Florida

  • August 02, 2024

    Real Estate Recap: Grants Pass, Population Data, CMBS Risk

    Catch up on the past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including city and state reactions to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on homeless encampments, a new proptech venture leveraging population data for investors and developers, and one BigLaw leader's view of which sectors are most sensitive to commercial mortgage-backed securities distress.

  • August 02, 2024

    HFZ Capital Cops To $86M Fraud Charges, Blames Ex-Chief

    Defunct real estate firm HFZ Capital Group pled guilty in an $86 million criminal case Friday, admitting that its former top executive Nir Meir evaded New York City property taxes and stole funds from commercial and residential building projects.

  • August 02, 2024

    Fla. Atty Cops To Attempted DC Bombing, Explosion In Texas

    A Florida criminal defense attorney pled guilty on Friday to federal charges stemming from an attempted bombing outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., in 2023 and the bombing of a satirical sculpture of communist leaders in San Antonio, Texas, in 2022.

  • August 02, 2024

    US Cheerleading Org. Faces Fees Bid After Losing TM Suit

    Bush Ross PA and the Underwood Law Firm PC are seeking more than $800,000 in attorney fees after a Florida federal judge handed their clients a summary judgment win in a trademark infringement lawsuit brought by the U.S. All Star Federation against its rivals, saying they deserve to be reimbursed for costs related to the case because it was "exceptional."

  • August 02, 2024

    Ex-CFO Of Embattled PE Firm Sues In Del. For Legal Fees

    The former chief financial officer of 777 Partners LLC has sued the private equity firm in Delaware's Court of Chancery, seeking advancement of his legal fees in connection with a fraud investigation and at least 20 civil lawsuits related to the company's business.

  • August 02, 2024

    11th Circ. Reopens Emory Suit Over Sex Assault Hearing

    Emory University must face a male student's suit claiming he was mistreated during a hearing about sexual assault accusations against him, the Eleventh Circuit ruled, saying he'd provided enough details to suggest the school's sexual misconduct policy created an implied contract between them.

  • August 01, 2024

    11th Circ. Affirms Zurich Needn't Pay Judgment Against Agent

    In a pair of opinions issued Thursday, the Eleventh Circuit revived a copyright claim by Compulife but rejected the software company's bid to force Zurich American Insurance Co. to pay for a judgment against an insurance agent who allegedly helped three others misappropriate the company's trade secrets.

  • August 01, 2024

    Feds Want Full Sentence Kept In Fla. Illegal Employment Case

    The U.S. urged a Florida federal court on Thursday to uphold the three-year prison sentence of a labor staffing company operator convicted in a conspiracy to hire migrants not authorized to work in the U.S., saying he's ineligible for a reduction because of his admitted role in the scheme.

  • August 01, 2024

    11th Circ. Denies Coverage, Despite Insurer's Missing Comma

    In a unanimous published opinion bound to frustrate grammarians, an Eleventh Circuit panel affirmed Thursday that though an insurer's policy might be missing a comma, the lack of punctuation didn't change its clear and unambiguous meaning, thus preventing payment to a food company.

  • August 01, 2024

    Crypto-Forex Co. Defaults In Fla. Civil Fraud Lawsuits

    A purported foreign exchange currency broker based in Hong Kong defaulted Thursday in three Florida state court lawsuits alleging multimillion-dollar frauds due to lack of counsel, although a Miami judge allowed the former CEO to respond to the complaints against him as a self-represented party.

  • August 01, 2024

    TD Bank's $25M Client Poach Case Hits FINRA Snags

    Ex-TD Bank employees accused of siphoning $25 million in business to Raymond James Financial Services Inc. agreed to move a dispute over a restraining order into arbitration to shield themselves from negative press, the bank told a federal judge Thursday after the defendants complained about delays to the proceeding.

  • August 01, 2024

    Judge Denies Bid For Financial Info Of Miami Official's Wife

    A Florida federal judge rejected a bid by two property developers seeking financial records of a Miami commissioner's wife in a garnishment hearing, saying Wednesday their claim isn't supported, although withholding them could work against the official claiming his salary can't be used to pay a $63.5 million judgment.

  • August 01, 2024

    Fla. Justices Sanction Paralegal For Immigration Practice

    The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday told a paralegal and the immigration legal services businesses she has operated that she must reimburse clients who were misled into believing they were working with licensed attorneys.

  • August 01, 2024

    Senate Passes Bill To 'Systematically' Increase Judgeships

    The Senate passed a bipartisan bill Thursday by voice vote to create 66 new and temporary judgeships to help federal courts handle increasing workloads.

  • August 01, 2024

    Schumer And Senate Dem Bill Would Reverse Trump Immunity

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and more than 30 of his Democratic colleagues introduced a bill on Thursday to undo the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that former President Donald Trump has immunity for official acts.

  • August 01, 2024

    Biotech Co. Biedermann Motech Hits Ch. 11 With $34M Debt

    Biedermann Motech, a maker of implants for spinal and extremity surgery, filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court with $34 million in debt.

  • July 31, 2024

    11th Circ. Affirms Trim Of Ex-Ala. Judge's Defamation Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit held Wednesday that an Alabama federal court was correct to toss some of the claims in a defamation suit from Roy Moore, the embattled former Alabama Supreme Court leader, ruling that the court lacked jurisdiction over some claims and others were conclusory.

  • July 31, 2024

    Fla. Jury Awards $8.3M In Spat Over Sale Of Pro Player Brand

    A Florida jury has awarded Perry Ellis $8.3 million after finding that United Legwear Co. purposely depressed the value of Perry Ellis' Pro Player brand under a licensing agreement to avoid paying fair market value when it purchased the brand later.

  • July 31, 2024

    11th Circ. Revives Suit Over Ga. City's Ouster Of White Manager

    A white ex-city manager of a small Georgia city who was fired after a new administration allegedly vowed to replace him with a Black person will get another shot at pressing his racial discrimination claims as the Eleventh Circuit gave the case new life Wednesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    Trade Secrets Cases To Watch In 2024: A Midyear Report

    A Virginia appellate court reversed a historic $2 billion trade secrets verdict in a closely watched case, and the Seventh Circuit emphasized that the federal trade secrets law applies to conduct abroad, expanding the damages landscape. Here are some of the most notable trade secrets cases to watch for the rest of 2024.

  • July 31, 2024

    GAO Says Navy Tactical Radio Contract Protest Is Untimely

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office rejected a Las Vegas-based contractor's challenge to U.S. Navy deals awarded to L3Harris Technologies Inc. and Data Link Solutions, finding that the protest was four months too late.

  • July 31, 2024

    Fla. Electric Co. Ex-CEO Gets 4 Years For Privatization Plot

    A Jacksonville, Florida, federal judge sentenced a former CEO of the city's electric company to four years in prison after a jury convicted him of fraud conspiracy charges in a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme connected to a process to privatize the public utility, prosecutors said Wednesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    $7.25M Del. Settlement Offered In $1.35B UpHealth SPAC Suit

    Parties to a Delaware Court of Chancery stockholder suit that challenged a $1.35 billion take-public "blank-check" company merger with Florida-based digital health manager UpHealth Inc. have reached a $7.25 million settlement of all claims, pending court approval, according to an agreement filed Tuesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    Ex-Byju's Exec Faces $10K Daily Contempt Fine

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Wednesday ordered a former executive of the troubled U.S.-based affiliate of Indian educational technology giant Byju's to pay $10,000 a day in contempt sanctions for failing to provide court-ordered discovery, while his attorneys asked for the court's permission to exit the case.

  • July 31, 2024

    Doc 'Muddle' Stalls Trump Media SPAC Figure's Ouster Suit

    Pointing to multiple, conflicting operating agreement versions, a Delaware vice chancellor said she was unable to rule Wednesday on a suit to uphold dismissal of the managing member of a blank check company sponsor for the deal that took former President Donald Trump's social media company public.

Expert Analysis

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • An Overview Of Circuit Courts' Interlocutory Motion Standards

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    The Federal Arbitration Act allows litigants to file an immediate appeal from an order declining to enforce an arbitration agreement, but the circuit courts differ on the specific requirements for the underlying order as well as which motion must be filed, as demonstrated in several 2023 decisions, says Kristen Mueller at Mueller Law.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

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    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

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    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Young Thug Case Spotlights Debate Over Lyric Admissibility

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    A Georgia court’s recent ruling, allowing prosecutors to use some of rapper Young Thug’s lyrics in his conspiracy trial, captures the ongoing debate about whether rap lyrics are admissible, with courts often stretching the boundaries of the federal evidence rules, say Amy Buice at Smith Gambrell and Emily Ward at Continuum Legal Group.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • How Fla. Bankruptcy Ruling May Affect Equity Owners

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    A Florida bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Vital Pharmaceuticals — which rejected the Third Circuit’s Majestic Star decision that determined a bankrupt corporation’s flow-through status was not protected by the automatic stay — may significantly affect how equity owners can mitigate the impact of flow-through structures in bankruptcy, say Eric Behl-Remijan and Natasha Hwangpo at Ropes & Gray.

  • Cos.' Trade Secret Measures Must Adjust To Remote-Work Era

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    Several recent cases demonstrate that companies need to reevaluate and adjust their trade secret protection strategies in this new age of remote work, says Stephanie Riley at Womble Bond.

  • Safe-Harbor Period Change Could Hinder TCPA Compliance

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    A proposed rule change under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission would require businesses to honor do-not-call requests within 24 hours of receipt for calls and texts that are subject to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and companies have already called it unreasonable, say Aaron Weiss and Danny Enjamio at Carlton Fields.

  • How Justices Could Rule On A Key Copyright Statute

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    Attorneys at Manatt discuss how the U.S. Supreme Court may choose to address a fundamental accrual issue in Warner Chappell Music v. Nealy, which precedents the court may look to in analyzing the issue and the challenges copyright claimants may face going forward.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

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