Anthony lawyer requests delay in hearing

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 25 (UPI) -- An attorney for Casey Anthony, citing his heavy workload and personal reasons, has asked to postpone a hearing over moving her bankruptcy case to Orlando, Fla.

The preliminary hearing was scheduled to take place Tuesday at a Tampa federal bankruptcy court, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

However, David L. Schrader of Tampa, Anthony's lawyer, filed a motion last week requesting the hearing be rescheduled due to an unexpected workload involving the Mirabilis Ventures Inc. corporate bankruptcy case.

Schrader said his co-counsel in the Mirabilis case was supposed to attend the final evidentiary hearing in that case this month, but recently informed him that he will not attend the hearing.

As a result, Schrader said he hasn't had enough time to work on the Anthony case, including her response to a motion that her bankruptcy be transferred to the Orlando division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Schrader also said the recent passing of a close friend's mother and related events have taken time away from his work on Anthony's case.

Anthony's lawyer also asked the court to delay the first creditors meeting in Anthony's case.

Anthony filed for Chapter 7 personal bankruptcy Jan. 25 in Tampa, declaring assets of less than $1,100 and debts of more than $792,000.

On Feb. 5, lawyers for Zenaida Fernandez Gonzalez, who is suing Anthony for defamation for falsely telling police a nanny with a similar name had kidnapped Anthony's daughter Caylee, filed a motion to transfer the case to Orlando.

Should a judge approve Anthony's bankruptcy claim, Gonzalez's civil lawsuit against her could be dropped by the court. Gonzalez's lawyers have said they will argue her claim should remain in place under certain exceptions allowed in bankruptcy law.