Suspended Cora Gables attorney Scot Strems - whose former firm was the state's most prolific filer of storm damage lawsuits against insurers - is currently defending himself from disbarment on charges brought by the Florida Bar, and a new charge that he's in contempt of a state Supreme Court suspension order.
The Florida Supreme Court issued an emergency suspension of Strems on June 9 on allegations he committed in-court abuse of the judicial process, "resulting in great public harm to clients, opposing parties, the judiciary and the public," according to the Florida Supreme Court.
Disbarment proceedings are currently under way at the 11th Judicial Circuit before Judge Dawn Denaro, and can be viewed at the court's YouTube channel.
Complaints against the Strems Law Firm have been mentioned by insurance company executives and State Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersberg) as an example of the litigation abuse insurers in Florida have faced in recent years, leading to excessive market losses and higher premiums for consumers.
The Bar's petition against Strems describes a pattern of litigation whereby the firm and a water mitigation company file individual lawsuits for alleged losses at the same property multiple times. A pattern of delay also was observed, leading to countless cancellations and rescheduled hearings. The Bar further says that courts have repeatedly sanctioned the law firm for violations of court orders, leading to months, if not years, of delays.
The Bar also filed a complaint against an associate in Strems' law firm, Gregory Saldamando. The complaint against Saldamando alleges the attorney finalized a second financial settlement in a sinkhole case valued at $157,500 without allocating any of the increased settlement amount to a client.
The high court’s emergency suspension order called on Strems to take on no new clients and to stop representing any clients after 30 days.
In a petition filed Aug. 27, the Bar says that in violation of the court's suspension order, Strems Law Firm continued to send letters of representation to insurance companies
Strems’ clients also were allegedly not informed of ownership changes and their rights.
Strems' attorney Scott Tozian of Smith Tozian & Hinkle in Tampa told the Florida Record that allegations that clients did not know about the firm's ownership change are not true.
“A letter was sent out advising them of the change in the ownership of the firm, and they were advised that they would be represented. Strems didn’t represent clients, he did a little bit of work when needed, but he did not have a caseload,” Tozian said. “The lawyers at the firm represented the Strems Law Firm clients.”
He said the Bar is "pandering to the insurance industry."
“In order to do that, they need to put the law firm out of business, no matter who — obviously it’s not Scot Strems Law Firm right now, he’s under suspension — but the firm continues to represent the clients in a separate entity.
“If the Bar is looking for a reason to try to put this firm out of business, that is it. Very plain and simple.".
When Strems was removed from the firm, the attorneys representing the clients were still doing their work, Tozian said, adding that the clients were not tricked into having a different attorney, rather they had the same attorneys as they did before.