Law firm for paralyzed woman entitled to $500,000
Headline News
[##_1L|1195235400.jpg|width="142" height="117" alt=""|_##]A law firm that represented a woman paralyzed in a botched operation should receive $500,000 more than the $1.07 million the state Legislature has already approved, a Broward judge ruled Thursday afternoon. Sheldon J. Schlesinger's Fort Lauderdale law firm was entitled to the money based on its contract with the parents of Minouche Noel, Broward Circuit Judge Leroy Moe ruled. The judge rejected Schlesinger's request to receive an additional $42,000 in legal costs.
Bruce Johnson, the Noels' current attorney, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that his clients were "very disappointed."
"We were surprised by the ruling, and we believe it was incorrect," Johnson said to the newspaper.
A telephone message left by The Associated Press at Schlesinger's office and with the attorney representing the firm, Bruce Rogow, was not immediately returned after hours Thursday.
Noel was left paralyzed from the waist down at 6 months old following surgery at a state clinic in 1999. Now 19, she suffers from spina bifida, a congenital defect in which the spinal column fails to close properly.
A Broward jury awarded $8.5 million to the Noels, but state law limits such payments to $200,000 without legislative approval. Lawmakers finally passed the claims bill this year after several failed attempts.
Schlesinger filed a lien asking for more money than the legislation allocated to the firm.
Last month, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink argued the Circuit Court in Fort Lauderdale lacks jurisdiction on the case. A telephone message and an e-mail left after hours by AP for Sink was not immediately returned.
Noel and her family lived in Broward County when the surgery took place but have since moved to Brevard County, where she is attending college.
Related listings
-
Lawmaker seeks bridge trust fund
Headline News 08/09/2007[##_1L|1040330055.jpg|width="130" height="92" alt=""|_##]One weary week after the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, a senior federal lawmaker from Minnesota proposed sweeping legislation to establish a trust fund dedicated to repairing the nation's agi...
-
‘Pant Lawsuit’ Judge May Not Be Reappointed
Headline News 08/09/2007The D.C. judge who sued his ethnic Korean dry cleaners for $54 million over a pair of pants will probably have to begin looking for a new job. A city commission has voted to formally notify Administrative Law Judge Roy Pearson that he may not be reap...
-
Law firm cancels political operative's sublease
Headline News 08/07/2007[##_1L|1383393147.jpg|width="130" height="98" alt=""|_##]Republican political operative Jeff Roe will soon be looking for new digs.Lathrop & Gage, the law firm that houses his consulting firm, Axiom Strategies, is terminating his sublease.Lathrop...
New York Commercial Litigation Law Firm - Woods Lonergan PLLC
Founded in 1993 by Managing Partner James F. Woods, Woods Lonergan PLLC has built a strong reputation as a resourceful and industrious firm that provides clients with clear, concise, and straightforward answers to their most challenging legal issues. Partner Lawrence R. Lonergan, who joined the firm in 2008, has been a friend and colleague to Mr. Woods for over 40 years and shares the same business philosophy. Woods Lonergan PLLC’s collective experience and expertise enables the firm to expeditiously and effectively analyze the increasing challenges clients face in an evolving business and legal world, in many instances, avoiding unnecessary time and expense to our clients. Our mission is simple: provide cutting-edge expertise and sound advice in select areas of the law for corporate and business clients. We thrive on providing each client with personalized attention, forceful representation, and a collaborative team effort that embraces collective knowledge.