Foreclosure Law 'Reading List' To Be Given To Central Florida Judges; Circuit Chief Hopes Briefing Will Help Jurists Avoid Getting "A Pie In The Face"

In Central Florida, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reports:

• Starting Monday, three of the most experienced circuit judges will begin handling civil cases [in the courtrooms of Florida's 12th Judicial Circuit], but first they have a reading list: lengthy analysis of the latest foreclosure law and arguments, and guides written by judges who have been in the foreclosure mess for years.

• "It's hard to step into that role," said 12th Circuit Chief Judge Lee Haworth, who made the judicial assignments for this year. "I'm hoping we can get them briefed so they don't get a pie in the face."

• Foreclosures are not even close to the most complex type of litigation to cross a civil judge's desk -- for example, some trials about car crashes involve medical testimony and have seven or eight attorneys. But the more advanced foreclosure defenses now delve into the sometimes labyrinth world of financial markets, trusts and securities. The handbooks discuss the areas of disagreement, or "gray areas" in the law. "There's a larger gray area than we like," Haworth said.

For the story, see Judges studying home suits (FORECLOSURES: Three will have to get up to speed on a fast-moving field).