Case Updates

On February 25, 2026, Plaintiff Dakota Rea served a formal 21-Day Safe Harbor Notice on Defendant Robert Hockett's counsel — J. Trumon Phillips, Esq. and Leandra L. Lopez, Esq. of Dentons US LLP (Coral Gables, Florida) — pursuant to Florida Statutes § 57.105. The Notice demands the immediate withdrawal of Defendant's Motion for Relief Under Florida's Vexatious Litigant Statute (filed February 23, 2026) and warns that failure to withdraw by March 18, 2026 will result in the filing of the attached Motion for Sanctions with the Broward County Circuit Court (Case No. CACE25-3943).

The Motion for Sanctions identifies five independent grounds establishing that Defendant and his counsel knew, or through minimal diligence should have known, that the Vexatious Litigant Motion is factually and legally baseless:

1. Factual Fabrication — The Vexatious Litigant Motion is anchored in the demonstrably false narrative that Plaintiff made a violent threat to "burn down" a church. This narrative is directly rebutted by the sworn, recorded testimony of Annise Wallace (General Manager of U-Haul, dated February 3, 2026), who confirms the threat was made by a third party, Joseph Heilner, and that Plaintiff explicitly objected to it on the scene. Filing a dispositive motion grounded in a perjured narrative constitutes fraud upon the court.

2. Controlling Precedent Ignored — Defense counsel sought an immediate pre-filing injunction and security bond while completely ignoring the mandatory procedural framework established by the Third District Court of Appeal in Amatulah v. Palmier, 417 So. 3d 495 (Fla. 3d DCA 2025), which requires a prior court-issued "Order to Show Cause" before a vexatious designation may be sought.

3. Unconstitutional Indigency Violation — Defendant's Motion demands an insurmountable security bond while acknowledging that Plaintiff has applied for indigent status. Florida Statutes § 57.082(6) issues an absolute statutory command that a case "may not be impeded in any way... due to nonpayment of any fees or costs by an indigent person." Demanding a financial bond against a legally indigent party is an unconstitutional harassment tactic.

4. Court-Approved Motion Labeled Frivolous — Defendant's own pleading acknowledges on page 8 that this Court granted Plaintiff's Motion for Alternative Service on January 26, 2026. Simultaneously arguing that a court-approved motion is "unmeritorious" is legally absurd and factually insupportable.

5. Failure to File Notice of Appearance — Defense counsel filed a 12-page substantive motion attacking Plaintiff while failing to file a formal Notice of Appearance as required by Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration Rule 2.505(e), rendering the filing an unauthorized sham pleading subject to striking under Rule 1.150.

Plaintiff requests that the Court grant sanctions, strike the Vexatious Litigant Motion, award compensatory costs and expenses, and refer counsel for disciplinary review for prosecuting a bad-faith pleading against a pro se indigent student litigant.

A public safety warning website has been launched to inform the community about Robert Hockett, an LDS Bishop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The website documents allegations of misconduct, cover-up, and his ongoing evasion of service of process in legal proceedings filed in Broward County Circuit Court.

The website includes audio evidence from a witness that contradicts the allegations Robert Hockett allegedly fabricated against the plaintiff. The evidence demonstrates a pattern of misconduct and abuse of authority.

Robert Hockett's last known location is Fort Lauderdale, FL, and he is reportedly evading service of process in the ongoing civil case.