Florida

Top Florida court reprimands ‘Pitbull Lawyer’ for advertising campaign

The Florida Supreme Court has reprimanded lawyer Robert Laurence Pelletier for an advertising campaign that described him as the “Pitbull Lawyer at Taylor Law.”

Aug 6, 2021 9:28 AM CDT

Reversing course, 11th Circuit halts CDC cruise ship safety rules after Florida seeks SCOTUS review

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Atlanta on Friday vacated an earlier order that had kept in place rules for reopening cruise ships set out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jul 26, 2021 9:39 AM CDT

After being denied Title IV funds, Florida Coastal sues Education Department

Florida Coastal School of Law, which lost its federal financial aid in April, and by June had an approved teach-out plan with the ABA, sued the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday, alleging the agency acted arbitrarily and capriciously, without due process, when it terminated the for-profit school’s participation in the loan program.

Jul 21, 2021 4:57 PM CDT

11th Circuit keeps CDC cruise ship rules in place

Rules for reopening cruise ships set out by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will remain in effect as a result of an order Saturday by a federal appeals court.

Jul 19, 2021 4:44 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Webinar considers legal profession’s caregiving bias; animal rights lawyer pleads guilty

Webinar will consider caregiving bias in legal profession The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession will examine how the legal profession can ensure the success of mothers and caregivers in a July 28 webinar titled “Motherhood and Caregiving Bias in the Legal Profession: Dismantling the Systemic Barriers to Equity.”…

Jul 19, 2021 4:26 PM CDT

Federal prosecutors ‘deliberately misled’ court, judge says; alleged fraudsters get new trial

A federal judge in Miami has ordered a new trial for three men found guilty in a fraudulent sweepstakes scheme after concluding that federal prosecutors had “knowingly invaded the defense camp” while lying to the court about it.

Jul 19, 2021 2:05 PM CDT

ABA submits response to Florida Supreme Court’s ban on ‘quotas’ in CLE panels

The ABA on Thursday filed comments in response to the Florida Supreme Court’s recent decision to prohibit the approval of continuing legal education for any program with diversity “quotas.”

Jul 15, 2021 5:00 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: High-rise Miami courthouse closed for emergency repairs; Lawyers criticize National Guard border deployment

Miami courthouse closes after engineering firm identifies safety issues The Miami-Dade County Courthouse began undergoing immediate repairs on Friday after an engineering firm that examined the 28-story building identified safety concerns with various floors. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Chief Judge Nushin G. Sayfie and Miami-Dade…

Jul 13, 2021 4:30 PM CDT

$37M verdict reversed after lawyer calls makers of tobacco ‘soulless enterprise of death’

A lawyer’s literary references and descriptive comments in closing arguments has doomed a $37 million verdict obtained against two tobacco companies, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Philip Morris USA Inc.

Jul 8, 2021 3:31 PM CDT

Tort lawyers represent Trump in social media censorship lawsuits; is ‘state actors’ claim viable?

Personal injury lawyer John P. Coale is among the lawyers representing former President Donald Trump in censorship lawsuits against Twitter, Facebook and Google for suspending him and others from their websites.

Jul 8, 2021 10:17 AM CDT

Akerman lawyer is appointed as receiver in condo collapse; who may be liable?

A Florida judge on Friday appointed an Akerman partner as a receiver to handle financial matters for the Champlain Towers South condo association in litigation over the building collapse in Surfside, Florida.

Jul 6, 2021 1:41 PM CDT

Judge tosses 238 oil-spill cases, citing law firm’s failure to respond to discovery requests

A federal judge in Pensacola, Florida, has dismissed 238 cases filed for cleanup workers who blame their medical problems on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Jun 29, 2021 2:38 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Crowell merger announced; judge reverses himself on juror vaccinations

Crowell & Moring will merge with IP firm Crowell & Moring is merging with Chicago-based Brinks Gilson & Lione, a 61-lawyer intellectual property law firm. Crowell will have more than 625 lawyers after the merger, with new offices in Chicago and Indianapolis. Crowell has also begun a process with the…

Jun 24, 2021 4:37 PM CDT

Judge sanctions Dechert lawyers for ‘willful disregard’ of her order on impeachment evidence

A federal judge overseeing 3M earplug litigation in Pensacola, Florida, has sanctioned a Dechert lawyer $10,000 for showing jurors a slide on the devices’ effectiveness in closing arguments without making clear that the information could be considered for impeachment purposes but not for truthfulness.

Jun 22, 2021 2:31 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Supreme Court limits patent board’s power; gun-pointing lawyer explains plea

SCOTUS limits power of Patent Trial and Appeal Board The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that administrative judges on the Patent Trial and Appeal Board act as “principal officers” who must be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate under the appointments clause. The court said the system…

Jun 21, 2021 4:01 PM CDT