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Florida prisoner's 14th successive motion yields sanction from state Supreme Court

by Kevin Bliss
The Supreme Court of Florida held that Carlos Woodson filed a frivolous and meritless petition. The court sanctioned Woodson by barring him from any future filings in the case.

Woodson was convicted of burglary and sexual battery in January 1998. Since then, he has filed 14 motions concerning his convictions, including six in 12 months. Every one of them was determined frivolous, devoid of merit, or inappropriate for consideration.

Woodson's latest motion challenged the appeal court's decision not to address the validity of the charging information. The appeals court determined that the issue was not properly preserved for appellate review, and Woodson filed a petition for all writs in the Florida Supreme Court. He did not cite an independent basis on the issue that would allow the court to "exercise" its authority.

The court directed Woodson to show cause, and he resorted to the same arguments raised in previous motions. The court denied Woodson's petition and retained jurisdiction to pursue sanctions against Woodson. The court held that he abused the judicial process and burdoned judicial resources without regret or appreciation for the judicial system; if not restrained, he will continue to file frivolous and meritless claims.

The court directed the clerk to reject any future filings from Carlos Woodson pertaining to his convictions unless signed by a member in good standing of the Florida Bar. No motion for rehearing or clarification will be entertained and a copy of the opinion was forwarded to the prison in which Woodson is housed.

See Woodson v. Florida, ___ So.2d___(2018)

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Related legal case

Woodson v. Florida