re: Rush

According to Rush's lawyer, Boy Black -- and a very fine lawyer he is -- a negotiated settlement was reached, in which Rush was formally charged with one count of "doctor shopping." He entered a plea of not guilty and the case was continued, or held in abeyance, for 18 months, during which time he'll effectively be on probation, with conditions that he continue with his drug treatment, pay Florida $30k, plus a supervision fee of $30/month, and pick up no new criminal law violations. If he does that, case is dismissed. If he doesn't, the case goes back to the trial court. Unclear if Florida can bring additional charges if he screws up the agreement. It's called, generally, a deferred prosecution agreement, and it's the same deal that people charged with small-scale drug possession charges get in many jurisdictions. It's not necessarily a reflection of the strength or weakness of the case. In case anyone is curious.

michael