This week, Polk county criminal court Judge Fegers rules that the “civil penalty” in prostitution case can not be applied retroactively. \u00a0This means that if you were arrested before January 1, 2013 before the$5,250.00 fine went into effect, \u00a0you will NOT have to pay the fine.<\/p>\n
This is due to the fact that our Florida and United States Constitution protect citizens from “Ex Post Facto” laws. \u00a0Judge Fegers ruled that the legislature did not intend the statute to be applied retroactively which ended the matter. \u00a0However, because the judge did s thorough job, he also analyzed the civil penalty under the “ex post facto doctrine”. \u00a0This doctrine protects against laws that increase a penalty for the criminal offense AFTER<\/strong> the crime has been committed. \u00a0The issue in essence was whether when a suspect is charged with violating Florida Statute 796.07(2)(f), the “civil penalty” is a punishment or a “civil remedy” that would (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This week, Polk county criminal court Judge Fegers rules that the “civil penalty” in prostitution case can not be applied retroactively. \u00a0This means that if you were arrested before January 1, 2013 before the$5,250.00 fine went into effect, \u00a0you will…<\/span><\/p>\n