Casey Anthony
Casey Anthony Reuters

A judge removed himself from the case in a defamation lawsuit against Casey Anthony today. Anthony, the Florida woman accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter using duct tape and chloroform, was acquitted on homicide charges July 5 and will be released July 17. Anthony did not appear at the hearing.

Zenaida Gonzalez sued Anthony for defamation after the young woman said that somebody by that name had kidnapped her child in the summer of 2008. Anthony enabled a wild goose chase for the child in over to divert attention. Caylee's decomposed remains were found in a wooded area near the Anthony home.

The woman said that she had been wrongfully accused and that she had never met Anthony, which was later confirmed. Anthony's defense claimed that sexual abuse from George Anthony, Casey's father, had enabled her to become a masterful liar.

Gonzalez' lawyers are objectively annoyed and said that they may not have the chance to depose Anthony when she is released Sunday. Casey Anthony may or may not have to succumb to a formal interview before she is released. A deposition in the civil case is scheduled for July 17.

Anthony's defense said the child died in a swimming pool accident, prompting a cover-up by the family. The prosecution maintained that Anthony drugged her daughter and suffocated her using duct tape, then partied like it was 1999. Deleted internet searches were found on Anthony's personal computer for the terms how to make chloroform, neck-breaking, and self-defense.

Anthony's attorney Charles Green fears for Anthony's safety and maintains that she could be harmed if she has to appear next week. Green added that Anthony feels emotionally and mentally exhausted.