STEPHEN BREWSTER
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA
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Stephen Brewster, a frequent filer of meritless appeals in the Second District Court of Appeal, failed to show cause why the court should not prohibit his future pro se filings. The court imposed sanctions by directing the clerk to file future pleadings from Brewster in an inactive file unless signed by a Florida Bar member.
The court directed the clerk to place any original proceedings or notices of appeal filed by Brewster related to the twelve specified circuit court cases in an inactive file unless the filing is signed by a member in good standing of The Florida Bar.
[1] A court may order a party to show cause why future filings should not be rejected if the party's frequent and meritless filings burden court resources and interfere with…
[2] A party's failure to adequately respond to an order to show cause regarding the rejection of future filings may result in the clerk being directed to place such filings i…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“Stephen Brewster's frequent and meritless filings burdened the limited resources of this court and interfered with the resolution of genuine disputes.”
Establishes the factual basis for imposing sanctions against Brewster's pro se filings.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceOn March 3, 2021, the court issued a show cause order to Stephen Brewster regarding his frequent and meritless filings that burdened court resources a…
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PER CURIAM.
On March 3, 2021, this court noted that Stephen Brewster's frequent and meritless filings burdened the limited resources of this court and interfered with the resolution of genuine disputes. This court therefore ordered Brewster to show cause why this court should not direct the clerk to reject any further filings from Brewster related to circuit court case numbers 2008-CF-016557, 2008-CF-016806, 2008-CF-016808, 2008-CF-016846, 2008-CF-016904, 2008-CF-016905, 2008-CF-017146, 2008-CF-017801, 2009-CF-000804, 2009-CF-001875, 2009-CF-002047, and 2009-CF-002096 unless the filing addresses a pending appeal or is submitted by a licensed Florida attorney. See State v. Spencer, 751 So. 2d 47, 48-49 (Fla. 1999).
Brewster failed to satisfy this court's order to show cause why he should not be prohibited from filing future pro se appeals and original proceedings in this court. Instead, he argued the merits of his claims and asserted that he "[could] not show cause without supplementing the record with all V.O.P probable cause 'face sheets,' which will support all claims herein, and will show 'manifest injustice' to the extent only nine cases of twelve have a V.O.P/P.C.A 'face sheet.' " Consequently, we direct the clerk of this court to place in an inactive file any original proceedings or notices of appeal filed by Brewster related to circuit court case numbers 2008-CF-016557,
2008-CF-016806, 2008-CF-016808, 2008-CF-016846, 2008-CF-016904, 2008-CF-016905, 2008-CF-017146, 2008-CF-017801, 2009-CF-000804, 2009-CF-001875, 2009-CF-002047, and 2009-CF-002096 unless the filing is signed by a member in good standing of The Florida Bar. See id.; McKenna v. State, 161 So. 3d 435, 436 (Fla. 2d DCA 2014). SILBERMAN, LUCAS, and ROTHSTEIN-YOUAKIM, JJ., Concur. Opinion subject to revision prior to official publication.