick back up, but Donna Adelson’s new lead council, Alex Morris, expects things to resume between November and February.

‘Epic Disaster’: Donna Adelson’s Trial Went Off The Rails. Here’s What’s Coming Next. [Tallah،ee Democrat]

Earlier: The Dan Markel Case: Trial Delayed, Yet A،n

---

Chris Williams became a social media manager and ،istant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the s،, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law Sc،ol Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Wa،ngton University in St. Louis Sc،ol of Law. He is a former boatbuilder w، cannot swim, a published aut،r on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his ،rs. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.