11 South Florida Attorneys Disciplined
The Florida Supreme Court disciplined 23 attorneys, including 11 from South Florida.
April 30, 2020 at 06:21 PM
4 minute read
The Florida Supreme Court disciplined 11 South Florida lawyers between March 5 and April 23, including three who were disbarred, according to information released Thursday.
West Palm Beach attorney David Andrew Jaynes has been disbarred for allegedly failing to notify clients, opposing counsel and tribunals of his suspension, after a court held him in contempt.
Ocean Ridge attorney Kip Williams Kootz was disbarred after an arrest for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He failed to advise the bar of four previous DUIs in Minnesota, according to court documents. A prosecutor learned of the convictions after Kootz had a new DUI arrest in February 2017. A jury later convicted Kootz.
Boca Raton lawyer Craig Barry Sherman agreed to a permanent revocation of his license to practice law following allegations that he misappropriated more than $4 million from a client over three years. The capital was supposed to be used for loans to real estate developers, according to the bar.
A Miami attorney, David Philips, was disbarred after he did not answer an order to show cause. A court found Philips in contempt for continuing to practice law, and continuing to receive funds into his trust account, despite an order revoking his license in February 2019, according to the bar.
Delray Beach attorney Aaron Matthew Cohen was held in contempt and publicly reprimanded for not promptly responding to inquiries from the bar.
Lantana attorney Stafford Nicholas Shealy got a public reprimand and two years of probation. Shealy pleaded guilty in November 2018 to a charge of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and received 24 months of probation.
The Florida Supreme Court suspended the following six lawyers.
Edmar Mauricio Amaya, who was practicing in Miami, was suspended for 30 days following an April 9 court order. The document says he engaged in a sexual relationship with a client. Amaya failed to communicate the substitution of counsel after he realized he could no longer represent his client in a divorce proceeding.
Brian Bechar was suspended for two years. The bar said the Boca Raton lawyer displayed conduct that was "contrary to honesty and justice," and that he defended proceedings that had no merit.
George William Castrataro has been suspended for 30 days after an April 6 court order. The bar filed a petition for contempt and order to show cause after the Fort Lauderdale attorney did not respond to its inquiries multiple times. Then Castrataro did not respond when the Florida Supreme Court ordered him to show why it should not sanction him. The attorney was held in contempt and his suspension is pending until he fully responds to the bar inquiry.
The Florida Supreme Court suspended Joshua Todd Hill Hauserman for six months, retroactive to Oct. 21, 2019. The West Palm Beach attorney did not adequately supervise a nonlawyer, and did not notify a court that he would not be present for a hearing, the bar said.
The high court also suspended Theodore G. Mastos for 10 days. The Coral Gables attorney failed to inform the court of a potential conflict of interest, and obtain a waiver, when he provided joint representation for two defendants in a single criminal case.
Read More:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllShaq Signs $11 Million Settlement to Resolve Astrals Investor Claims
5 minute readTrending Stories
- 1NY Appellate Panel Cites Student's Disciplinary History While Sending Negligence Claim Against School District to Trial
- 2A Meta DIG and Its Nvidia Implications
- 3Deception or Coercion? California Supreme Court Grants Review in Jailhouse Confession Case
- 4State Bar of Georgia Presents Access to Justice Pro Bono Awards
- 5Tips For Creating Holiday Plans That Everyone Can Be Grateful For
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250