IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE

11th JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND

FOR DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA

GENERAL JURISDICTION DIVISION

CASE NO. 01-10180 CA 25

ROSENTHAL, ROSENTHAL, RASCO,
STOK & WOLF, a Florida general partnership,
Plaintiffs, -.
vs.
STEPHAN LAWRENCE, individually, and
BEAR, STEARNS & CO., INC., a New York
corporation,
Defendants.

STEPHAN J. LAWRENCE,
Counter-Plaintiff/
Third Party Plaintiff
vs.
ROSENTHAL, ROSENTHAL, RASCO, STOK & WOLF,
a Florida general partnership,.
Counter-Defendant
and
ROBERT STOK,
Third Party Defendant.

Dade County Courthouse

73 West Flagler Street
Miami, Florida
January 20, 2006
Friday, 9:10 a.m.

The above-entitled cause came on for

Hearing before the Honorable HERBERT STETTIN,
Circuit Court Judge, taken before TERI
NAAR-COHEN, Registered Professional Reporter and
Notary Public in and for the State of Florida at
Large.

. _ _ _ _ _ . •
 1 APPEARANCES:
2
JEFFREY P. SHAPIRO, ESQUIRE
One S.E. Third Avenue
3
Suite 1450
Miami, Florida 33131
4
Appearing on behalf of Stephan Lawrence,
Shapiro, Ramos, P.A.
5

STEPHENS, LYNN, KLEIN, LACAVA, HOFFMAN &

6
PUYA
By: SHERRYLL MARTENS DUNAJ, ESQUIRE
7
9130 South Dadeland Boulevard
Penthouse I
8 Miami, Florida 33156
Appearing on behalf of Stok.
9

10

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. _
•
 1 THEREUPON:
2 (The following proceedings were had:)
3 THE COURT: Let's go on the record. This
4 is Rosenthal, Rosenthal, Rasco, Stok and Wolf,
5 plaintiff versus Stephan Lawrence.
6 MS. DUNAJ: The Rosenthal firm is the
7 plaintiff in a mortgage foreclosure and suit on a
8 promissory note that was against Stephan Lawrence.
9 THE COURT: And in turn Mr. Lawrence has
10 counterclaimed against the Rosenthal firm and others.
11 MS. DUNAJ: And a third party claim against
12 Mr. Stok.
13 THE COURT: And the motion before me now is
14 a motion to recuse myself. Under the law I'm required
15 to rule on that before dealing with any other matters.
16 Now let me tell you my memory of this before
17 I tell you what I'm going to do. First, I represented
18 the trustee of a trust established by Mr. Lawrence.
19 The issues arose in the bankruptcy setting and I was,
20 as part of my representation, working directly with Mr.
21 Stok. That is, dealing with him as a party in the
22 litigation, and there were some issues on which we
23 cooperated and a number on which we did not because we
24 had the trustee as our client and were independent of
25 the beneficiary, Mr. Lawrence.

Q....... 71c...Nem4=4-


1 And, of course, I continued in that role for

2 about a year or two. I think I was still doing it when
3 I stopped practicing and started sitting again as a
4 senior judge.
5 In addition, I also had an opportunity a
6 number of years back to represent the Keith, Mack firm
7 when Mr. Shapiro was a partner in that firm, including
8 one fairly lengthy jury trial and a couple of other
9 pieces of litigation during which I got to know Mr.
10 Shapiro and work with him.
11 Under these circumstances I'm going to
12 recuse myself on my own motion. I do not think it
13 appropriate that I sit on a case in which -- off the
14 record for a minute.
15 (Discussion had off the record.)
16 THE COURT: Back on the record. And I
17 therefore recuse myself. Thank you.
18

19 (Thereupon, the hearing was concluded.)

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Klein. Burv. Reif Applehaum g Associates



1 REPORTER'S CERTIFICATE
2
3 STATE OF FLORIDA)
4 : SS
5 COUNTY OF DADE)
6
7 I, Teri Naar-Cohen, Registered Professional
8 Reporter, certify that I was authorized to and did
9 stenographically report the foregoing proceedings and
10 that the transcript is a true record thereof.
11 I further certify that I am not a relative,
12 employee, attorney, or counsel of any of the parties,
13 nor am I a relative or employee of any of the parties'
14 attorney or counsel connected with the action, nor am I
15 financially interested in the action.
16
17
18 Dated this 21st day of January 2006.
19
20
21
(:;:tt:Ahr4(
22 Teri Naar-Cohen
Registered Professional Reporter
23
24
25

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A Counter-Defen... H motion 3:13,14 4:17

about 4:2 1:14 hearing 1:21 4:19 4:12 Registered 1:23
above-entitled Counter-Plaintiff HERBERT 1:21 myself 3:14 4:12 5:7,22
1:20 1:11 him 3:21 4:10 4:17 relative 5:11,13
action 5:14,15 County 1:2,17 5:5 HOFFMAN 2:5 - . . report 5:9
addition 4:5 couple 4:8 N Reporter 1:23 5:8
Honorable 1:21 - -
again 4:3 course 4:1 Naar-Cohen 1:23 5:22
against 3:8,10,11 Court 1:1 22 3:3 9
2 3 I
_ _ ._ . _ __
5:7,22 REPORTER'S
APPEARANCES 3:13 4:16 INC 1:8 New 1:8 5:1
2:1 Courthouse 1:17 including 4:7 Notary 1:24 represent 4:6
Appearing 2:4,8 independent 3:24 note 3:8 representation
appropriate 4:13 - - - P - individually 1:8 number 3:23 4:6 3:20
arose 3:19 Dade 1:2,17 5:5 interested 5:15 represented 3:17
attorney 5:12,14 Dadeland 2:7 issues 3:19,22 required 3:14
authorized 5:8 Dated 5:18 off 4:13,15 ROBERT 1:15
Avenue 2 :2 day 5:18 J one 2:2 4:8 role 4:1
a.m 1:19 dealing 3:15,21 J 1:11 opportunity 4:5 Rosenthal 1:6,6
Defendant 1:15 January 1:18 5:18 other 3:15 4:8 1:13,13 3:4,4,6
B Defendants 1:9 JEFFREY 2:2 others 3:10 3:10
back 4:6,16 directly 3:20 judge 1:22 4:4 own 4:12 rule 3:15
bankruptcy 3:19 Discussion 4:15 JUDICIAL 1:1
BEAR 1:8 DIVISION 1:3 JURISDICTION P s
before 1:21,22 doing 4:2 1:3 P 2:2 senior 4:4
3:13,15,16 DUNAJ 2:6 3:6 jury 4:8 part 3:20 setting 3:19
behalf 2:4,8 3:11 parties 5:12,13 Shapiro 2:2,4 4:7
beneficiary 3:25 during 4:9 K partner 4:7 4:10
Boulevard 2:7 Keith 4:6 partnership 1:6 SHERRYLL 2:6
E KLEIN 2:5 1:13 sit 4:13
C employee 5 :12,13 know 4:9 party 1:12,15 3:11 sitting 4:3
CA 1:5 ESQUIRE 2:2,6 3:21 some 3:22
came 1:20 established 3:18 L Penthouse 2:7 South 2:7
case 1:5 4:13 LACAVA 2:5 pieces 4:9 SS 5:4
cause 1:20 F Large 1:25 plaintiff 1:12 3:5 started 4:3
CERTIFICATE fairly 4:8 law 3:14 3:7 State 1:24 5:3
5:1 financially 5:15 Lawrence 1:8,11 Plaintiffs 1:7 :7 STEARNS 1:8
certify 5:8,11 firm 3:6,10 4:6,7 2:4 :5 , 8 , 9, 18 practicing 4:3 stenographically
Circuit 1:1,1,22 First 3:17 3:25 proceedings 3:2 5:9
circumstances Flagler 1:17 lengthy 4:8 5:9 Stephan 1:8,11
4:11 Florida 1:2,6,13 let 3:16 Professional 1:23 2:4 3:5,8
claim 3:11 1:18,24 2:3,8 Let's 3:3 .. 5:7,22 STEPHENS 2:5
client 3:24 5:3 litigation 3:22 4:9 promissory 3:8 STETTIN 1:21
CO 1:8 following 3:2 LYNN 2:5 Public 1:24 still 4:2
concluded 4:19 foreclosure 3:7 PUYA 2:6 Stok 1:6,13,15 2:8
connected 55:14
:1 foregoing 5:9 M P.A 2:4 3:4,12,21
continu ed 44:1
: Friday 1:19 Mack 4:6 stopped 4:3
further 5:11 MARTENS 2:6 R Street 1:17
coop erated 3:23
corporation 1:9 matters 3:15 Ramos 2:4 suit 3:7
G memory 3:16 Rasco 1:6,13 3:4 Suite 2:3
counse15:12,14
general 1:3,6,13 Miami 1:18 2:3,8 record 3:3 4:14,15 S.E 2:2
counterclaimed
ao 3:3
t, minute 4:14 4:16 5:10
3:10
going 3:17 4:11 mortgage 3:7 recuse 3:14 4:12 T

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tell 3:16,17 73 1:17
Teri 1:22 5:7,22
Thank 4:17 9
thereof 5:10 9:10 1:19
think 4:2,12 9130 2:7
third 1:12,15 2:2
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transcript 5:10
tria14:8
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trust 3:18
trustee 3:18,24
turn 3:9
two 4:2

U
Under 3:14 4:11

V
versus 3:5
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were 3:2,22,24
West 1:17
Wolf 1:6,13 3:4
work 4:10
working 3:20

Y
year 4:2
years 4:6
York 1:8

0
01-10180 1:5
1
11th 1:1
1450 2:3
2
201:18
2006 1:18 5:18
21st 5:18
25 1:5

3
33131 2:3
33156 2:8

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