settlement

Published on: February 21, 2025

Father Faces Felony Charges After Letting Teen Drive Before Fatal Florida Crash, officials say

The father of a 15-year-old boy who is accused of killing three children and a woman in a high-speed crash now faces felony charges for allowing the unlicensed teen take his car, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Richard Ferguson, 68, was charged Thursday with four counts of vehicular manslaughter in connection with the 2023 fatal crash. This is a second-degree felony that, if convicted, could carry up to 15 years in prison and/or up to $10,000 in fines.

The State Attorney’s Office also issued an arrest warrant for the teen, though it was not immediately clear whether or not he had been arrested as of Friday morning. He has yet to be named by authorities.

Published on: February 13, 2025

Animal Caretaker Mauled by Dogs in Alabama While Owner was Out of Town

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman died from her injuries after a pack of dogs she was caring for attacked her while the owner was out of town, Alabama officials said.

The incident happened on Feb. 6 in Tuscaloosa County when a 46-year-old caretaker went into the property to feed the dogs.

Florida Law

Published on: February 10, 2025

Nurses Union Lifts the Veil on ‘Death Trap Elevators’ at Miami Hospital. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Elevators plunging several floors due to a malfunction have injured at least 12 people at The Miami VA Medical Center, an issue that has gone on for more than two years, the Miami Herald reported this week.

The elevators vacillate through the 12-story building, carrying nurses, patients and visitors alike.

In a phone interview with the newspaper, Bill Frogameni, who is a registered nurse at the veteran’s hospital and is the director of National Nurses United Miami VA chapter, said the hospital is meant o be a “place of healing.”

Published on: January 24, 2025

Florida Child, 11, Dies after Hit by Car While Walking from School Bus Stop, police say

By Leesfield & Partners

A sixth grader who was it by a car while walking away from her school bus died Thursday from her injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 11-year-old girl was dropped off by her school bus around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon in Brooksville, a city in Hernando County about 50 miles north of Tampa, when a woman, 65, in a Toyota Corolla hit her. The child was walking north along the unpaved and unmarked road at the time of the crash, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. It was not immediately clear if the woman was speeding.

The child was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries. She died Thursday.

Published on: January 14, 2025

You Were the Victim of Medical Malpractice in Florida. What Are Your Options?

By Leesfield & Partners

With 48 years of experience in personal injury law, Leesfield & Partners has successfully represented victims in medical malpractice cases that could easily fuel anyone’s iatrophobia.

From negligent cruise ship doctors who searched the internet for what to do after they ignored a black box warning label medicine administered to a patient to an obstetrician who used controversial techniques on a laboring mother, Leesfield & Partners has witnessed some of the most egregious medical negligence cases imaginable.

If you ever find yourself in this situation, it’s important to know what your options are and where to turn to for help.

Published on: December 31, 2024

Women Rescued After Falling into Florida Golf Course Quarry. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Two women have a harrowing tale of how they spent their 2024 Christmas holiday after falling 50 feet into a Citrus County, Florida, golf course quarry.

The women, who have not been named, fell into the cavernous quarry on Christmas Day and were found Thursday morning. Both were in stable condition, according to reporting from the Miami Herald and were taken to a local trauma hospital.

Temperatures dropped to around 50 degrees that night. Additional details, including how many hours the women spent awaiting rescue, were not immediately available Friday morning.

Published on: December 27, 2024

One dead, five others injured in Broward boat explosion, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

Footage of a boat explosion that killed one man and injured five others has gone viral online, with witnesses telling reporters the vessel exploded while it was refueled.

The incident happened Monday, just days before the holidays, around 6 p.m. at the Lauderdale marina, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. At least one other boat caught fire in the incident. The explosion took place near the 15^th Street Fisheries, a nearby restaurant that frequently attracts tourists and boaters alike.

At least three of the five people who were hurt had traumatic injuries. The body of Sebastien Gauthier, 41, of Quebec, Canada, was found in the water by officials with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Monday night.

Published on: October 31, 2024

Leesfield & Partners Attorney Recovers $350,000 for Woman Who Shattered her Hip at a Florida Tourist Attraction

By Leesfield & Partners

Evan Robinson, a Leesfield & Partners Trial Lawyer, secured a $350,000 settlement for a woman who shattered her hip as a result of a violent fall at a Monroe County tourist attraction.

Our client visited the popular tourist attraction while on vacation in the Keys with her husband. As the couple navigated the property’s narrow and crowded walkway, that was supposed to be flanked with gravel on both sides, our client stepped off the edge of the walkway and into a trench in an area where there was no gravel. As a result, our client lost her balance and fell violently onto the concrete ground, causing an injury that would forever alter her previously active lifestyle.

During the course of the litigation, Mr. Robinson learned that the walkway on which our client fell posed a dangerous hazard that was well-known to numerous employees and managers who worked at the attraction. Specifically, the frequent displacement of gravel caused by visitors constantly kicking it around resulted in the walkway repeatedly becoming unlevel. This recurring hazard presented such a serious danger that it required daily inspections and maintenance for over 16 years. In fact, every employee who worked at the attraction was instructed to keep watch over this area and bags of additional gravel were kept on site so that maintenance personnel could re-level the walkway when the gravel was displaced.

Published on: September 17, 2024

Apple Juices Recalled in Nationwide Stores for Elevated Levels of this Chemical, FDA says. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Apple juice sold under numerous brands at stores all over the country, including Walmart, Aldi, BJ’s and others, is under FDA recalls over concerns of potentially harmful levels of arsenic, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The recall comes after an FDA report that included almost 10,000 cases of Great Value 100% Apple Juice that “contains inorganic arsenic above action level set in guidance to industry.”

A total of 133,500 cases of juice were recalled on Monday that had been sold under various brand names. In June 2023, the FDA made changes to its Final Guidance to Industry on Action Level for Inorganic Arsenic in Apple Juice. The current action level is 10 parts per billion (ppb).

Published on: September 6, 2024

Leesfield & Partners secured over $1.8 million for a man left with debilitating pain after a fall at a Florida vacation rental

By Leesfield & Partners

Justin B. Shapiro, a Partner and Trial Lawyer with Leesfield & Partners, secured a $1,824,327 record settlement for a client whose fall left his pelvic bone so shattered doctors said the fragments resembled “bread crumbs.”

In an article published in the Daily Business Review, Mr. Shapiro told reporters that within the first hour of speaking with this client he could tell the man was a wonderful person and decided to take on the case, which two law firms had already rejected, because “when we dig in, we don’t stop until our client is made whole.”

“We turned an enormously challenging case into a seven-figure recovery,” he said. “I’m proud to say that I don’t know of any settlement or verdict in Florida larger than this for a fall in a shower.”