The purpose of this summary provided by the Communications Department of The Florida Bar is to present media coverage that may be of interest to members. Opinions expressed in the articles are attributable solely to the authors. The Florida Bar does not adopt or endorse any opinions expressed below. For information on previous articles, please contact the publishing newspaper directly.
July 15, 2024
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The Florida Bar
FLABOTA’s 26th Annual Convention Spotlights Justice Renatha Francis
The Florida Bar | Article | July 15, 2024
Florida Supreme Court Justice Renatha Francis, an expert on the ethical use of AI and one of the authors of Florida’s sweeping civil justice reforms, will highlight the Florida Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates’ 26th Annual Convention on July 25-28 in Boca Raton. Guest speakers will address the latest issues impacting Florida’s civil trial bar, said FLBOTA President Jeff Adelman. The first Jamaican American to serve on the Florida Supreme Court, Justice Francis will participate in a noon “fireside chat” with Second DCA Judge Nelly Khouzam on Friday, July 26.
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Legal Ethics
School Board member accused of ethics violation related to charter schools payout
Sun-Sentinel | Article | July 12, 2024
Broward School Board member Torey Alston is being accused by a fellow board member of violating state ethics laws by pushing for a vote that would give charter schools a windfall of more than $100 million before later disclosing his wife does business with some charter schools. The allegation was filed with the State Ethics Commission this week by Allen Zeman, a Democrat who has become increasingly critical of Alston, a Republican appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Ethics Commission doesn’t confirm or deny the existence of investigations until they are completed, but Zeman provided a copy of the complaint Friday [July 12] to the South Florida Sun Sentinel in response to a public records request to the Broward School District. Alston’s wife, Candice Alston, owns Interim Healthcare of Pompano Beach, a medical staffing company that does business with charter schools. Alston was an initial owner but removed himself from the company after being appointed to the School Board in August 2022.
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Criminal Justice
Feds open investigation into health company that owns several Miami-area hospitals
Miami Herald | Article | July 12, 2024
Federal investigators have opened an investigation into Steward Health Care System, which is in the midst of bankruptcy and is trying to sell all 31 of its hospitals, including eight in Florida. The criminal investigation, launched by federal prosecutors in Boston, is zeroing in on possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits U.S. citizens and companies from committing bribery and other corruption overseas in order to obtain or retain business, according to CBS News, which first reported on the probe. The law also requires companies to keep accurate records of their finances. The federal investigation into possible corruption comes as the healthcare giant, which owns several hospitals in South Florida, including Palmetto General and North Shore Medical Center, is also embroiled in a criminal investigation overseas in Malta, an island in Southern Europe, where it managed some state-run hospitals.
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Legal Profession
Miami Judge Rules Podhurst Orseck, Ex-Partner Jointly Liable for 25% Referral Fee
Daily Business Review | Article | July 12, 2024
After an over five-year battle, a Coral Gables attorney will be awarded her full 25% referral fee from Podhurst Orseck and one of its former partners, for settlements that the law firm obtained in aviation litigation, an area in which it specializes. Robert Zarco is a partner at Zarco Einhorn Salkowski in Miami, who represents the lienor, Ana Frexes of Frexes Law, the personal representative to Andrea Virgin, in her attempt to recover a 25% referral fee from Podhurst Orseck and ex-partner Michael Olin. Zarco declined to comment and Olin, who has since joined Brodsky Fotiu-Wojtowicz, did not respond to a request for comment. Meanwhile, Podhurst Orseck, in a statement, said the Miami-Dade Circuit Court erred in allowing an attorney to claim a contingency fee on a second settlement a year after she was terminated by her client. “There is zero support in the law for this ruling,” the firm said. “Our client will be appealing, and we are confident that this opinion will not stand.”
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Civil Justice
State seeks to end redistricting lawsuit
News Service of Florida | Article | July 15, 2024
The Florida House and Secretary of State Cord Byrd last week urged a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that seven South Florida state House districts and three congressional districts are unconstitutionally gerrymandered. Attorneys for the House and Byrd disputed allegations that the Legislature violated equal-protection rights in the way it drew districts that would elect Hispanic candidates. “Plaintiffs do not allege that, in drawing the state House districts, the Legislature placed Hispanic voters in some districts and non-Hispanic voters in other districts,” Andy Bardos, an attorney for the House, wrote in a 15-page motion to dismiss the case. “At most, plaintiffs take issue with how the Legislature configured districts within a predominantly Hispanic area of the state. Plaintiffs object that the challenged districts are majority Hispanic, but 69 percent of Miami-Dade County’s total population is Hispanic.” But in a revised version of the lawsuit filed June 25, attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote that the districts “form noncompact shapes, connect disparate neighborhoods and divide established communities.”