Ethics
‘Lawyers Gone Wild’? Filmmaker criticizes bar as he seeks ethics probe of serial killer’s daughter for alleged lie
An activist filmmaker seeking an ethics probe into a lawyer he accuses of lying about a lawsuit outcome has filed a complaint in which he takes potshots at the Florida Bar, touts his award-winning work and quotes rapper Eminem. (Image from Shutterstock)
An activist filmmaker seeking an ethics probe into a lawyer he accuses of lying about a lawsuit outcome has filed a complaint in which he takes potshots at the Florida Bar, touts his award-winning work and quotes rapper Eminem.
The filmmaker, William “Billy” Corben, said in a letter to bar officials that he has “no confidence” that they will hold accountable lawyer Monique Pardo Pope, who is running for the Miami Beach City Commission.
Corben is targeting Pardo Pope for a comment that she made to the Miami New Times after he reported that her father was a serial killer who was executed in 2012. Pardo said Corben “has made a career of slinging mud, which has even resulted in losing a defamation case.” The case against media companies for a Corben documentary was actually dismissed, and the defendants were awarded fees, Law.com reports.
The Florida Bar has opened an inquiry into Corben’s allegations, report Florida Politics, the Florida Phoenix, WLRN, the Miami New Times and Law.com. Several publications linked to the bar’s letter seeking a response from Pardo Pope that was also sent to Corben to inform him of the inquiry.
WLRN describes Pardo Pope’s father, Manuel Pardo, as “a pro-Nazi, anti-Black serial killer executed in 2012 for murdering nine people in South Florida.” A fired police officer, he “dealt cocaine and systematically murdered both drug dealers and bystanders alike in the 1980s,” the article says.
Pardo Pope has called her father her “guiding light” and “guardian angel” on social media, Corben said.
“As my reporting rightfully notes,” Corben wrote to the bar, “if Ms. Pardo Pope intends to use her family history as the slightest basis for her candidacy, she should be candid with voters about the sins of her serial killer father and explain how she reconciles that history with her glowing statements about him.”
Corben said in his letter to the bar he previously filed a complaint against another lawyer, and the case ended with a “letter of nonaction.”
“In fact, at some point, perhaps I should produce a documentary about the bar’s ineptitude and unwillingness to apply its rules to members who are in positions of political power. Maybe we’ll title it Lowering the Bar or Lawyers Gone Wild,” he wrote.
Corben’s letter touts his background as “an Emmy, Peabody and Edward R. Murrow Award-winning documentary filmmaker” and said he anticipates that Pardo Pope “will likely attempt to blame me and my reporting for her misconduct.”
Corben challenges the “once-proud Florida Bar,” of which his grandfather was a member, to do the right thing. Quoting Eminem’s 2002 song “Lose Yourself,” he wrote, “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity comes [once in] a lifetime, yo.”
Pardo Pope said on social media she has forgiven her father, and she is not defined by his actions, according to Law.com.
“I am confident that voters will look past the sins of my father and understand that I, too, am a victim in this,” she wrote. “These attacks on me are appalling and show exactly what is wrong with politics today. I was 4 years old. I did not commit a crime. I have carried this burden my entire life, and I will not be shamed or intimidated now.”
Pardo Pope did not immediately respond to an ABA Journal email and a voicemail seeking comment.
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