Florida

  • May 21, 2024

    22 States Tell 11th Circ. Corp. Transparency Act Goes Too Far

    The federal Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutionally displaces state authority and its enforcement would economically harm states and their residents, attorneys general from 22 states told the Eleventh Circuit, urging it to uphold a ruling that struck down the law.

  • May 21, 2024

    PE Firms Close Separate Funds With Nearly $1.3B Total In Tow

    Winston & Strawn LLP-advised private equity shop Paceline Equity Partners LLC and Kirkland & Ellis LLP-advised private equity firm Eir Partners on Tuesday separately announced that they have clinched funds totaling nearly $1.3 billion combined, with the former's fund focusing on corporate debt and real assets and the latter's targeting healthcare technology investments.

  • May 21, 2024

    College QB Sues Gators' Coach For False $13.9M NIL Deal

    Former prospective University of Florida Gators quarterback Jaden Rashada alleged in a federal lawsuit Tuesday that the football coach and boosters lured him to the university with false promises of a $13.85 million name, image and likeness deal that cost him a legitimate deal he had lined up at a different school.

  • May 21, 2024

    3rd Suit Alleges Panera's 'Charged' Drink Caused Heart Attack

    An 18-year-old man sued Panera Bread Co. in Pennsylvania federal court Monday alleging its highly caffeinated "Charged Lemonade" drink caused him to suffer a heart attack, at least the third such suit filed against the franchise over the now-discontinued beverage. 

  • May 21, 2024

    DC Circ. Won't Let Fla. Halt Wetlands Permits Decision

    The D.C. Circuit on Monday refused Florida's request to pause a lower court's ruling that stripped the state of its federally delegated authority to administer a Clean Water Act permitting program until its appeal is resolved, rejecting its argument that the decision is likely to be reversed.

  • May 21, 2024

    Earth, Wind & Fire Cover Band Owes $750K In TM Suit

    A Florida federal judge has ordered a concert producer and promoter to pay $750,000 to the entity that owns the music of Earth, Wind & Fire after the band won a summary judgment ruling in March that found the defendants infringed the legendary group's trademarks by organizing concerts featuring their music and name.

  • May 21, 2024

    Conn. Law Firm's Trade Secrets Case Likely Moving To Fla.

    A trade secrets lawsuit brought by a Greenwich, Connecticut, law firm against a former independent contractor is poised to move to the Southern District of Florida after a federal judge in Hartford said Tuesday that a new venue appears to be more appropriate.

  • May 21, 2024

    Strategic Hiring Was The New Normal For BigLaw In 2023

    The 400 largest law firms by headcount in the U.S. grew more slowly in 2023 than in the previous two years, while Kirkland & Ellis LLP surpassed the 3,000-attorney threshold, according to the latest Law360 ranking.

  • May 21, 2024

    The Law360 400: Tracking The Largest US Law Firms

    The legal market expanded more tentatively in 2023 than in previous years amid a slowdown in demand for legal services, especially in transactions, an area that has been sluggish but is expected to quicken in the near future.

  • May 20, 2024

    Fla. Pet Store Wins $53K Atty Fee Award In Explicit Video Suit

    A Florida state court judge has awarded the operators of a pet store nearly $53,000 in attorney fees defending against a lawsuit over sexual harassment and gender discrimination after a manager allegedly showed a video of his genitalia to an underage female employee while on the job.

  • May 20, 2024

    TD Ameritrade Must Face Most Claims In Fraud-Abetting Suit

    A Florida federal judge has sustained most of a receiver's lawsuit against TD Ameritrade alleging the broker-dealer was responsible for furthering an alleged $9.8 million commodity pool fraud scheme.

  • May 20, 2024

    Transparency Act Violates Constitution, Groups Tell 11th Circ.

    The Corporate Transparency Act's reporting requirements violate the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination and other constitutional provisions, libertarian think tank Cato Institute and others said Monday in urging the Eleventh Circuit to uphold an Alabama district court's ruling against the law.

  • May 20, 2024

    Venezuelan Facing 2 Years In Prison For Laundering Scheme

    An ex-Venezuelan National Guard major is facing up to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a count of money laundering conspiracy involving the bribing of foreign officials to help cover up a $1.7 million fake import scheme and then moving the fraud proceeds through U.S. banks.

  • May 20, 2024

    Trial In Blackmail Case Over Judge's Photos Delayed

    A Florida state judge agreed Monday to push back the trial in a Palm Beach County judge's suit accusing an attorney of trying to blackmail her with nude photographs, after the defendant cited discovery delays and an ongoing bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation against Chiquita that is tying up the schedule of two key witnesses.

  • May 20, 2024

    Agricultural Groups Agree To Toss Claim In H-2A Rule Dispute

    Several Florida-based agricultural groups agreed to toss a claim in their suit challenging the U.S. Department of Labor's rule raising the wages of H-2A agricultural workers, saying while they still believe the allegation is viable, trimming the suit will expedite the litigation.

  • May 20, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware was full of drama last week, as proposed changes to the state's corporate law statutes raised eyebrows and a professor's friend-of-the-court brief sparked a very unfriendly public exchange. Delaware's court of equity banged the gavel on pipeline and social media disputes, and shareholders filed new suits alleging insider trading, vote bungling, unfair stock buybacks and merger shenanigans. In case you missed any of it, here's the recap of all the top news last week from Delaware's Chancery Court.

  • May 20, 2024

    CORRECTED: DeSantis Signs Bill Adding 9 New Judgeships

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law a bill that will add nine new judgeships in the state, including two circuit court judges in Pensacola and southwest Florida and seven additional county court judges.

  • May 20, 2024

    Fried Frank, K&L Gates Lead $950M Sale Of Transportation Biz

    Transportation and distribution services provider Saltchuk Resources Inc., advised by K&L Gates LLP, on Monday announced plans to acquire energy transportation services provider Overseas Shipholding Group Inc., led by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP, in a take-private transaction valued at $950 million.

  • May 20, 2024

    Squire Patton Lands Ex-Polsinelli Latin America Head In Miami

    The former head of Polsinelli PC's Latin America practice has joined Squire Patton Boggs LLP as a partner in its financial services practice in Miami after most recently practicing at his own boutique firm, the firm announced Monday.

  • May 20, 2024

    6th Circ. Orders Sanctioned Prison Co. To Pay NLRB Atty Fees

    The Sixth Circuit said a Federal Bureau of Prisons contractor has to pay the U.S. National Labor Relations Board's attorney fees from arguing the contractor should be held in contempt in a dispute over two fired union supporters, with one judge dissenting in part over 0.4 billable hour.

  • May 20, 2024

    Red Lobster Hits Ch. 11 Reeling From Endless Shrimp Deals

    The Red Lobster seafood restaurant chain has filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Florida bankruptcy court with $294 million in debt and sale plans, saying its problems included its equity owner and shrimp supplier possibly pushing it into a disastrous all-you-can-eat shrimp offer.

  • May 20, 2024

    Davis Polk, Wachtell Guide $2B SouthState Banking Deal

    Florida-based SouthState Corp. said Monday it has agreed to purchase Texas-based Independent Bank Group Inc. in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $2 billion, with Davis Polk and Wachtell steering the regional lenders on the deal. 

  • May 17, 2024

    Real Estate Authority: Loan Doctors, CFIUS, Mixed-Use Boom

    Catch up on the week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including potential conflicts of interest in special servicing, a data center buy stymied by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, and one hospitality pro's prediction for more mixed-use residential and hotel demand.

  • May 17, 2024

    $440M Cruise Line Ruling Over Cuba Dock May Be In Jeopardy

    An Eleventh Circuit panel appeared reluctant Friday to affirm a nearly half-billion-dollar judgment against four major cruise lines for "trafficking" in property seized by the communist Cuban government, as the underlying concession for a port facility in Havana expired in 2004.

  • May 17, 2024

    OB-GYN Enough Like GYN Oncologist For Expert Witness Law

    A Florida state appeals court on Friday revived a suit accusing a gynecological oncologist of performing an unnecessary surgery, saying the credentials of the patient's medical expert — an OB-GYN — satisfied the state's "same specialty" requirement.

Expert Analysis

  • 7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond

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    The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Opinion

    Conflicts Abound When Activist Short-Sellers Publish Reports

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    The self-serving relationship between activist short-sellers and plaintiff-side litigators is conflict-ridden and hinders the fact finder's impartiality when a short report forms the basis for lead plaintiffs' allegations, say Nessim Mezrahi and Stephen Sigrist at SAR.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024

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    Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • Lessons From DOJ's Handling Of Rare Medicare Fraud Case

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent indictment against HealthSun sheds light on the relatively rare circumstances in which the agency may pursue criminal charges for fraud involving Medicare Advantage, but its subsequent decision not to prosecute shows that compliance efforts can mitigate penalties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • What To Know About FCA Cybersecurity Enforcement

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    Now is a good time for practitioners, government contractors and potential relators to review recent developments in cybersecurity-related False Claims Act enforcement, and consider best practices for navigating this space in the new year, say Ellen London at London & Stout, and Li Yu and Molly Knobler at DiCello Levitt.

  • How New Fla. Condo Law Will Affect Owners' Finances

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    As this December is the deadline for condominiums in Florida to be in compliance with legislation passed after the Champlain Towers collapse, condo owners will need to prepare for both the immediate and long-term financial implications, says Greg Main-Baillie at Colliers.

  • 4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

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    As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.

  • 5 Privacy And Cybersecurity Resolutions For 2024

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    In 2023, companies grappled with an unprecedented array of data privacy and cybersecurity challenges that are likely to continue in 2024, meaning businesses will be well-served to incorporate strategies, such as data governance and website configuration, into their compliance programs, say Steven Stransky at Thompson Hine and Violet Sullivan at Crum & Forster.

  • What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

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    As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • The Year Ahead In Foreign Investment And National Security

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    In 2024, expect the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, already at the forefront of addressing national security threats, to increase monitoring and enforcement related to outbound investment, focus on supply chain resilience in nondefense sectors, and heighten oversight of agricultural transactions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

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    Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.

  • After Headwinds, 2024 May See Offshore Wind Momentum

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    Despite skyrocketing raw material costs, conflicting state and federal policies, and other setbacks for the offshore wind sector in 2023, the industry appears poised for growth in the coming year, with improving economics, more flexible procurement procedures and increasing legislative support, say Emily Huggins Jones and Ben Cowan at Locke Lord.

  • How State AGs Process And Prioritize Consumer Complaints

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    Recent state attorneys general actions illustrate how their offices triage, monitor and respond to consumer complaints — and why businesses need to be proactive in addressing these issues as they arise, say Meghan Stoppel and Hannah Cornett Land at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

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    Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.

  • The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

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    A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.

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