Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
An elementary school principal and teacher face multiple charges after police broke up a house party where over 100 minors were drinking, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.
Elizabeth Hill-Brodigan, 47, of Cocoa Beach, was charged with an open house party, a liquor law violation, and contributing to a child’s delinquency. Both of these charges are misdemeanors in Florida. Hill-Brodigan also faces a felony charge of child neglect without great bodily harm, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. She was granted a $3,500 bond and released Saturday.
Hill-Brodigan is a principal at Roosevelt Elementary School, which is a part of the Brevard County School District.
Karly Anderson, 45, of Cocoa Beach, identified by police as a teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, was charged with child neglect without great bodily harm and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was granted a combined $3,000 bond and released Saturday.
The party, which police say was hosted by Hill-Brodigan, happened on Jan. 19 at her Cocoa Beach home. Once there, police said that over 100 minors were drinking alcohol “available in coolers at the residence,” the Cocoa Beach Police Department said in a Jan. 24 news release. Police allege they saw Hill-Brodigan in the driveway of the house turning off the exterior lights and entering her home, causing them to use their “auxiliary lighting on their” vehicles to treat at least one minor on the front lawn who was “experiencing an alcohol related event.”
Anderson, police said in the press release, was “intoxicated” when she spoke with them. At least one minor, who police did not name, was charged with driving under the influence.
Both Hill-Brodigan and Anderson were placed on administrative leave, according to reporting from WKMG, a local TV station.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners is a 48-year personal injury law firm with offices throughout Florida in Orlando, Key West and Miami, handling all manner of personal injury cases from premises liability to negligent security and cruise ship cases. In nearly five decades of personal injury practice, the firm has secured multiple record verdicts and settlements that have broken state and county records. Leesfield & Partners attorneys diligently work to secure the best possible outcome for each of their clients and have built a reputation known throughout the state, making it among the leading personal injury law firms in the country. This tenacity has earned the firm and its attorneys numerous accolades, including previous Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers awards.
Impaired Driving
Claims stemming from crashes are among some of the most common for personal injury attorneys all over the country. This fact is no less true for Leesfield & Partners. From crash injuries that require reconstructive surgery to devastating wrongful death cases, the firm has seen just about every injury that can occur on the road.
Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, has regularly spoken out about the dangers of impaired and negligent driving. In the past, through The Leesfield Family Foundation, he partnered up with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to raise awareness around this dangerous issue. In 2023, he was elected to the Friends of The Underline’s Board of Directors for championing public safety.
Impaired driving results in the deaths of thousands of people each year all over the United States. In 2020, the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control, impaired driving accounted for 30% of all traffic-related deaths in the nation. This was a 14.3% increase in alcohol-impaired crash deaths from the year before.
In a $15.4 million verdict involving a 22-year-old handyman who was severely injured as the result of a needless crash, Leesfield & partners attorneys worked tirelessly to secure the best possible outcome for their client. In that case, a drunk driver was speeding when he hit a car in which our client was a backseat passenger. Our client suffered brain damage, skull and facial fractures. As a result of the ordeal, he also developed a seizure disorder that could not be controlled by medication.
A case involving the death of one teen and serious injury to two others was handled by Leesfield & Partners. In that case, the three girls were on their way to the library when a driver in a commercial truck made an illegal U-turn on the turnpike, turning directly into their lane.
The firm secured an $8.65 million settlement and an over $7.9 million arbitration award.
In another truck accident involving the tragic death of our client’s loved one, the firm secured a $5.3 million award.
