Florida

  • August 14, 2024

    SEC Says Ga. Firm's Ponzi Scheme Fueled 'Lavish' Lifestyle

    An Atlanta-area firm that promised investors lucrative returns on real estate deals was in reality running a "classic Ponzi scheme" by funneling portions of the $300 million it received into buying a yacht and a luxury condo for its founder, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Wednesday.

  • August 13, 2024

    Full 7th Circ. Asked To Review Tossing Of Protein Pouch Fight

    A Florida-based protein powder maker is asking the Seventh Circuit to reconsider its upholding of a Wisconsin federal court's decision to toss its claims over allegedly defective plastic zipper pouches on the grounds that they were filed too late.

  • August 13, 2024

    Panama Seeks Pause In Construction Co.'s $4.8M Award Suit

    Panama has asked a Florida federal court to stay discovery as it faces a Miami businessman's countersuit claiming a previous settlement bars the enforcement of a $4.8 million arbitral award against him and his construction firm, arguing that a separate arbitration will resolve outstanding issues.

  • August 13, 2024

    Judge Keeps Alive Suit Over Missed $1M Bill For Boxing Event

    A Florida federal judge on Tuesday denied video-sharing app company Triller's attempt to toss a suit from a boxing marketing firm alleging that it breached a contract related to a pair of California fights and failed to schedule upcoming bouts, while also giving the plaintiff five business days to file an amended complaint providing a basis for federal diversity jurisdiction.

  • August 13, 2024

    Riders Renew Bid To Sue Segway Over Pa. Scooter Injuries

    Two riders who were injured and the estate of a rider who was killed while using the now-defunct Spin electric scooter service in Pittsburgh have renewed their request to split their lawsuit against the city and Spin's bankrupt parent company so they can move ahead with claims against scooter maker Segway and the service's nonprofit partners.

  • August 13, 2024

    Tort Report: Disney Blasted For 'Absurd' Arbitration Bid

    A Disney unit's unconventional bid to arbitrate a wrongful death suit and a hefty crash suit verdict out of California lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

  • August 13, 2024

    Fla. Produce Co. Can't Change Settlement, EEOC Says

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission asked a Michigan federal court Tuesday to enforce a settlement with a Florida-based produce supplier that is now insisting on changing the deal over sexual harassment claims after the parties had already agreed on the terms.

  • August 13, 2024

    Tax Court Design Violates US Law, Widow Tells 11th Circ.

    The widow of a grocery store butcher fighting a tax liability upheld by the U.S. Tax Court has told the Eleventh Circuit that the decision should be sent back for reconsideration, arguing that a provision restricting the president's power to remove Tax Court judges is unconstitutional.

  • August 12, 2024

    Circle K 'Sandbagged' By Late Docs In Death Suit, Court Told

    Circle K told a Florida state court Monday it should have a chance to depose several expert witnesses in a lawsuit stemming from a woman's death at a gas pump, saying attorneys representing family members "sandbagged" the company after providing dozens of new files that were demanded earlier this year.

  • August 12, 2024

    Texas Wants Debt Relief Review In Wake Of 8th Circ. Ruling

    Texas' solicitor general on Saturday pressed the U.S. Supreme Court to shut down the Biden administration's student debt relief plan, arguing that a recent Eighth Circuit decision granting an injunction against the plan in a similar case "underscores" why the high court should grant its petition for certiorari.

  • August 12, 2024

    New Trial Ordered, $13M Award Nixed In Miami Assault Suit

    A Florida state judge has vacated a $13 million verdict against a Miami security company and one of its employees and ordered a new trial in the suit over an altercation between the employee and a nightclub patron, finding the defendants were wrongly barred from presenting certain defenses and evidence.

  • August 12, 2024

    Fla. Jury Awards Driver $4.3M For Injuries In Traffic Light Crash

    A Florida state court jury has awarded a driver more than $4.3 million following a Miami-Dade County trial in a lawsuit the driver brought over injuries he sustained in 2019 when another driver ran a red light and smashed into his vehicle.

  • August 12, 2024

    Jetaire Patents Axed After Fla. Judge Backs Magistrate Report

    A Florida federal judge invalidated three "fuel tank ignition mitigation technology" patents held by Jetaire Aerospace LLC and granted its competitor AerSale Inc. an early win over the infringement claims Jetaire brought against it, fully adopting a magistrate judge's recommendation that the patents be axed under the on-sale bar.

  • August 12, 2024

    SEC Accuses Crypto Co., Execs, Promoters Of $650M Fraud

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday sued crypto trading firm Nova Tech Ltd., its founders and promoters in Florida federal court for their roles in an alleged $650 million fraud and pyramid scheme that targeted many in the Haitian American community.

  • August 12, 2024

    Convicted Fla. Atty Says Bogus Threat Testimony Tainted Trial

    A Florida attorney has urged the Eleventh Circuit to toss her criminal wire fraud conviction and six-year prison sentence, because she said the trial court wrongly let prosecutors "throw a loaded grenade" at her by allowing testimony about an "unsubstantiated and uncorroborated claim" that the attorney threatened a co-defendant.

  • August 12, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Multimillion-dollar share conversions, power struggles in a classic rock band, a good deal for fandom collectibles, and a pindown by two heavyweights were all part of the spectacle in Delaware's Court of Chancery last week. New cases involved pharmaceutical companies, cannabis, drones and liquid-gas exports. In case you missed it, here's the latest from the Chancery Court.

  • August 09, 2024

    Real Estate Recap: Big 4 Market Views, Gas-Ban Backfire, AI

    Catch up on this week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including what the largest commercial real estate brokers expect from capital markets in the second half of the year, how municipalities are reacting to the Ninth Circuit striking down Berkeley, California's natural gas-hookup ban, and why Brookfield Corp. is betting big on AI.

  • August 09, 2024

    Feds Say Smartmatic Execs Bribed Philippine Elections Head

    Federal prosecutors have accused three Smartmatic executives — including the voting-machine company's co-founder and president — of bribing a Philippines elections official to secure contracts for the country's 2016 elections, according to an indictment filed Friday in Florida federal court.

  • August 09, 2024

    Guarantors Ink Deal To End 11th Circ. Appeal Of $8.7M Award

    Guarantors facing an $8.7 million judgment on a hospitality lender's breach claim have settled the matter stemming from an unpaid $6.2 million loan for a Michigan hotel, according to an Eleventh Circuit filing.

  • August 09, 2024

    Bond Denied For Ex-Ecuador Official Convicted In Bribery Plot

    A Florida federal judge denied bond to Ecuador's ex-comptroller Friday after a jury convicted him earlier this year of laundering more than $12 million in bribes received in a construction scandal, saying the record would not support releasing him from custody before he is sentenced.

  • August 09, 2024

    The Long Road To Legalizing Pot In Florida And South Dakota

    Voters in Florida and South Dakota will have the opportunity this Election Day to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over, and while the two efforts vary in their particulars, they both follow years of work by legalizers to craft a proposal that could gain court approval.

  • August 09, 2024

    Morgan Law Group Can't Escape Ex-Law Partners' Spat

    The Morgan Law Group PA can't escape a $20 million dispute between former law partners after a Florida state judge ruled Friday that all but one of the claims against the firm, which now employs one of the partners involved, can proceed.

  • August 09, 2024

    Fla. Forex Trader Gets 24 Years For $57M Ponzi Scheme

    A purported foreign exchange trader has been hit with a 24-year prison sentence and a $57 million forfeiture order after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges in connection with a Ponzi scheme that took in over 1,100 would-be investors.

  • August 09, 2024

    Home Depot's ERISA Win At 11th Circ. Deepens Circuit Split

    The Eleventh Circuit's recent ruling backing Home Depot's defeat of a suit from workers who showed their 401(k) plan was mismanaged, but couldn't tie those lapses to financial losses, adds to a growing circuit split that attorneys say warrants guidance from the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • August 09, 2024

    Jury Says Fla. City Owes Black Firefighter For Retaliation

    A federal jury awarded a Black firefighter $72,000 in damages after finding the city of Clearwater, Florida, fired him because he complained that the fire department refused to promote Black workers and otherwise mistreated them.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • Opinion

    A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week in Trump v. U.S., holding that former President Donald Trump has broad immunity from prosecution, undercuts the rule of law, while the former president’s New York hush money conviction vindicates it in eight key ways, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Various Paths For Labor And Employment Law

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    Labor and employment law leans heavily on federal agency guidance, so the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to toss out Chevron deference will ripple through this area, with future workplace policies possibly taking shape through strategic litigation, informal guidance, state-level regulation and more, says Alexander MacDonald at Littler.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • What 2 Rulings On Standing Mean For DEI Litigation

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    Recent federal court decisions in the Fearless Fund and Hello Alice cases shed new light on the ongoing wave of challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, with opposite conclusions on whether the plaintiffs had standing to sue, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Zoning Reform May Alleviate The Affordable Housing Crisis

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    As America's affordable housing issues continue to worsen, zoning reform efforts can help to provide more affordable homes and mitigate racial and economic segregation, though opposition from residents and in courts could present challenges, say Evan Pritchard and Madeline Williams at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • Fair Use Doctrine Faces Challenges In The Generative AI Era

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    As courts struggle to apply existing copyright principles to new, digital contexts, the evolving capabilities of AI technologies are testing the limits of traditional frameworks, with the fair use doctrine being met with significant challenges, says John Poulos at Norton Rose.

  • Fla. HOA Reforms Bring Major Wins For Homeowners

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    A recently signed law brings broad changes for homeowners associations in Florida, alleviating some pressure imposed by overly restrictive rules and potentially setting up litigation surrounding how HOAs enforce their governing documents, says Christopher Miller at Varnum.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

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