Florida

Now-Disbarred Lawyer Who Helped Top Partner Scott Rothstein Defraud Client of $57M Gets 2 Years

Back when both Howard Kusnick and Scott Rothstein were well-regarded and seemingly successful partners in a profitable South Florida law firm, Rothstein asked for a favor, and Kusnick, who had practiced with Rothstein for many years, complied. He wrote a letter that Rothstein used—along with forged Palm Beach County court…

Sep 2, 2011 5:36 PM CDT

Md. Lawyer Pleads Guilty in Fla. to Federal Teen-Sex Enticement-Attempt Charge

Married to another lawyer, 48-year-old Howard Scott Kalin has been a great father and mentor to other children in his Maryland community, neighbors told the Baltimore Sun earlier this year. In addition to practicing family and business law, he ran an entertainment company and billed himself as a “master balloon…

Sep 1, 2011 5:07 PM CDT

Emergency Suspension for Fla. Lawyer Who Allegedly Used Client’s $100K for Own Business

The Florida Supreme Court has issued an emergency license suspension order for a 35-year-old Tampa real estate lawyer who allegedly told a client physician to wire $100,000 into his trust account and then spent the money on his own business operations. Scott V. Boruta, who was admitted to practice in…

Sep 1, 2011 12:47 AM CDT

11th Circuit Nixes $600K Sanction Against Federal Prosecutors Who Secretly Probed Defense Counsel

A federal appeals court has overturned an unusual $600,000 award to a physician acquitted in 2009 of peddling painkillers. In a written opinion (PDF) today, the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the trial judge abused his discretion by imposing sanctions over what he perceived as the…

Aug 29, 2011 9:13 PM CDT

Defendant’s Parents ‘Deserved to Be Shot,’ Lawyer Says

In the opening statement of the trial for murder suspect Jacob Brighton, defense attorney Marc Shiner told jurors Brighton’s parents “deserved to be shot; they deserved it, legally.” Brighton, 20, faces two counts of first-degree murder and possible life in prison for the 2007 fatal shootings of Richard and Penny…

Aug 26, 2011 7:15 PM CDT

Fowler White Boggs to Expand in South Fla. by Merging with 12-Lawyer Fort Lauderdale Firm

A well-known Tampa-based law firm plans to expand its operations in South Florida with the acquisition of a 12-lawyer Fort Lauderdale boutique. Among the attorneys who will be joining Fowler White Boggs from Atkinson Diner Stone Mankuta & Ploucha are a former Florida Bar president, Jesse Diner, and a former…

Aug 25, 2011 10:33 PM CDT

Cuban Exile Awarded $2.8B in Suit Against Castro Government

A Cuban exile awarded $2.8 billion in his suit against the Castro government this week has little chance of collecting the full amount. The plaintiff, Gustavo Villoldo, alleged Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara persecuted him and his family, the Miami Herald reports. The award includes $1.4 billion for seized…

Aug 25, 2011 12:15 PM CDT

Embattled Former Foreclosure King Now Faces Potential Class Action by Ex-Employees

The dust hasn’t yet settled in the ongoing breakup of a former Florida foreclosure king’s empire. But in the latest blow to attorney David J. Stern, a federal magistrate judge in Miami is recommending a green light for a class-action case. It would be brought by ex-employees of a legal…

Aug 24, 2011 9:45 PM CDT

Remorseful Mom Who Nixed 10-Year Deal Gets 12-Year Sentence in Pet Python’s Killing of Tot

An apologetic mother of a 2-year-old child killed at home by her pet Burmese python was sentenced today to a 12-year prison term—as was the mother’s boyfrend—after being convicted last month of manslaughter by a Florida jury. Jaren Hare, 21, and Charles “Jason” Darnell, 34, had rejected a pretrial deal…

Aug 24, 2011 8:33 PM CDT

Cal. AG’s Raid on Golden State Lawyers re Bank ‘Mass Joinder’ Suits Doesn’t Faze Fla. Colleague

Last week, authorities in California raided several attorneys and law firms there, shutting down at least one, to combat what was described by the state attorney general’s office as a fraud on struggling homeowners. They were allegedly persuaded to front thousands of dollars to pay for litigation unlikely to save…

Aug 24, 2011 1:25 AM CDT

Fla. Bar Investigating Casey Anthony Lawyer Jose Baez Over Probation Matter

State bar officials in Florida have opened an investigation into Jose Baez over whether he was fully candid with the court over his client Casey Anthony’s probation. The issue stems from a hearing earlier this month when Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry was determining whether the Anthony ought to be…

Aug 19, 2011 7:40 PM CDT

Ruden McClosky is Reportedly Deep in Merger Discussions With Benesch Firm

Following a tough period in which Ruden McClosky closed offices, made staff layoffs and held back some partner pay following lawyer defections, a co-managing partner of the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based firm said in an e-mail several months ago that “things are clearly moving in the right direction.” Now it appears…

Aug 19, 2011 11:02 AM CDT

Longtime Lawyer’s Letter re Judge’s ‘Half-Baked Findings’ Results in Historic En Banc Hearing

Longtime lawyer Kevin Gleason apparently saw red when a South Florida bankruptcy judge published an opinion earlier this year that called an argument Gleason made on behalf of a client “frivolous, absurd, and is not warranted by existing law.” In response, Gleason, 54, fired off a letter to U.S. Bankruptcy…

Aug 18, 2011 11:07 PM CDT

Law Firm Seized; 3 Firms, 4 Lawyers, 14 Others Sued re Claimed Client Fraud in Bank Litigation

A California law firm has been raided and shut down and four attorneys are among 18 individual defendants sued in civil litigation over a fraud allegedly perpetrated on thousands of struggling homeowners nationwide under the guise of legal representation. The defendants are accused of working, in a combination of law…

Aug 18, 2011 10:31 PM CDT

Actor Burt Reynolds Is in Foreclosure on $2.4M Waterfront Vacation Home

Back in 2009, actor Burt Reynolds said he’d put his 12,500-square-foot waterfront Florida vacation home on the market for $8.9 million, but was in no hurry to sell before real estate values recovered. Now, it appears, his need to sell the home, which is situated on a 4-acre parcel on…

Aug 16, 2011 6:12 PM CDT