Casey Anthony Defamation Trial: Attorneys Request Venue Change for 'Fair' Hearing
Casey Anthony has requested a change of venue for her upcoming defamation lawsuit as her legal team fears that she will not get a fair trial in Orlando, Fla.
Attorneys for Anthony put forward a formal request to a judge in Orlando on Tuesday in a bid to have their client tried in a different venue. Anthony, 26, is being sued by a woman named Zenaida Gonzalez who filed suit after Anthony told police that a similarly-named nanny had kidnapped her daughter Caylee in 2008.
Anthony's civil attorney, Charles Green, reportedly told Judge Lisa Munyon that a change of venue was necessary because it's an "impossibility, I submit, that Ms. Anthony can get a fair trial in Orange County. We had hoped that the publicity in this case would subside after the criminal case. It has not," RadarOnline.com reported.
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Anthony, who was infamously acquitted in 3-year-old Caylee's murder, eventually confessed to fabricating the kidnapping story claiming that she made it up out of fear. Gonzalez argues that she suffered immensely as a result of being linked to the case through the media for several months and is subsequently taking legal action against Anthony.
"Zenaida isn't distressed that Casey's attorneys have asked for a change of venue for the trial because she has confidence in the people of Florida. It would be easier for Zenaida and her legal team if the trial were to take place in Orlando, but she will respect the judge's decision," a source close to the situation told Radar.
"It wasn't surprising that Casey asked for the trial to be moved out of Orlando, despite the fact the Caylee's mom was acquitted in the city. If the trial is to remain in Orlando, and Casey is found to be libel, this would be grounds for likely appeal. Zenaida is anxious for the trial to begin in January and finally having Casey testify under oath. Zenaida just wants to clear her name," the insider added.
Judge Munyon is yet to make a ruling on the request for an alternative trial venue and the civil trial is currently scheduled to begin in Jan. 2013.
Anthony, who has been in hiding since being released from jail in 2011, spoke out publicly for the first time in June to address on-going speculation that she may have played a role in her daughter's death despite being acquitted by a jury.
"Obviously, I didn't kill my daughter Caylee," Anthony told CNN's Piers Morgan before referring to her late child as her "greatest accomplishment."
"If anything, there's nothing in this world l've ever been more proud of, and there's no one I loved more than my daughter," she added.
