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Tampa attorneys, Robert Adams and Adam Filthaut permanently disbarred for DUI setup case

Posted at 12:55 PM, Aug 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-25 12:59:52-04
The Florida Supreme Court has permanently disbarred two of the three attorneys found guilty in the high-profile "shock jock" case.
 
The three embattled attorneys were found guilty in July 2015 of multiple ethics violations for their involvement in a side show drama during the 2013 multimillion-dollar defamation trial involving radio hosts Bubba the Love Sponge and Todd "MJ" Schnitt.
 
During the trial, Schnitt's attorney, Phil Campbell, was arrested in a setup for drunk driving. The DUI charge was eventually dropped.
 
Bubba's attorneys, Stephen Diaco, Adam Filthaut and Robert Adams were found guilty of coordinating with a paralegal at their firm to schmooze Campbell one night, get him tipsy and convince him to drive her car home.
 
 
Text and phone records would later reveal that Bubba's legal team tipped off their friend, who was a Tampa police sergeant, right on cue. Campbell was arrested.
 
That sergeant was later fired.
 
Last year, Judge Baird ruled that Diaco, Filthaut and Adams acted "deliberately and maliciously" in causing Campbell's arrest.
 
He also ruled that Campell's briefcase, which was left in the paralegal's car after his arrest, was not returned by Diaco and Adams in a timely fashion.
 
On Thursday, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Filthaut and Adams to be permanently disbarred from practicing law in Florida.
 
Earlier this year, the Florida Supreme Court granted Diaco's request to be permanently disbarred.  But, both Filthaut and Adams argued their misconduct was not so severe as to warrant permanent disbarment.
 
The disbarment is effective immediately.