In court pleadings from the lawsuit stemming from Talking Heads singer David Byrne suing Charlie Crist for copyright infringement, the Governor denied that he lives in St. Petersburg, except “to the extent that Crist rents property” there; his attorney filed a motion asking that the case be transferred from Tampa to the Northern District of Florida, the federal court district that includes Tallahassee.
That motion was denied today by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara, who noted Crist’s senate campaign has its headquarters in St. Petersburg, and Crist’s biography lists his residence as St. Petersburg.
In a July 29 letter to Crist’s lawyers, Byrne attorney Gregory Gabriel demands that Crist not seek to have the case moved. Such a motion, Gabriel writes, is “simply an attempt by defendants to forum shop.”
“Clearly, St. Petersburg is Mr. Crist’s home and the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee is merely his office – regardless of the amount of time he spends there,” Gabriel wrote in the letter that was attached to Crist’s court pleadings. “To contend otherwise is disingenuous at best.”
If Crist filed such a motion, Gabriel says in the letter, Byrne might seek court sanctions, including reimbursement of the cost of filing a response. But Lazzara denied Crist’s motion before Byrne could respond. The judge said no response was necessary.
