Judge Refuses to Move Casey Anthony's Civil Trial

A Florida judge has turned down a motion from Casey Anthony's attorney to move her up-coming civil trial away from the Orlando area. The trial is scheduled to begin in January in the same courthouse where she was acquitted of murder charges in the death of her daughter Caylee.

Anthony is being sued by Zenaida Gonzalez for defamation.

Charles Greene, Anthony's attorney, argued during a change of venue hearing that he believed it was 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," he said. "It has not."

Greene requested that the civil trial be moved "north of Orlando" possibly in Tallahassee or Gainesville.

Zanny the Nanny Lawsuit

Judge Lisa Munyon denied the request, but said if problems arise during jury selection, the issue can be resisted by both sides.

When it was learned that Caylee Anthony was missing, 31 days after she disappeared, Casey Anthony told her parents and investigators that she had been taken by a nanny named Zenaida Gonzalez. It turned out that there never was a nanny; Casey's "Zanny the Nanny" was completely fictional.

In her lawsuit, a woman whose real name is Zenaida Gonzalez, claims her life was disrupted and she suffered damages when Anthony claimed the nanny kidnapped her daughter, who was found dead in a wooded area near the Anthony family home.

Anthony was convicted of lying to authorities during their investigation of Caylee's disappearance, but she was found not guilty of the child's murder.

See Also:
Judge Denies Casey Anthony's Request to Move Civil Trial

Background:
The Trial of Casey Anthony
The Caylee Marie Anthony Case
Timeline of Early Events
9-1-1 Call Transcripts
Profile of the Casey Anthony Jury

^{Photo: Family Photo}