Juror Surveys Call Baez a "Rat," a "Jerk," and an "Ambulance Chaser"

Juror Surveys Call Casey’s Attorney “Rat,” “Jerk”

Posted: 5:43 pm EST February 5, 2010
Updated: 6:32 pm EST February 5, 2010

ORLANDO, Fla. -- “An ambulance chaser and a rat,” is how one potential juror described Jose Baez in court. Eyewitness News obtained juror surveys from other cases Baez, Casey Anthony’s attorney, has defended.

JUROR SURVEYS: December 2008 Trial | November 2009 Trial
BILL SHEAFFER: Analysis Of What Surveys Mean
VIDEO REPORT: Juror Surveys Criticize Baez

Many were critical of Baez's work, so WFTV reporter Kathi Belich asked WFTV's legal expert whether Baez's image might hurt Casey's case in court.

There were a lot of negative descriptions of Casey's defense attorney, Jose Baez, when he questioned potential jurors in an Osceola County case he was defending in December 2008, just four days after Caylee's remains were found.

Baez was described as an “ambulance chaser and rat,” “a jerk” who “should find another line of business,” “not a good lawyer” who is “full of himself” and “is out to become famous.” Baez apparently was worried there was fallout over defending Casey and the answers he got proved there was.

“It's called damage control. What are we going to do to limit the damage to my current clients, my future clients and, ultimately, the damage to Casey Anthony,” WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said Friday (watch full interview).

Sheaffer says the potential jurors likely were focusing their anger on Baez after hearing days earlier how Caylee was found dead, with duct tape over her mouth, tossed in the woods in a trash bag.

“The community's emotions were raw,” Sheaffer said.

Sometimes, time softens those raw edges. In fact, the negative comments about Baez dropped in his questionnaire for a case a year later, from 13 to two.

Only four people of the 80 questioned had something good to say about Baez, like he's “working hard to win.”

About 30 people said they had no opinion of Baez, though most of them at least knew of him.

“You may well find out they do have an opinion and they have an agenda,” Sheaffer said.

One potential Osceola County juror, just three months ago, explained what he knew about Casey's case with one word, “guilty.”

A little less than half the people questioned in both cases said they did not know a lot about Casey's case. While the surveys are not scientific, it could mean that if her trial doesn't happen for another year and a half, they'll at least try to find a jury in Orlando.

http://www.wftv.com/news/22479250/detail.html

The surveys I read, there seemed to be a lot of uneducated people. Quite a few of the comments sounded like they may have been hispanic, and uneducated, so they would definitely be picked by Bozo.

Ahh...a survey with hand-picked "potential jurors". How open-minded and impartial is that? Jose has escalated himself "fame" but hopefully fortune will not follow. He is not too bright, and is arrogant and opportunistic.