John Severance News
Insurance association hopes for more legal reforms - namely auto glass claims, bad-faith litigation
TALLAHASSEE -- As far as legal climates go, Florida ranks near the bottom, 46th out of 50 in a survey conducted by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform.
Florida chamber supports bill to cap pain, suffering damages in lawsuits
Florida House Bill 17 is not yet law, but the state's Chamber of Commerce is rooting for it as it makes its way through the legislature.
Lawyer believes Amendment 6 passage levels playing field for Floridians vs state regulators
Florida voters recently passed Amendment 6 and one of the provisions limits the power of state government, which could be good news for the state’s citizens, according to one lawyer.
Appeals court favors IRS in IVF expense case
ATLANTA -- The 11th U.S. Court of Appeals has upheld a district court ruling in which the Internal Revenue Service disallowed a Florida man’s deduction of his in-vitro fertilization expenses.
Florida man files claim against Bank of America, credit-reporting agencies over bankruptcy
ST. PETERSBURG — A Florida man recently filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleging a nationwide bank and credit-reporting agencies violated the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Florida governor signs terrorism bill
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott signed 33 bills into law this month, and one allows victims of terrorism to recover legal fees and damages.
Canadian man may be forced to sell Florida house because of U.S. voter card flap
TORONTO — Mike Quinn, a Canadian retiree from Niagara Falls, Ontario, with a home in Florida, says he does not have a criminal record and considers himself a "boring guy."
Boca Raton woman sues Wells Fargo over alleged RESPA violations
BOCA RATON — A Boca Raton woman has filed suit against Wells Fargo, alleging the bank violated the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).
Florida man whose floating home was seized may return to Supreme Court
RIVIERA BEACH — On his website, Fane Lozman refers to himself as a corruption-fighting activist who saved 2,200 homes from seizure and his own home was destroyed, but he is better known for a case that went before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Florida Supreme Court decides not to hear Tampa General malpractice suit
TAMPA — The Florida Supreme Court recently declined to hear a malpractice case in which a woman died while in surgery at Tampa General Hospital.
Bethune-Cookman enters affiliation agreement with for-profit Arizona law school
DAYTONA BEACH — Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU), a historically black university in Daytona Beach, has entered into an affiliation agreement with Arizona Summit Law School.
Appeals court reverses order in arbitration case involving car dealer
MIAMI — The 3rd District Court of Appeal recently reversed a trial court’s denial of an arbitration case involving a car dealership that sold vehicles to buyers who did not speak English.
Workers' comp bill gets another test today
TALLAHASSEE — There already has been lengthy discussions about Florida House Bill 7085, which barely got out of subcommittee last month.
Bentley III of Florida's middle district one of Trump's U.S. Attorney casualties
TAMPA — At the beginning of March, President Donald Trump asked for the resignation of 46 U.S. attorneys, most of whom were appointed by former president Barack Obama. One of those attorneys who turned in their resignations to the president and attorney general Jeff Sessions was A. Lee Bentley III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
Appeals court reverses decision favorable to opt-out proponents
TALLAHASSEE — An appellate court has overturned a circuit-court decision that said school districts had to consider other ways of advancing students besides standardized-test results.
Florida attorney pleads guilty to concealment of assets in bankruptcy case
FORT MYERS, Fla. — A former attorney who lives in Fort Myers but also had an office in Winter Haven has pleaded guilty to concealment of assets from a bankruptcy estate, the Federal Bureau of Investigation recently reported.
Legal-malpractice suit stays alive
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The 4th District Court of Appeal recently kept alive a legal-malpractice suit against foreclosure defense attorney Robert Lithman and two firms by allowing one of the plaintiffs to continue its case.
Pinellas County officials fight back against 'sovereign citizens'
&&& A prisoner serving 20 years for attempted murder recently wrote that Ken Burke, Pinellas Circuit Court clerk, should immediately release him from prison. In another case, the prisoner claimed Burke was liable for $50 million.
Jackpot winner, also a convicted sex offender, allegedly fails to make settlement payment
ORLANDO — A convicted sex offender who won a $3 million Florida Lottery jackpot and settled a lawsuit filed by his alleged victims is in more hot water with the court system.
State Supreme Court, house speaker at odds over senior-justice service
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Supreme Court Justice James E.C. Perry was set to retire in Dec. 30 of last year. But he still had some cases to work on, so Perry was granted service as a senior justice.