#Jydge gregory holder calls in jury professional

Strems and his firm to represent their interests.” Holder also noted Strems’ conduct has resulted in “clear and unquestionable great harm to these Florida citizens who have chosen Mr.

#Jydge gregory holder calls in jury professional

“Universally, these discussions have noted his absolute violations of the Rules of Professional Responsibility and blatant obstruction of justice in virtually every case where he and his firm enter an appearance,” Holder stated. Holder said he and other judges in the court’s General Civil Division have had many conversations concerning the pattern and practice of Strems and the Strems Law Firm. In Thirteenth Circuit Court Judge Holder’s affidavit, Holder said he personally had presided over hundreds of first-party property claims cases involving Scot Strems or the Strems Law Firm. Strems’ attorneys also challenged the affidavits of Judges Gregory Holder and Rex Martin Barbas, which were included as evidence accompanying the bar’s petition for suspension. In detailing its reasons for why the suspension should be dissolved, Strems’ attorneys said the bar couldn’t demonstrate a likelihood of prevailing on each element of the alleged rule violations, many of the allegations in the bar’s petition pertain to lawyers other than Strems, the allegations of a “duplicitous filing scheme” is not supported by facts, and that there is not evidence of an ongoing course of misconduct that is causing or likely to cause continued harm, among other arguments. The Florida Supreme Court appointed a referee, Judge Dawn Denaro of the 11 th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, who heard several days of testimony beginning July 7 from Strems’ attorneys and The Florida Bar regarding Strems’ case.ĭenaro was tasked as referee with making a recommendation to the Florida Supreme Court on if Strems’ suspension should remain in place or be lifted based on the hearing testimonies and evidence presented from both sides. “While the totality of the allegations may justify Bar scrutiny, they fall woefully short of justifying emergency suspension,” the petition says. Strems is causing ‘immediate and serious injury to a client or the public.'” In that filing, Strems’ attorneys claimed that the misconduct alleged by the bar did not warrant emergency suspension, saying the bar’s petition was “deficient does not demonstrate that Mr. Strems filed a motion to dissolve the emergency suspension on June 26.

The bar’s petition said that given the pattern of conduct by Strems and his firm and the “clear and unquestionable” harm to the public, the immediate suspension was warranted. Several Florida insurers reported dealings with the firm that aligned with these allegations.Ī former associate of the firm testified that the firm had filed more than 10,000 suits against Florida property insurance companies. The bar also accuses Strems of illegally filing multiple lawsuits on an individual policy claim, delaying and ignoring court deadlines, and violating court orders. Strems’ firm has been accused by the bar of engaging in “mendacious, bad-faith conduct” and making dishonest or even fraudulent statements to other parties involved in suits, including the court. Strems’ attorney Mark Kamilar said in an email to Insurance Journal after the suspension that, “Scot Strems strongly disputes the allegations.” The firm’s website states the firm has approximately 20 attorneys across six offices in the state and that it specializes in first-party property claims, in which it represents homeowners against their property insurers. Strems sits at the head of a vast campaign of unprofessional, unethical, and fraudulent conduct that now infects courts and communities across the state.” The Florida Supreme Court issued an emergency suspension against Scot Strems on June 9 in response to a 48-page petition from the bar that says Strems has been the respondent of several complaints before the Florida bar and alleges, “Mr.