Belkis Plata Breaks Down the Sanctions Motion in Shanna Gardner’s Case
When Shanna Gardner’s defense team asked the court to sanction the State Attorney’s Office, News4JAX turned to Belkis Plata for perspective. Belkis, who is not involved in the case, said sanctions motions are serious and not filed lightly.
She explained the defense’s argument: once a person is listed as a defense witness, the rules require prosecutors to notify the defense and allow it to attend before questioning that witness, and the defense claims that rule was sidestepped. She also explained that discovery is supposed to be produced in an organized way and said the court could grant some, but not all, of what the defense requested.