Florida

  • May 06, 2024

    Ex-Morgan & Morgan Paralegal Hits Firm With FMLA Suit

    A former Morgan & Morgan PA paralegal who says she was unlawfully fired after requesting time off under protections afforded by the Family and Medical Leave Act has sued the firm in Florida federal court, alleging interference and retaliation.

  • May 03, 2024

    Real Estate Authority: Dirty Money, Forever Chems, Housing

    Law360 Real Estate Authority covers the most important real estate deals, litigation, policies and trends. Catch up on this week's developments by state — as well as on the illicit billions tucked away in commercial real estate, attorney takeaways from new "forever chemical" designations, and one foreign investor's bet on U.S. housing.

  • May 03, 2024

    5 Plead Guilty To Hiding Fraud Proceeds In Chinese Cos.

    Five men pled guilty in Florida federal court to fraud-related charges connected to a scheme that involved hacking into businesses' computer systems and wiring millions of dollars to bank accounts in the name of fake companies before the money was ultimately laundered in China, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

  • May 03, 2024

    Outback Looks To Undo $2.5M Verdict In Slip-And-Fall Case

    Outback Steakhouse is seeking to ax a $2.5 million award to a woman who slipped and fell in one of its Garden State restaurants and urged a New Jersey federal judge to grant a new trial, arguing that the trial court erred in finding it committed spoilation of evidence.

  • May 03, 2024

    Florida Court Revives County's Suit Over Fairgrounds Deal

    A Florida appeals court on Friday revived Hernando County's lawsuit against a local county fair association over a broken contract to redevelop a county fairgrounds property, ruling that it is not clear the lawsuit is time-barred.

  • May 03, 2024

    Fla. Business Groups Line Up Behind State In CWA Permit War

    A coalition of national companies and Florida-based business groups is weighing in on behalf of the state in its battle to convince the D.C. Circuit to stay a lower court's ruling that stripped it of the authority to administer a Clean Water Act program.

  • May 03, 2024

    Ex-Spirit Flight Attendant Drops FMLA Suit

    A Florida federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit a former flight attendant lodged against Spirit Airlines accusing it of firing her after she complained that its medical leave policies ran afoul of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

  • May 03, 2024

    Sentencing Delayed For Ex-Fintech Exec In Crypto Case

    Sentencing for the CEO of fintech company Hydrogen Technology Corp. was delayed Friday after a dispute over how to calculate the amount of money lost in the conspiracy to manipulate the market for Hydrogen's digital assets.

  • May 03, 2024

    Lennar Workers Say 2nd Circ. Ruling Backs Their ERISA View

    Workers who sued Lennar Corp. in a proposed class action over mismanaging their $1.2 billion retirement plan have urged a Florida federal court to deny the company's motion for dismissal, saying a recent appellate ruling doesn't allow the employer to enforce an arbitration provision because it violates federal pension law.

  • May 03, 2024

    Judge Says Lender Can't Escape CFPB's Loan Data Suit

    A Florida federal judge has refused to dismiss the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's suit accusing mortgage servicer and lender Freedom Mortgage Corp. of violating federal law by submitting inaccurate government mortgage loan data.

  • May 03, 2024

    Brothers Accuse Cos. Of Mishandling $1.1M EB-5 Investments

    Two brothers from India sued companies behind a combination residential-resort project they invested in under the EB-5 investor visa program, telling a Florida federal court that their green card petitions were denied because the companies mishandled their $1.1 million investment.

  • May 03, 2024

    Akerman Hires Miami-Dade Atty As Chair Of Land Use Team

    Akerman LLP hired Dennis A. Kerbel, a veteran Miami-Dade County, Florida, government attorney, as the new chair of its land use and entitlements team in its Miami office, the firm announced this week.

  • May 02, 2024

    Chiquita Paid Militants To Save Lives, Ex-Ops Chief Testifies

    Chiquita's former head of Colombia operations testified in Florida federal court Thursday on payments he approved to militant groups in the country during a period of intense warfare in the 1990s, saying his company was left with little choice but to make the payments because workers' "lives were at stake."

  • May 02, 2024

    Sysco Unit To Provide Back Pay To End DOL Hiring Bias Probe

    A subsidiary of restaurant food distributor Sysco Corp. will pay over $133,000 in back pay to resolve the U.S. Department of Labor's allegations that it discriminated against women by failing to hire qualified female applicants to fill open warehouse positions in Palmetto, Florida, the agency said Thursday.

  • May 02, 2024

    Patent Board Rulings Send $3.3M Judgment Up In Flames

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday affirmed Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions invalidating three networking patents that NetScout had been found to infringe, and then held that the holding wipes out a $3.3 million judgment against the company, because it was not yet final.

  • May 02, 2024

    Sugar Price-Fixing Suits Combined In NY

    A New York federal judge consolidated six proposed price-fixing class actions against domestic sugar producers, siding with plaintiffs who wanted to try the cases as part of a multidistrict litigation.

  • May 02, 2024

    Kind Keeps Win At 2nd Circ. In MDL Over 'All Natural' Labeling

    The Second Circuit on Thursday affirmed a summary judgment for Kind LLC against a group of buyers who said the company misled consumers by labeling products as "all natural," saying the plaintiffs failed to establish through evidence how a reasonable buyer would understand the term.

  • May 02, 2024

    11th Circ. Lets Georgia Island Dock Lawsuit Proceed

    A Georgia conservation group can resume its challenge to federal approval of a private pier on Cumberland Island after a divided Eleventh Circuit panel said regulators could conduct a more rigorous environmental review even though the dock was already built.

  • May 02, 2024

    Cisco Counterfeiting Scheme Earns Fla. Man 6½ Years

    A Florida resident was sentenced to 6½ years in prison after pleading guilty to running what New Jersey federal prosecutors said was an "enormous" scheme to sell over $1 billion worth of counterfeit and broken Cisco networking devices.

  • May 02, 2024

    11th Circ. Rules Tribal Co. Is Not Immune In Trade Secrets Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit has revived a tribal-owned defense contractor's suit against another tribal-owned competitor and a former employee for allegedly stealing trade secrets, finding the competitor agreed to federal court jurisdiction when it participated in the bidding process for work on a missile detection system.

  • May 02, 2024

    US Wants To Forfeit $1.55M Landing Gear Bound For Russia

    The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a forfeiture action against a $1.55 million set of aircraft landing gear for a Boeing 737-800 that the government confiscated in Miami and says was purchased for a Kyrgyz Republic-based company servicing the Russian government in violation of U.S. economic sanctions.

  • May 02, 2024

    11th Circ. Urged To Clear Final Hurdle To Interstate Water Deal

    As the finish line comes into view in Georgia and Alabama's decadeslong fight over water rights, the Peach State, the federal government and a host of local water providers are urging the Eleventh Circuit to reject a bid by environmental groups to block the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' management proposal for the Apalachicola watershed.

  • May 02, 2024

    11th Circ. 'Emphatically' Upholds JCPenney's Sanctions Win

    The Eleventh Circuit has affirmed a $63,000 sanction against an Alabama shopping mall amid its lease dispute with JCPenney, finding that the mall acted in bad faith by not notifying the court of a lack of diversity jurisdiction, eventually sinking the case — only after JCPenney won partial summary judgment and a later mediation failed.

  • May 02, 2024

    Holland & Knight Taps M&A Pro As Jacksonville, Fla. Leader

    Holland & Knight LLP announced a leadership change in Florida this week with a mergers and acquisitions partner of more than 11 years and expert in venture capital law taking charge in Jacksonville.

  • May 01, 2024

    Ala., Fla. Trans Patients Urge 11th Circ. To Heed Bias Ruling

    Attorneys representing transgender clients in Florida and Alabama have urged the Eleventh Circuit to heed a recent Fourth Circuit ruling striking down bans on state-funded coverage for gender-affirming medical care, saying the court ruled that the state policies violate federal law because their exclusions were based on gender identity and sex.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    The Case For Overturning Florida Foreclosure Ruling

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    A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Desbrunes v. U.S. Bank National Association will potentially put foreclosure cases across the state in jeopardy, and unless it is reconsidered, foreclosing plaintiffs will need to choose between frustrating and uncertain options in the new legal landscape, say Sara Accardi and Paige Knight at Bradley.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

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    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • Reverse Veil-Piercing Ruling Will Help Judgment Creditors

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    A New York federal court’s recent decision in Citibank v. Aralpa Holdings, finding two corporate entities liable for a judgment issued against a Mexican businessman, shows the value of reverse veil piercing as a remedy for judgment creditors to go after sophisticated debtors who squirrel away assets, says Gabe Bluestone at Omni Bridgeway.

  • Ensuring Nonpublic Info Stays Private Amid SEC Crackdown

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    Companies and individuals must take steps to ensure material nonpublic information remains confidential while working outside the office, as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission continues to take enforcement actions against those who trade on MNPI and don't comply with new off-channel communications rules in the remote work era, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Surveying Legislative Trends As States Rush To Regulate AI

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    With Congress unlikely to pass comprehensive artificial intelligence legislation any time soon, just four months into 2024, nearly every state has introduced legislation aimed at the development and use of AI on subjects from algorithmic discrimination risk to generative AI disclosures, say David Kappos and Sasha Rosenthal-Larrea at Cravath.

  • Clemson's ACC Exit Fee Suit May Have Major Consequences

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    Clemson University's recent suit in South Carolina state court against the Atlantic Coast Conference, which challenges the ACC's $140 million exit fee and its ownership of member schools' media rights, would likely have enormous ramifications for ACC members in the event of a definitive court ruling, say William Sullivan and Alex Anderson at Pillsbury.

  • Strategies For Challenging A Fla. Grand Jury Report's Release

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    A Florida grand jury’s recent report on potential wrongdoing related to COVID-19 vaccines should serve as a reminder to attorneys to review the myriad legal mechanisms available to challenge the lawfulness of a grand jury report’s publication and expunge the names of their clients, says Cary Aronovitz at Holland & Knight.

  • A Look At Ex Parte Seizures 8 Years Post-DTSA

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    In the eight years since the Defend Trade Secrets Act was enacted, not much has changed for jurisprudence on ex parte seizures, but a few seminal rulings show that there still isn’t a bright line on what qualifies as extraordinary circumstances warranting a seizure, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Series

    Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.

  • This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener

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    As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • How DEI Programs Are Being Challenged In Court And Beyond

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    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's affirmative action decision last year declaring the consideration of race in university admissions unconstitutional, employers should keep abreast of recent litigation challenging diversity, equity and inclusion training programs, as well as legislation both supporting and opposing DEI initiatives in the workplace, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Blocked JetBlue-Spirit Deal Illustrates New Antitrust Approach

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent successful block of a merger between JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines demonstrates antitrust enforcers’ updated and disparate approach to out-of-market benefits versus out-of-market harms, say Lisa Rumin and Anthony Ferrara at McDermott.

  • Series

    Fla. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    Early 2024 developments that could have a notable impact on Florida's finance community include progress on a bill that would substantially revise the state Securities and Investor Protection Act, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's final rule capping late fees for larger credit card issuers, say Benjamin Weinberg and Megan Riley at Leon Cosgrove.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

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