News Releases

SUPREME COURT DISCIPLINES 9 ATTORNEYS

Summaries of orders issued from January 30, 2025, to February 27, 2025

The Florida Bar, the state’s guardian for the integrity of the legal profession, announces that the Florida Supreme Court in recent court orders disciplined nine attorneys, disbarring three, revoking the license of two, suspending three, and reprimanding one.

The Florida Supreme Court, The Florida Bar, and its Division of Lawyer Regulation are charged with administering a statewide disciplinary system to enforce Supreme Court rules of professional conduct for the more than 113,000 members of The Florida Bar. Key discipline case files that are public record are posted to attorneys’ individual online Florida Bar profiles. To view discipline documents, follow these steps. Information on the discipline system and how to file a complaint are available at www.floridabar.org/attorneydiscipline.

Court orders are not final until time expires to file a rehearing motion and, if filed, determined. The filing of such a motion does not alter the effective date of the discipline. Disbarred lawyers may not re-apply for admission for five years. They are required to go through an extensive process that includes a rigorous background check and retaking the Bar exam. Attorneys suspended for periods of 91 days and longer must undergo a rigorous process to regain their law licenses including proving rehabilitation. Disciplinary revocation is tantamount to disbarment.

Alex S. Barnett, 2500 Jennings Rd., Silver Spring, MD, disciplinary revocation without leave to seek readmission effective immediately following a February 13 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2018) Barnett entered into a disciplinary revocation without leave to apply for readmission due to social media posts, other communications and/or filings that contained disparaging, impugning, and/or threatening language directed at courts, attorneys, and others which resulted in Barnett pleading nolo contendere to multiple felony charges. (Case No. SC2025-0083)

Daryl Bobby Fenton, 91 NW 1st St., Suite B, Miami, disbarred effective 30 days following a February 6 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2020) During a period of delinquency for failure to complete his continuing education requirements, Fenton engaged in the practice of law by filing a notice of appearance on behalf of a client. Fenton misrepresented on his application for reinstatement that he had not practiced law during the period of delinquency. When the Bar requested an explanation for the misrepresentation, Fenton failed to respond. Fenton was also judicially referred for failure to appear at two trial dates. He similarly failed to respond to that grievance and did not appear at his final hearing. (Case No. SC24-1048)

George Crosby Gaskell III, 9600 Escarpment Blvd., Suite 745-102, Austin, TX, suspended for one year effective 30 days following a February 18 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2007) Gaskell was held in contempt and suspended for one year after he failed to comply with the terms and conditions set forth in the referee report and consent judgment previously approved by the Supreme Court. (Case No. SC24-1527)

Jeffrey Darryl Hogan, P.O. Box 809, Windermere, public reprimand and completion of Trust Accounting Workshop effective immediately following a February 20 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1992) Hogan overlooked making payments that originally were owed to the medical service providers in personal injury cases as many as 15 years ago because he failed to maintain the required trust accounting records and failed to follow the required trust accounting procedures. Hogan has since made all the payments owed. The Bar’s audit of his attorney trust account also found shortages, which Hogan immediately corrected. There was no evidence Hogan misused any funds. (Case No. SC25-0154)

Nicole Marie Pearl, 1172 S. Dixie Hwy, Apt. 163, Coral Gables, disciplinary revocation with leave to seek readmission after five years effective 30 days following a January 30 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2014) Pearl petitioned for disciplinary revocation following a judicial finding of fraudulent conduct in connection with a real estate development project. The Supreme Court granted the petition. (Case No. SC24-1814)

Johnny A. Pineyro, 8601 Commodity Circle, Suite 100, Orlando, suspended for 91 days with proof of rehabilitation required prior to reinstatement, effective 30 days following a January 30 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1997) After a motion for sanctions was filed in a civil matter, Pineyro submitted an affidavit to the court that was not accurate regarding his involvement in the representation. Pineyro explained that he was not counsel in the interpleader action at issue. Pineyro drafted an affidavit, which he sent to his attorney who made substantial changes to the affidavit. Pineyro then signed the affidavit without thoroughly reviewing the content. His attorney filed it with the court. The affidavit failed to explain that Pineyro had assisted counsel in the case by reviewing a few pleadings and answering some questions, which led to additional litigation. After several days of testimony in the interpleader action, the court entered an order denying the motion for sanctions and referring Pineyro to The Florida Bar. (Case No. SC24-0913)

Andrea Povilaitis, 5505 North Atlantic Ave., Suite 207, Cocoa Beach, disbarred effective immediately following a February 6 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1997) Povilaitis concealed her neglect of a client’s civil case by paying him what she falsely claimed were his settlement funds from her personal checking account. In fact, there was no settlement because she never filed the case, and she made misrepresentations to the Bar about the nonexistent settlement during the Bar’s investigation. In a second case, Povilaitis was arrested in 2021 for driving while under the influence, for causing property damage after she crashed her vehicle, and for resisting arrest without violence. Povilaitis ultimately pled no contest to reckless driving and was placed on probation. Povilaitis failed to respond to the Bar’s written investigative inquiries and failed to participate in the resulting disciplinary proceedings against her. (Case No. SC24-0811)

Danialle Riggins, 1084 SE 57th Ave., Ocala, disbarred from the practice of law effective 30 days following February 13 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2005) Riggins engaged in a serious pattern of neglect and lack of communication with four separate clients. Riggins received funds from the clients for which she performed no useful services, did not respond to their requests for information, delayed resolution of the clients’ cases, and did not refund any of the money she previously accepted. In some instances, Riggins caused the clients to seek alternative counsel, resulting in additional cost to the clients. In addition, two judges familiar with appearances of Riggins in their courtrooms complained about her inappropriate courtroom conduct and missed hearings. Riggins also failed to meaningfully participate in the disciplinary proceeding. (Case No. SC24-0817)

Stephen Everett Walker, 810 Saturn St., Suite 16, Jupiter, suspended from the practice of law for three years effective 30 days following a February 27 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2001) Walker filed a civil complaint against his former romantic partner that included numerous unprofessional and derogatory statements about her and forwarded the complaint to her family and friends. Subsequently, he voluntarily dismissed the case and filed a second civil complaint which included numerous salacious and explicit statements that were included only to embarrass, humiliate, and harass his former partner. He also included new counts against others and made false accusations of RICO violations and misrepresentations to the court. Walker forwarded the second civil complaint to his partner’s family and friends. Further, Walker was charged with two misdemeanor counts of violating a restraining order against his former partner. (Case No. SC2023-1205)

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