I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t a perfect attorney. I made mistakes. I learned lessons. But I was pretty darn good and I cared deeply about my clients’ cases. Research, writing, and analysis were my fortes.
So my astonishment at my disbarment is renewed regularly when I hear about harms inflicted by the licensed unimaginative, the licensed marginally competent, or the licensed psychopathic.
And today I am not just astonished, I’m:
As you may know, I sued the Florida Supreme Court and Florida Bar for violating my rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act. When I was admitted to the Bar in 2005, my admission was “conditional” based on a history of mental health treatment. Twelve years later, when I sought a review of that second-class membership status by strategically defaulting on the terms of my conditional status (which I did because there is no procedure I could invoke to obtain review of that status), the Florida Supreme Court found me in contempt and disbarred me. More info is published here.
This disbarment was in spectacular disregard of the ADA, my First Amendment rights of speech and petition, the law of contempt, the Florida Supreme Court’s own limitation on its power to disbar, and every human impulse to refrain from raining needless and nonsensical destruction upon others.
I filed that lawsuit in federal court in 2017. I fought my way through one round of motions to dismiss, then fought back from wrongful dismissal, then fought through another round of motions to dismiss, only to have the same judge dismiss my case again. This judge invented reasons to dismiss my lawsuit while simultaneously ignoring my central claims.
Of course, I had been disabused of my belief that the bar regulatory cabal was fair, just, and trustworthy, but I had held onto hope that the civil federal court would apply the law correctly so that I could obtain the remedy created and contemplated under the law.
I had no choice. I soon realized I was unemployable, but not because I had no skills and nothing to offer. I was rendered penniless and dependent upon the generosity of family and friends. I am indebted to them, in more ways than one.
Naturally, I appealed the dismissal. It’s in the Eleventh Circuit’s hands now.
Because the first lawsuit has become a disheartening marathon through a slogging gauntlet, I filed a second lawsuit in Florida state court as a sort of bulwark in the event my appeal is unsuccessful. I’m in the middle of having the defendants served with process when
the Florida state court judge sua sponte entered an order dismissing my case.
Yep.
I read the order and the one case the judge cited to justify the dismissal. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, mystified.
In all the years I practiced law, I never encountered judges as hell-bent on getting rid of me as I have since I’ve been pro se.
I’d never experienced this fierce a battle just to stay in court, to have my opportunity to prove entitlement to a remedy.
So, will I go away and leave them alone, like they apparently want me to do?
Oh hell no.
In Part Two, I will analyze the order.
In Part Three, I will analyze the options.
Stay tuned, my friends.
~ Sherri Renner
I have known Sherri Renner for 20 years. She is a brilliant, kind, rational, energetic and centered individual. As a lawyer in her circle, I watched this nightmare unfold. Having practiced for decades, this gave me serious pause as to the integrity of the judicial system. I could not believe what I was seeing. I still can't. She does not share it, and I hope she won't mind if I do, but I would hear about the discourse with the Bar "therapists" she was required to see. Though it had been years since I obtained my Psychology degree, I heard enough to know that their mandate was to rubber stamp the perpetuation of her alleged handicap. This despite my seeing first hand her work product, her client interaction, and her efforts to use her legal skills to better society, all in a completely functional and productive manner. I do not know how to help her seek redress here, other than to encourage her to keep up this fight. Society needs lawyers like Sherri Renner. If you are a lawyer out there with any skill set in the arena of disability abuse, and you are reading this, you need to read Sherri Renner's whole story. There is justice left to be served here. Help her. Help us all.