Casey Anthony appeals 4 misdemeanor convictions

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ORLANDO, Fla., June 12 (UPI) -- Four misdemeanor convictions against Casey Anthony, the Florida mom acquitted of major charges in her daughter's death, should be thrown out, her attorney said.

In an appeal filed Monday, attorney Cheney Mason said Anthony wasn't advised of her right to remain silent or her right to an attorney when she made the statements to law enforcement officers in 2008 during an investigation into the disappearance of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Mason also said Anthony shouldn't have faced four counts of lying to law enforcement officers, but rather just one, arguing it was one ongoing act.

The appeal, among other things, said jurors heard testimony about Anthony's lies because Circuit Judge Belvin Perry improperly allowed it into her trial. Law enforcement witnesses testified Anthony was not officially in custody when she lied, so her statements could be heard. However, she was briefly handcuffed and put in a deputy's vehicle.

Anthony, 26, has been in hiding since she was acquitted of murder in July. She is serving probation on an unrelated conviction for check fraud.

The Sentinel said the appeal could affect lawsuits filed against Anthony. Zenaida Gonzalez, a woman whose name is similar to the nanny Anthony said kidnapped Caylee, and Texas EquuSearch, the search group who scoured Orange County for the girl before she was found dead, have sued and want to question Anthony, who so far has avoided answering substantive questions about the matter.

Depending on the appeal's outcome, legal analysts said Anthony could lose her constitutional protection against self-incrimination.