TALLAHASSEE (Florida Record) — New Jersey attorney Ralph Alexander Gonzalez, practicing in Florida for more than 21 years, has been reciprocally suspended following a Jan. 25 Florida Supreme Court ruling after he was indicted for using a golf club as a weapon, according to a recent announcement by The Florida Bar.
"A grand jury indicated Gonzalez on one count of third-degree possession of a weapon (a golf club) for an unlawful purpose and one count of fourth-degree criminal mischief," the state bar said in its March 27 announcement of the discipline and the Supreme Court's order. "The indictment stemmed from a “road rage” incident.
The 90-day suspension of Gonzalez, from Voorhees, New Jersey, was effective 30 days after the order and Gonzalez was required to pay a little more than $1,270 in costs. The Florida Supreme Court's two-page order of is not final until time to file a rehearing motion expires. Filing such a motion would not alter the effective date of the Gonzalez 's suspension.
Gonzalez was admitted to the Florida bar Oct. 3, 1996, according to his profile at The Florida Bar's website. Gonzalez was admitted to the bar in New Jersey in 1987, according to the New Jersey Supreme Court's order.
Last May the New Jersey Supreme Court issued an order suspending Gonzalez for three months effective June 22. The New Jersey order does not mention the road rage incident but the consent judgment, which includes Gonzalez's conditional guilty plea, filed with the New Jersey Supreme Court mentions the altercation Aug. 15, 2014 in Evesham Township, New Jersey, referring to Gonzalez as "respondent".
"Respondent initiated a confrontation with a woman, where he exited his vehicle, retrieved a golf club from his trunk and began swinging the golf club at the woman's car," the consent judgment said. "When she attempted to drive away, respondent threw the club at the car, striking the vehicle. Respondent then retrieved the golf club and approached the vehicle, yelling at the woman. Respondent then left the scene."
In February 2015, a Burlington County grand jury indicted Gonzalez on the weapon and criminal mischief counts, after which Gonzalez entered a pretrial intervention program, according to the consent judgment. In July 2016, the superior court in Burlington County, New Jersey, acknowledged Gonzalez's successful completion of the pretrial intervention program.