Florida

  • June 03, 2025

    Fla. Jury Finds CEO Guilty In $1.4B Medicare Fraud

    A Florida federal jury on Tuesday found a software company CEO guilty of participating in a scheme to coordinate illegal medical kickbacks through an internet platform, resulting in about $1.4 billion worth of false billings to Medicare and other insurers for unnecessary medical products, including orthotic braces.

  • June 03, 2025

    Fla. Man Gets 4½ Years For Embezzling $6M To Fund Luxe Life

    A Florida man was sentenced by a Massachusetts federal judge to 4½ years in prison Tuesday for embezzling nearly $6 million from his former employer to finance a luxe lifestyle of high-end travel, fine dining and an Italian sports car.

  • June 03, 2025

    Former GC To Sen. Scott Sworn In As Northern Fla.'s US Atty

    A former deputy chief of staff and general counsel to U.S. Sen. Rick Scott was sworn in Monday as the 42nd U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Florida after having served in the role on an interim basis since President Donald Trump nominated him for the post.

  • June 03, 2025

    Fisher Phillips Brings On Former Gap Counsel In Fla.

    A former in-house attorney for clothing giant Gap Inc. rejoined the private practice space as a partner in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at Fisher Phillips, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • June 03, 2025

    The Law360 400: A Look At The Top 100 Firms

    A rebound in client work sent the nation’s largest law firms into growth mode last year, driving a wave of hiring, mergers and strategic moves that reshaped the top tier of the Law360 400. Here's a preview of the 100 firms with the largest U.S. attorney headcounts.

  • June 02, 2025

    Florida Court Tosses $28M Verdict Over Ignored Mandate

    A Florida appeals court has vacated a $28 million verdict and ordered a new, bifurcated damages trial in a suit over a car accident, saying the trial court ignored a previous appeals court's mandate to keep evidence that the at-fault driver was drunk out of the compensatory-damages phase.

  • June 02, 2025

    Fla. Sanitizer Co. Faces Penalties Over Fake AI Legal Citations

    Two Florida federal judges have ordered a disinfectant sprayer business to explain why artificial intelligence-generated fake citations and quotes appeared in filings in lawsuits over corporate wrongdoing from a Canadian breach of contract case, saying it could face serious penalties for alleged intentional misrepresentations.

  • June 02, 2025

    Fla. Appeals Court Backs Police In Pot Smell Search Dispute

    A Florida state appeals court has found that the smell of fresh cannabis can be enough to support probable cause for a car search in an area known for crime and drug trafficking, reversing a trial court order that suppressed evidence obtained in such a search.

  • June 02, 2025

    Fla. Judge Ends Ex-Bank CEO's Fraud Claims In Ponzi Case

    A Florida state court judge on Monday ended a long-running suit by a former bank CEO who claims he was set up as a scapegoat in the legal fallout of attorney Scott Rothstein's $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme, dismissing the ex-CEO's fraud and negligent misrepresentation claims.

  • June 02, 2025

    Insurer Not Liable For $8.5M Florida Condo Defect Damages

    A Florida federal judge freed an insurer from paying any of the $8.5 million in damages connected to shoddy work at a Florida condo, finding there wasn't an allocation accounting for which claims were covered and which claims were not in an agreement between the condo and a contractor. 

  • June 02, 2025

    Defamation Litigation Roundup: Cheetos, NASCAR, OpenAI

    In this month's review of ongoing defamation fights, Law360 looks back on developments in a man's case against Frito-Lay Inc. over what he called the company's defamatory statements disputing his role in the invention of a flavor of Cheetos.

  • June 02, 2025

    US Looks To Dodge Suit Over Gulf Oil Well Risks

    The federal government is asking a federal court to toss environmentalists' lawsuit alleging that it's ignoring the fact that owners of retired offshore oil and gas drilling infrastructure are failing to properly shut down the facilities.

  • June 02, 2025

    Supreme Court Asks US To Weigh In On Hertz's Ch. 11 Appeal

    The U.S. Supreme Court invited the solicitor general Monday to file a brief in car rental giant Hertz's challenge to a Third Circuit ruling that as a solvent debtor it owed noteholders $272 million in interest and fees when it emerged from Chapter 11.

  • May 30, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Religious Land, Hotel Surge, Land-Banking

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including interviews with attorneys about recent disputes over land use for religious purposes, a surge in hospitality sector transactions, and the rise of land-banking law.

  • May 30, 2025

    Construction Co. Owners Beat Long-Runing Fla. Qui Tam Suit

    A Florida federal judge ruled in favor of the owners of a construction company accused of defrauding a program for disadvantaged small businesses in a qui tam, or False Claims Act, lawsuit, saying in her dismissal of the nearly decade-long case that it violates the U.S. Constitution.

  • May 30, 2025

    Fla. Trucking Co. Exec Gets 23 Years For Duping 1,600 People

    A Florida federal judge on Friday sentenced the former president of a trucking and logistics company to 23 years in prison for defrauding more than 1,600 people who invested millions of dollars in purchasing big-rig vehicles, calling the crime "a classic Ponzi scheme of staggering scale."

  • May 30, 2025

    NJ Pot Shop Fails To Prove Urgency In $273K Fund Dispute

    A New Jersey federal judge on Friday declined to unfreeze $273,820 of a dispensary's funding frozen in an account between a payment processor and a Florida bank, saying the dispensary hasn't shown it is at risk of insolvency without the money.

  • May 30, 2025

    Generic-Drug Makers Near Exit From Depo-Provera MDL

    Attorneys for the plaintiffs in a multidistrict litigation claiming Pfizer Inc. failed to adequately warn patients and doctors about the risk of brain tumors associated with the hormonal contraceptive Depo-Provera told a Florida federal judge that they are close to dismissing claims against three manufacturers of generic versions of the drug.

  • May 30, 2025

    Farm Groups' Challenge To H-2A Wage Rule Back On Track

    The U.S. Department of Labor failed to show it would be necessary to push back litigation challenging a Biden-era H-2A wage rule, especially in the context of farm groups' ongoing harm allegations, a Florida federal judge ruled.

  • May 30, 2025

    Diaz Reus Sued For Fraud, Conflict In Failed Miami Water Park

    A Florida consultant has sued law firm Diaz Reus & Targ LLP over allegations it created an adverse conflict of interest in ownership over a failed Miami water park when the firm's managing partner and his brother, another firm member, attempted to "strong-arm" him into reducing his interest in the venture.

  • May 29, 2025

    Fla. AG Says Letter To Cops Doesn't Rise To Contempt

    Florida's attorney general told a federal judge on Thursday that a letter he sent to law enforcement agencies saying he could not force them to comply with a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of a state law criminalizing the entry of unauthorized immigrants did not rise to the level of civil contempt.

  • May 29, 2025

    Alston & Bird, Smith Mackinnon Steer $710M Fla. Bank Deal

    The holding company for Seacoast National Bank said Thursday that it would acquire Villages Bancorporation Inc., the holding company of Citizens First Bank based in The Villages, Florida, for approximately $710 million in a deal guided by Alston & Bird LLP and Smith Mackinnon PA.

  • May 29, 2025

    Fla. Appeals Order To Monitor Indian River Manatees

    Florida's Department of Environmental Protection said Wednesday it is appealing an injunction requiring the agency to implement new manatee monitoring programs after a federal judge found it violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing wastewater pollution into the North Indian River Lagoon watershed.

  • May 29, 2025

    LA Fitness Didn't Stop Patron From Molesting Minor, Suit Says

    LA Fitness has been hit with a $5 million lawsuit accusing it of failing to take action against a "violent and erratic" gym member who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl at one of the gym's locations in Miami-Dade County, Florida, two years ago.

  • May 29, 2025

    Fla. Judge Denies Trainer's Bid To Block Horse Racing Law

    A Florida federal judge Thursday denied a horse trainer's bid to block enforcement of a horse racing law in his complaint challenging an anti-doping ban, ruling the trainer failed to show irreparable harm and that issues in his claim asserting a right to a jury trial aren't fully developed.

Expert Analysis

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • What To Make Of Dueling Corporate Transparency Act Rulings

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    Although challenges to the Corporate Transparency Act abound — as highlighted by recent federal court decisions from Alabama and Oregon taking opposite positions on its constitutionality — the act is still law, so companies should comply with their filing requirements or face the potential consequences, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • Fla. Ruling May Undermine FCA Whistleblowers' Authority

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    A Florida federal court's decision in Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates last month will deprive relators of their ability to bring suits under the False Claims Act, limiting their capability to expose and rectify wrongdoings and potentially affecting billions in FCA recoveries, say Matthew Nielsen and Lily Johnson at Bracewell.

  • Can SEC's Consolidated Audit Trail Survive Post-Chevron?

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is currently in a showdown at the Eleventh Circuit over its authority to maintain a national market system and require that the industry spend billions to maintain its consolidated audit trail, a case that is further complicated by the Loper Bright decision, says Daniel Hawke at Arnold & Porter.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • Review Shipping Terms In Light Of These 3 Global Challenges

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    Given tensions in the Middle East, labor unrest at U.S. ports and the ongoing consequences of climate change, parties involved in maritime shipping must understand the relevant contract provisions and laws that may be implicated during supply chain disruptions in order to mitigate risks, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Defining All-Risk: Despite $30M Loss, Loose Bolt Not 'Damage'

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    A Massachusetts federal court’s recent ruling in AMAG Pharmaceuticals v. American Guarantee and Liability Insurance Co., denying coverage for $30 million in damages claimed when a loose bolt caused an air leak, highlights an ongoing debate over the definition of “direct physical loss or damage,” say Josh Tumen and Paul Ferland at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Florida Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    With the implementation of H.B. 989, the third quarter of 2024 has been transformative for banking law and regulation in Florida, and this new law places a strong emphasis on fair access to banking, and prohibits ideologically or politically motivated decisions by financial institutions, says Sha’Ron James at Gunster.

  • 11th Circ. Kickback Ruling May Widen Hearsay Exception

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    In a $400 million fraud case, U.S. v. Holland, the Eleventh Circuit recently held that a conspiracy need not have an unlawful object to introduce co-conspirator statements under federal evidence rules, potentially broadening the application of the so-called co-conspirator hearsay exception, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • 3rd Circ. Hertz Ruling Highlights Flawed Bankruptcy Theory

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    The Third Circuit, in its recent Hertz bankruptcy decision, became the latest appeals court to hold that noteholders were entitled to interest before shareholders under the absolute priority rule, but risked going astray by invoking the flawed theory of code impairment, say Matthew McGill and David Casazza at Gibson Dunn.

  • Opinion

    Barrett Is Right: Immunity Is Wrong Framework In Trump Case

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    Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s concurrence in Trump v. U.S., where the majority opinion immunized former presidents almost entirely from criminal prosecution for official actions, rests on a firmer constitutional foundation than the majority’s immunity framework, says Matthew Brogdon at Utah Valley University.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

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    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

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