Joe Francis Complaint Alleges Panama City Judge and Former Law Partners Gone Wild

By Eriq Gardner

Looks like "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis is getting tired of being dragged into court. The public-nudity mogul has unleashed one whopper of a lawsuit alleging  a conspiracy between a U.S. District Judge, the parents of underaged women, the judge's former law partners representing the parents, and Bay County government officials. Francis seeks to rescind a settlement agreement he claims he was coerced into signing.

Here's the complaint, filed yesterday in Los Angeles County Court yesterday. Francis also held a splashy press conference to announce he hopes that Californian jurisprudence swipes down "southern justice gone awry." The complaint even introduces his case by saying his injustice is the same kind of tale that "Nina Simone sang about; William Faulkner wrote about it; historians teach about it."

Enough of the buildup.

Francis got in trouble when his film crew taped 17-year-old women in Panama City in 2003. He claims they entrapped him by pretending to be 18 or older.

He was sued by the parents in Florida and wound up in Judge Richard Smoak's courtroom. Francis says that Smoak was a "long time friend and decade-long former law partner" of Ross McCloy, whose firm represented not only the parents, but previously the Panama City government in a civil suit brought by Francis.

The complaint can hardly contain Francis' disgust at this development: "Imagine if a person in a dispute with a businessman chose their long-time personal friend and business associate to 'independently judge' the dispute with the businessman. Such a claim wouldn't work in a 3rd grade classroom..."

In the civil case, Judge Smoak ordered Francis jailed in 2007 after finding him in contempt of court. Francis was then arrested and imprisoned in Panama City and unable to obtain a release, so he agreed to settlement terms. Francis hasn't disclosed how much he paid, but told the Associated Press the plaintiffs got "a fortune" and previously demanded $70 million.

Now in his lawsuit, Francis says the settlement was only made under duress.

Besides looking to to rescind the settlement, Francis has also filed separate actions demanding over $300 million in damages for the illegal conduct of Bay County officials.

"Panama City officials began their persecution of Joe Francis with open deception, continued with perjury, and concluded with illegal imprisonment," said Robert E. Barnes, attorney for Francis. "That may be what counts for justice in Panama City, but it's not American justice."

Comments

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[Alli]

I lived in Panama City for over 5 years, from 2005 - 2009. I was arrested for stealing my own car, my ex boyfriend bought me a car for Christmas 2008. I have paid over $8,000.00 my ex met me at the DMV Office & signed the car over to me. The next month 30 days later he reported the car stolen. We even signed a receipt. The Bay County Sheriff had all paperwork showing I did nothing illegal but the idiot Shoemn went & got a warrant anyway. I am a single parent with cancer, on disability. I showed I owned the car, they towed my car, put me in jail, was given a $60,000.00 bond, a friend posted my bond & my car has been in impound for 6 months. How do you steal your own car? My ex husband is the owner of a Panama City Bond Company & worked for the Bay County Jail maybe I should tell Joe Francis the truth about his case. I still have all recorded conversation. Bay County should soon start abiding the law. What would 2 of the BIGGEST LAWSUITS In Bay County do for Panama City?