On October 4, 2025, Fort Myers Junior Partner Andrew Walker and Managing Partner Patrick Boland obtained an entry of Final Judgment in a general liability matter styled Plaintiff v. Defendant 1 and Defendant Utility Systems. The case involved claims of negligence against our client. Specifically, Plaintiff claimed our client’s negligence in operating a motor vehicle caused impact with Plaintiff’s person as he was walking in a crosswalk, resulting in significant damages and extensive past and anticipated future surgical care. Mr. Walker and Mr. Boland were asked to parachute into a December 2025 trial after Plaintiff’s “rejection” of a recent non-binding arbitration award. Plaintiff had requested over 25 times the amount of the award during the proceeding. Immediately upon review of the docket, Mr. Walker and Mr. Boland identified an issue with Plaintiff’s “rejection” of the NBA award – namely Plaintiff’s failure to strictly comply with a recent amendment to Rule 1.820(h) of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure. Upon identification of this defect, our client withdrew a pending Proposal for Settlement which far exceeded the arbitration award, and subsequently obtained an order of the court to unseal the award and enter a final judgment, resulting in a leveraged settlement on behalf of the Defendant.
