Thomas Leroy Bowen v. State of Florida
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledMarch 26, 2020
Docket1D19-1065
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
STATE OF FLORIDA
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No. 1D19-1065
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THOMAS LEROY BOWEN,
Appellant,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellee.
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On appeal from the Circuit Court for Duval County.
Angela M. Cox, Judge.
March 26, 2020
B.L. THOMAS, J.
Due to Appellant’s apparent abuse of the legal process by the
repetitious and frivolous pro se filings, this Court issued an order
directing Appellant to show cause why Appellant should not be
prohibited from future pro se filings in this Court related to Duval
County Circuit Court case numbers 1998-CF-13684 and 1999-CF-
7248. See State v. Spencer, 751 So. 2d 47, 48 (Fla. 1999) (requiring
that courts “first provide notice and an opportunity to respond
before preventing [a] litigant from bringing further attacks on his
or her conviction and sentence”). Appellant’s response to the show
cause order does not provide a legal basis to prohibit the imposition
of sanctions.
Therefore, because Appellant’s repetitious, frivolous filings
have become an abuse of the legal process, we hold that Appellant
is barred from future pro se filings in this Court related to Duval
County Circuit Court case numbers 1998-CF-13684 and 1999-CF-
7248. The Clerk of the Court is directed not to accept any future
filings concerning these cases unless they are filed by a member in
good standing of The Florida Bar. This includes any post-
disposition motion filed in response to this opinion. Appellant is
warned that any filings that violate the terms of this opinion may
result in a referral to the appropriate institution for disciplinary
procedures as provided in section 944.279, Florida Statutes (2019).
See Fla. R. App. P. 9.410.
We also direct the Clerk of the Court to provide a certified copy
of this opinion to the Florida Department of Corrections to be
forwarded to the appropriate institution or facility for disciplinary
procedures pursuant to the rules of the Department as provided
for by section 944.09, Florida Statutes (2019).
ROWE and OSTERHAUS, JJ., concur.
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Not final until disposition of any timely and
authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or
9.331.
_____________________________
Thomas Leroy Bowen, pro se, Appellant.
Ashley Moody, Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellee.
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