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Attorney's arrest has battery included
Until his arrest last week in Casselberry for battery on a police officer, 1997 had been a very good year for Orlando attorney John B. Morgan.
His personal-injury firm, Morgan, Colling and Gilbert, was riding high after a record-breaking $850,000 medical malpractice award in 1996, and he was representing the family of the 5-year-old boy who died after being pulled from a pool at the West Orange YMCA. Also, the firm figured to profit from a rash of class-action lawsuits anticipated as a result of the recall of the diet drug fen-phen.
Life was good on other business fronts, too. Morgan, 41, of Heathrow, the spokesman for the firm’s series of "For the People" commercials on radio and television, was a major investor in WonderWorks, the new attraction -- featuring an electric chair mockup -- planned for Pointe Orlando on International Drive.
To defray school expenses, he had worked in costume as a character from "The Jungle Book" at Disney. Now he envisioned WonderWorks as the first in a series of multimillion-dollar developments he would undertake with a longtime friend, who had been the other half of their Disney-character duo.
But at about 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10, Morgan and his red Cadillac were pulled over on S.R. 436 after pulling out of a Denny’s parking lot. Police say he swerved across lanes without signaling and stopped abruptly in the intersection with S.R. 17/92, after having traveled five feet past the white line marking a safe-stopping location. After the light changed, Morgan drove on, nearly clipping the curb, before using all three lanes to negotiate a curve, according to reports by Casselberry police. He was pulled over at Brewer Street and, after reportedly failing field sobriety tests, cited for driving under the influence.
Still, Morgan might have avoided serious trouble. He had done so before after being arrested for DUI. But, according to the arresting officer, Morgan became enraged upon arriving at the Seminole County Jail, called the officer a "fat fucker" and "baldy," twice headbutted him, and hit him in the face with his left hand.
So, in addition to charges of DUI, failure to provide insurance and two other minor traffic offenses, Morgan was charged with battery on a police officer, a third-degree felony calling for up to five years in prison. He was released after posting a $2,000 bond.
On Dec. 30, Morgan is scheduled to appear at the Seminole County Courthouse on the traffic charges. On Jan.13, Morgan’s attorney, Stuart Hyman, will try to convince a hearing officer not to suspend Morgan's driver’s license. And on Jan. 29, Morgan is scheduled for arraignment in Circuit Court in Sanford on the felony charge. Hyman, who did not respond to a request for an interview, has filed a not-guilty plea in the felony case.
In 1993, Hyman filed more than 10 motions contesting Morgan’s arrest for DUI after a minor two-car accident in Altamonte Springs. Morgan said he was "distracted by his car phone," according to the report. But after failing field tests, he registered 0.134 on the Breathalyzer. Twice, Hyman was granted continuances to prepare for trial. Then on Sept. 10, 1993, Morgan accepted a plea bargain reducing his charge to reckless driving. He paid a f $500 fine and agreed to serve 100 hours of community service or pay another $1,000.
Perhaps more importantly, Morgan that time had escaped the public embarrassment of being convicted of DUI. After all, he is the firm’s media presence, beckoning clients with personal injuries -- including those inflicted by drunk drivers -- to trust his firm. This time, such a clean escape may be more difficult.
Comments on this story:
On 9/25/2008 6:25:31 AM, Anonymous said:
John Morgan is evil.
On 9/26/2008 12:09:18 AM, Anonymous said:
WFTV reports that he is representing Zenaida Gonzalez in a lawsuit against Casey Anthony. The man obviously has no shame.
On 9/26/2008 9:35:14 AM, Anonymous said:
Do you think it is appropriate to print the word f*&ker in your article?
On 9/26/2008 9:50:42 AM, Anonymous said:
Why are you publishing an article from 1997?
On 9/26/2008 10:38:11 AM, Anonymous said:
So it was John Morgan's Mel Gibson moment. Why do we care now? Is it because he's representing Gonzalez? Do we really care about Casey Anthony enough to drudge up old stories about 3rd party Anthony figures?
On 4/27/2009 10:26:57 AM, Anonymous said:
This article is important to show the other side of Morgan. Nancy Grace needs to see this since she made the comment that Morgan is an empire. Yes, his face is on many billboards and commercials but he is certainly not squeaky clean. Also in the very beginning Casey did say that this is not the same Zenaida. I think they all need to go back and read all of the transcripts and this article on Morgan's arrest as well. Futhermore, I believe that he used this as an opportunity to get his face in the news in a highly public case for his own benefit not anyone else's. He is just sleezy and I would never use him as an attorney for anything.
On 6/10/2009 8:25:29 PM, Anonymous said:
I'm confused. The last time I was in one of my law classes I learned that a felony conviction of an attorney would result in a loss of that attorney's license! Hmmmmmm, he's still on TV, bragging about his "partner" coming from some foreign land and getting all of the breaks of this great country so he can practice law. Hmmmmm, I saw a sound byte that showed him with a woman who was preparing to go against the parents of that murderer of that beautiful child. Hmmmmm, free on a 2,000 dollar bond for assaulting a police officer??!! Unbelievable. Try that back in Pittsburgh and after you're released from the hospital stay/visit you will be posting a bond that has AT LEAST SIX FIGURES. No wonder this is known as Floridaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh. Unbelievable!!!!
On 11/2/2009 6:58:02 PM, Anonymous said:
Ask Morgan if he represents the people or the powerful when it comes to his own employees! He treats his employees like slaves and does not pay them for the hard work they put in. He makes money on lawsuits about overtime violations but violates his own employees on a daily basis. He is popular because of a catchy tag line. If people knew what goes on in that firm, they would be shocked! Believe it when they say that John Morgan is Evil!!!!
On 11/3/2009 1:10:16 PM, Anonymous said:
I had my own bizarre interaction with John B. Morgan. He seems quite unstable and if you told me he continues to drink heavily I would not be surprised. At least that would explain the inexplicable anger and irrational behavior. Until now I had no idea about his DUI(s) and violence against his arresting officers. Absolutely hysterical, and again, not surprising. This guy sounds like a pathetic piece of garbage. I wonder if his wife knows the half of it . . . . perhaps she will find out some day.
On 11/3/2009 8:48:25 PM, Anonymous said:
He continues to drink heavily and not ashamed of it. Catch him at the bars downtown on Thursdays and Fridays, especially Embers or Tabu. All of these personal injury firms are evil in their own way because they profit off people's misery. John is not the sweetheart he portrays on TV and people are starting to realize that.
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