Girls Gone Wild founder due back in Fla. court

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — The founder of "Girls Gone Wild" is set to return before a Florida Panhandle federal judge who witnessed a tearful, nose-blowing apology from the young multimillionaire in 2007.

Joe Francis is due in Judge Richard Smoak's court on Nov. 20 for a hearing involving four women who say Francis' company filmed them when they were underage. Francis' attorneys want the case thrown out and the women's attorneys want him to pay.

(enlarge photo) FILE - In a Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009 file photo, Joe Francis, the founder of the 'Girls Gone Wild' video empire, leaves the Edward R. Roybal Center and Federal Building court on in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

In 2007, Francis sobbed and asked to be freed from a Panama City jail. Smoak jailed him for contempt of court after Francis yelled at attorneys during settlement negotiations in another case.

The "Girls Gone Wild" video series features women exposing themselves on camera.

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Information from: The News Herald, http://www.newsherald.com

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