Judge apologizes for using firm's baseball tickets

BY THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Facing possible disciplinary action by the Florida Supreme Court, a Manatee County circuit judge has apologized for using Tampa Bay Rays tickets supplied by a firm with a case pending in his court. Judge John Lakin, in a document filed Friday, acknowledged violating canons of judicial conduct but "adamantly" denied that baseball tickets influenced his decision in the case. "He apologizes for his lapses,'' the document, filed by an attorney for Lakin, said. "He had no wrongful intent. He can only offer as an explanation that, as a relatively new judge, he was not as familiar with the canons as he could have been and this contributed to his mistaken belief that he only had to disclose his use of the baseball tickets on his annual disclosure form. He did not appreciate that his use of the tickets would adversely reflect on the judiciary and the administration of justice."

An investigative panel of the state Judicial Qualifications Commission on Feb. 1 filed what is known as a "notice of formal charges" against Lakin, who became a circuit judge in 2013. The notice said Lakin in June presided over a personal injury case in which a client of the firm Kallins, Delgado & Little sued Wal-Mart. A jury on June 25 found that Wal-Mart was not liable, and a day later Lakin's judicial assistant contacted Kallins, Delgado & Little about tickets for a Rays game against the Boston Red Sox, according to the document. Lakin used two tickets and did not advise Wal-Mart's attorneys, despite the case not being final. On Aug. 21, the investigative panel alleged, Lakin heard a motion for a new trial in the case. Four days later, the document alleged, Lakin again received tickets from the law firm. On Aug. 26, Lakin issued an order setting aside the jury's verdict and granting a new trial, according to the allegations. The Supreme Court has final say in disciplinary matters involving judges.