Dinkens v. Circuit Court of the Tenth Judicial Circuit

SCHOONOVER, Judge.

Appellant, James Dinkens, seeks review of an order abating a civil action. We reverse.

Appellant, a convicted felon, filed a petition for name change in the Tenth Judicial Circuit. The trial court entered an order abating the petition until appellant’s civil rights were restored. The court entered its order on the basis of Watts v. Buck, 454 So.2d 1079 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984), in which we held that section 944.292, Florida Statutes (1983), prevents a convicted felon from maintaining a civil action in Florida’s courts until his civil rights have been restored.

We acknowledge that…