16May
Rebecca Ortiz v. Chapters Health System, Inc./Travelers - Tampa District Denise Murray of the Tampa office secured a complete defense verdict in a workers’ compensation case with potential exposure exceeding $500,000.00. The Claimant is a 56-year-old Hospice Aide who injured her lower back when assisting a patient while working for the Employer in 2014. She underwent lumbar surgery and received ongoing medical care as well as pain management. The Claimant filed a Petition for Benefits requesting permanent total disability benefits and the Employer/Carrier raised a misrepresentation defense. The Claimant told her physicians she was by all practical means “disabled” and[...]
15May
CSK paralegal Shelly Zambo was featured in a recent Florida Bar newsletter for her article on the future of Florida Registered Paralegals. Ms. Zambo and fellow CSK paralegal Karen George were recently appointed to serve on the Florida Registered Paralegals Enrichment Committee, an honor that reflects their dedication to the betterment of the Florida legal profession. Read on for Ms. Zambo's featured article. THE FLORIDA BAR FRP ENRICHMENT COMMITTEE IS ON THE MOVE The future is bright for Florida Registered Paralegals. The inaugural meeting of the Florida Bar’s newly-formed Florida Registered Paralegal Enrichment Committee was held at the Bar’s[...]
15May
CSK is proud to share that two of our Florida Registered Paralegals have been appointed by the Florida Bar President to serve a four-year term on the FRP Enrichment Committee. Shelly Zambo and Karen George, along with 40 other FRP's around the state, were appointed by the Florida Bar President to this newly created board to represent and promote the profession and to bring awareness to legal professionals of the importance of becoming a Florida Registered Paralegal. Congratulations Karen and Shelly!
14May
INSURANCE - MIAMI-DADE CIRCUIT COURT Homeowners' Water Damage Claim Rejected Over Covered Peril A judge rejected three homeowners who claimed their insurer improperly denied a property-damage claim. In 2015, Sandra Gonzalez, Yean Gonzalez and Jose Perez claimed their Miami home in Miami sustained water damage from a roof leak and filed a claim with their carrier, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., to cover the water damage. Citizens Property denied the claim, and the plaintiffs sued for breach of contract. After plaintiff’s counsel rested its case, the defense moved for a directed verdict. The defense argued the plaintiffs failed to meet their burden[...]
14May
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE - BROWARD CIRCUIT COURT Cardiologist Cleared in 41-Year-Old Patient's Death A jury decided a cardiologist was not liable in the death of a patient he was treating at a hospital. Lisa Macko, 41, a mother of two, died from cardiac arrest on July 8, 2014, a day after she went to a hospital emergency room complaining of severe chest pain. She was seen by an on-call cardiologist, Dr. David Jurkovich. Macko’s estate sued Jurkovich, alleging he failed to diagnose spontaneous dissection of the coronary artery, a known postpartum condition. The defense contended a catheterization had not revealed an indication[...]
02May
CSK’s George Hooker and Lindsey Halligan secured a complete defense verdict in a denied roof leak case in Broward County. Plaintiffs claimed their roof was damaged by wind, but George and Lindsey presented evidence that the roof was old and just past its normal life expectancy. The jury was out 45 minutes before finding the Plaintiffs didn’t even meet their initial burden of showing a sudden and accidental loss during the policy period. Benaejah Simmonds, Ismary Cepero and Suly Birnbaum assisted with case work-up and defense.
29Apr
Howard Scholl and Eric Nelsestuen, a partner and associate, respectively, in Cole, Scott & Kissane’s Tampa Office, recently tried a rear-end admitted liability case where Plaintiff, who was a long term diabetic with chronic kidney disease, claimed injuries to his neck and back. He underwent extensive chiropractic treatment, ESI and had a multilevel fusion recommendation. Additionally, he claimed that because of the overall impact of his injuries, he transitioned from stage 4 chronic kidney disease to complete renal failure, necessitating dialysis three times a week. Plaintiff presented past medical bills approaching $1,000,000 and requested an award of future medical expenses[...]
29Apr
Dan Shapiro and Michele Bartels, partners in Cole, Scott & Kissane’s Tampa Office obtained an extremely favorable verdict of $21,000 in a rear-end auto accident heavily contested litigation involving multiple vehicles, having admitted liability. The Plaintiff had undergone several years of treatment including 2 back surgeries and total medicals exceeded $560,000. Plaintiff proposed a life care plan of $4.5 million at trial.
29Apr
Barry Postman of CSK’s West Palm Beach office and Michael Brand of CSK’s Miami office obtained a defense verdict after a two week jury trial that concluded on Friday in Miami. The plaintiff was former Miami Dolphins football player - OJ McDuffie. He claimed that the team physician for the Miami Dolphins committed malpractice when he treated him for an on the field injury causing him to prematurely end his career and lose out on millions of dollars in future NFL contracts. The case was previously handled by a different law firm and went to trial in 2010 resulting in[...]
29Apr
Ten years ago, Cole Scott & Kissane and its partner, Jonathan Vine, was hired to represent a Chicago lawyer and his law firm in a legal malpractice action brought in West Palm Beach. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit were a husband and wife who owned an investment firm and a broker/dealer who had been sued by the SEC in an enforcement action alleging that the husband and wife had defrauded their clients out of millions of dollars (a Ponzi-scheme, of sorts). The allegation was that their lawyer in the action brought by the SEC committed malpractice in the defense he[...]
