THIS MONTH ON THE
D e W itt L aw R eview
MEET THE MAN WHO STOLE THE ‘MONA LISA’ THE MOST FAMOUS ART HEIST YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF
The "DeWitt Law Review" airs every Sunday at 10 a.m. on AM 580 WDBO. It is always our goal to bring the listeners of Central Florida the latest legal news and also create a forum where they can ask legal questions anonymously from the comfort of their own homes. To listen to this month’s episodes, or any episode of the "DeWitt Law Review," you can visit our website at DeWittLaw.com where you can download the podcast from Apple Podcasts or Spotify. We receive many legal questions from our listeners each month, and we wanted to share some of the listeners’ questions in the hopes that they may benefit others who are facing similar legal issues. Q: What are the rights of the father of a child who was not married to the mother at the time the child was born, even if the father is listed on the birth certificate? A: Under Florida law, a father has no parental rights until paternity is legally established, even if he is listed on the birth certificate. Typically, paternity must be established through a paternity action filed in court. Until paternity is legally established, the father is unable to have court-ordered timesharing with the minor child. As a father, if you are not married to the woman who has your child, it may be a good idea to consult with an attorney early on to ensure you establish your legal rights as the child’s father. Q: Can a grandmother who took care of a child make a claim for support for caring for the child after the child has turned 18? A: In short, no. A caretaker may be entitled to child support while the child is a minor if child support is sought during that period. However, once the child reaches the age of majority, the grandmother would no longer be able to request support for caring for the child.
One hundred and nine years ago this month, one man — or was it three? — fled from the Louvre Museum in Paris, carrying what would quickly become the world’s most famous painting: Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” Historical accounts of the theft agree only on who was the ringleader: 30-year-old Louvre handyman Vincenzo Peruggia. He was a house painter, an immigrant, the bearer of a glorious Monopoly Man mustache, and a vehement Italian patriot. At some point on the morning of Aug. 21, 1911, Peruggia lifted the glass case he himself had constructed to house the “Mona Lisa” and smuggled the painting from the building. Some versions of the story say Peruggia was assisted by two brothers, fellow Italian handymen Vincenzo and Michele Lancelotti. NPR reports the trio spent the night preceding the theft huddled in one of the Louvre’s supply closets, lying in wait to steal the portrait. In his documentary about the theft, director Joe Medeiros claims Peruggia acted alone, driven by an obsession with the work and a dream of returning the painting to Italy. Either way, we know that Peruggia successfully spirited the painting back to his one-bedroom apartment. There it lay concealed in a false-bottomed trunk for more than two years. This period of mysterious absence (during which police grilled and dismissed Peruggia as a suspect in favor of J.P. Morgan, Pablo Picasso, and playwright Guillaume Apollinaire) is what made the “Mona Lisa” world famous. Peruggia was eventually caught attempting to sell the painting in Italy. He pleaded guilty and spent eight months in jail. After his release, he enlisted in the Italian army to fight in World War I, surviving the war only to die of a heart attack on his 44th birthday. Though Peruggia married after the war, some suspect that the true love of his life was the “Mona Lisa” herself. In a CNN article, author and art history professor Noah Charney speculates that over his two years with her, Peruggia developed romantic feelings for the portrait. Perhaps he fell victim to a kind of “reverse Stockholm syndrome,” Charney suggests, the captor falling in love with his hostage. “In this case,” he says, “the hostage was a work of art.”
Q: Do I need uninsured motorist coverage for a motorcycle?
A: It is a good idea to have uninsured motorist coverage for a motorcycle. Florida law does not require it, but uninsured motorist coverage provides insurance coverage if you are in an accident and the individual at fault is uninsured or underinsured. In Florida, bodily injury coverage is not required. If you are in an accident and the at-fault driver lacks insurance coverage, you could be liable for massive medical bills. Uninsured motorist coverage helps provide compensation in the event that the at-fault driver does not have sufficient coverage to pay for the medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages that may occur.
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