Florida

Legal Remedies Lacking re Unpaid Condo Ass’n Fees

Add another issue to the list of troubles created by the subprime mortgage meltdown: unpaid condominium association fees. In Florida, half of the nearly 500 condo and homeowner associations that responded to a recent law firm survey said foreclosures have created a revenue shortfall. Meanwhile, many owners who do pay…

Apr 22, 2008 3:10 PM CDT

Fla. Lawyer Meets Jennifer Aniston (and Dave Barry)

A Florida lawyer got his 15 minutes of fame last week after he was selected to be an extra in a movie being filmed in South Miami. Starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, it also included, as another extra, the newspaper columnist Dave Barry. Thus, not only did civil litigation…

Apr 21, 2008 9:56 AM CDT

In Search of Edward T. Kennedy, Florida Lawyer

Edward T. Kennedy is a New York tax lawyer with Jones Day. He is not the Edward T. Kennedy listed as a partner in an embattled Florida law firm Hess Kennedy. The New York Kennedy told the Daily Business Review he has no connection to the Coral Springs firm, and…

Apr 16, 2008 5:36 PM CDT

Lawyer Couple Awarded $218M in Fees for Decertified Tobacco Class Action

A husband and wife legal team have been awarded $218 million in fees for helping lay the groundwork for Florida tobacco litigation even though their class action suit was later decertified. Stanley and Susan Rosenblatt were awarded the fees yesterday for work on a case that initially resulted in a…

Apr 16, 2008 12:55 PM CDT

Busted: Fla. Shoppers Admit Handicap Parking Abuse

Seeing a seemingly able-bodied individual stride away from a car parked in a prime handicapped space, many an observer has wondered if that person really has a hidden handicap. But now we know: A newspaper investigative team in Miami has confirmed that, at least on one isolated day, in one…

Apr 10, 2008 11:18 PM CDT

Make My Work Day: Fla. OKs Guns in Employee Vehicles

An NRA-backed bill that allows employees with permits to keep guns in their personal vehicles while at work has been passed by the Florida legislature. Also supported by some labor unions, as well as the National Rifle Association, the new law, which now goes to the governor for his signature,…

Apr 9, 2008 5:12 PM CDT

Arrested at 12 for 57th Time, ‘Crime Boy’ Never Had a Chance

Now an adult facing yet another criminal charge, Percy Campbell, as a preteen years ago, got the full benefit of all the services the juvenile system could offer. Arrested in 1993, at age 12, for the 57th time (it was his 39th felony charge), Campbell’s case attracted media attention and…

Apr 8, 2008 6:49 PM CDT

Hassled Homeless Men Get TRO Against Chainsaw-Wielding Tormentor

Fort Lauderdale homeless men have joined forces to get a restraining order against a city resident who they say has been harassing them and encouraging vigilantism. The resident is accused of targeting the men by affixing “wanted posters” to walls of local shops and on street corners, the Miami Herald…

Apr 8, 2008 5:10 PM CDT

Online Music Store Agrees Not to Sell Early Beatles Tape Pending Decision

An online music store has agreed to an injunction barring it from selling an early recording of a Beatles performance featuring then-new drummer Ringo Starr pending resolution of a lawsuit filed by Apple Corps Ltd., the Beatles record label. Michael Joblove, the lawyer for online music company Fuego Entertainment Inc.,…

Apr 7, 2008 7:22 PM CDT

Einstein’s Notes Sued for Publishing Prof’s Practice Questions, Lecture Notes

A lawsuit filed in a Florida federal court contends Einstein’s Notes committed copyright violations by publishing lecture notes and practice questions from a University of Florida professor. The suit (PDF) contends professor Michael Moulton took notes during his own lectures on wildlife issues in the new millennium, obtained a copyright…

Apr 7, 2008 1:04 PM CDT

Fla. Can Bar Allstate From New Biz Unless it Reveals Rate Info, Court Says

A Florida appeals court ruled today that state insurance regulators have the authority to suspend Allstate from writing new policies because the insurance giant has failed to comply with subpoenas about their rates. The state’s Office of Insurance Regulation is seeking pricing information from the Illinois-based Allstate Corp. Florida wants…

Apr 4, 2008 9:34 PM CDT

Judge Allows Lawyer to Collect $1M Fee Despite Law License Snafu

A Florida judge has ruled that a solo practitioner should be able to collect a $1 million fee for helping a wealthy widow obtain a probate settlement of more than $31 million, even though the lawyer wasn’t authorized to practice in the state. Despite the favorable ruling, solo William West…

Apr 2, 2008 4:31 PM CDT

So. Fla. Judge Barred From Courthouse Calls it Quits

Updated: A Broward County, Fla., judge abruptly resigned Monday after the chief judge inexplicably barred him from the courthouse. The Miami Herald reports that Chief Judge Victor Tobin had reassigned Judge Jay Spechler last week. Spechler, a former administrative chief of the county court, was handling traffic and parking matters…

Apr 1, 2008 9:52 PM CDT

‘Assembly Line’ Justice: Business Is Booming for So-Called Foreclosure Mills

The subprime mortgage crisis has been good news for the law firms sometimes known as “foreclosure mills.” Florida law firms that focus on foreclosure work are ramping up their hiring to cope with the big boom in business, the Tampa Tribune reports. In February alone, one law firm, the Florida…

Apr 1, 2008 4:48 PM CDT

Retired Lawyer, Worried About Mental Decline, Asks Court to Approve Suicide

A retired lawyer in Florida has filed suit asking a court to allow his doctor to assist his suicide when he reaches the point of mental incapacity. James Mahorner, 76, says small strokes are attacking his brain, and he wants to establish a right to die while he is still…

Apr 1, 2008 12:09 PM CDT