Year In Review: BTG’s Highlights from 2019

As 2019 nears a close, the Business Trial Group reflects on what was an impressive year for the Group. Here are some of the best moments of the Business Trial Group’s past year.

BTG Wins Big For Its Clients

The Business Trial Group’s skill and reputation have allowed us to recover tens of millions of dollars in judgments and settlements for our clients over the years. And this year was no different. 

In late August, BTG attorneys Benjamin Webster and Damien Prosser represented a real estate broker who had sued the Collins Brown Barkett Chartered law firm for legal malpractice related to a lawsuit for an unpaid commission earned on a $50 million transaction.

After a week-long trial, a jury in Brevard County, Florida awarded $1,790,000 to our client against her former attorney and his law firm.

In March, BTG attorneys William B. Lewis and Evan H. Frederick brought claims on behalf of client Anne C. Grey against brokerage firm Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc.. After nearly two weeks of arbitration, the FINRA panel sided with Ms. Grey and ordered that Sterne Agee pay her $400,000.00 in compensatory damages for its misconduct.

Earlier this year, the Business Trial Group won a settlement for Stella Heath, the former executive director of the Winter Haven, Florida-based Ritz Theatre. Heath was owed backpay and reimbursement for paying the organization’s mortgage and other expenses with her own money. 

The Ritz agreed to pay Heath a significant portion of the more than $350,000 she was owed.  This was one of dozens of settlements that the Business Trial Group recovered for its clients in 2019. 

BTG Takes on Formidable Corporations in New Lawsuits

This year, the Business Trial Group continued to take on a broad range of complex commercial litigation cases involving a variety of industries and practice areas. 

The lawsuits we filed this year show our willingness to take on large, well-funded adversaries. For instance, our attorneys filed a lawsuit against one of the largest Florida-licensed cannabis companies, Cansortium, on behalf of an engineer who built custom machinery for the company. 

A recent lawsuit filed with the Supreme Court for the State of New York against Best Buy alleges that Best Buy allowed a computer hacker to access our client’s personal computer and emails, steal her identity and financial information, and violate the privacy of her home. 

Another lawsuit, filed by BTG attorney Joshua B. Alper, alleges yacht broker Scott Goldsworthy was denied a commission on a $14.5 million yacht that was purchased by real estate developer Miki Naftali from a prominent shipyard in Italy.

These are just a few examples of the lawsuits our attorneys filed in 2019.

BTG Welcomes Three New Attorneys

The Business Trial Group welcomed a number of new attorneys in 2019. 

Attorney Thomas S. Cargill joined the firm as a Partner in April. Cargill, who is based in Orlando, has successfully handled a wide variety of business litigation matters, including commercial contract disputes, deceptive business conduct, fraud and misrepresentation, trade secrets, finance and banking, and general risk and liability.

In September, Jared A. Levy joined the firm as a partner in the West Palm Beach office with a focus on securities and complex-business litigation. Levy has represented investors on a contingency basis for most of his 20-year career.

Attorney John R. Rutledge also joined the Orlando office of the Business Trial Group. Rutledge focuses his practice on commercial litigation, including contract disputes, legal malpractice, real estate litigation, and investment disputes.

BTG Attorneys Recognized For Excellence

Eight of BTG’s attorneys were chosen by Super Lawyers magazine for its 2019 Florida Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. Every year, the Super Lawyers list recognizes no more than 5 percent of attorneys in each state, and the Rising Stars list recognizes no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in each state. 

In addition, attorney William B. Lewis, a managing partner of the Business Trial Group, was recognized as a 2019 Top Lawyer by Palm Beach Illustrated. He was also named one of Florida Trend’s Legal Elite Up and Comers in the Commercial Litigation category. The Up and Comer designation, which is given to fewer than 2.5% of Florida attorneys under 40, recognizes attorneys who have exhibited leadership in law and in their community.