Legal Briefs (Tampa)

Legal Briefs (Tampa)

Attorney general reaches

settlement with companies

Two eye care companies accused of consumer fraud have reached a $1 million settlement with Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist's office. Delaware-based Eyeglass World and its Florida subsidiary Lasik Vision Institute agreed to donate 10,000 pairs of eyeglasses with an estimated retail value of $800,000, along with $200,000, to charitable organizations.

In addition, the companies will pay the attorney general's office $1 million for its prosecution costs.

Investigations by Crist's office found that Eyeglass World used non-licensed opticians to dispense eyeglasses and Lasik Vision employees did tasks that should only be performed by licensed medical personnel, according to a press release.

"Not only did this place numerous patients at risk, but it was also a direct violation of a previous settlement signed by Eyeglass World in 2000," states the news release.

"We are not going to allow consumers to be deceived or placed in potentially harmful situations," Crist said in the statement.

In Hillsborough court, there's a lawsuit pending against Lasik Vision for its advertising methods. The plaintiffs accuse the company of advertising laser eye surgery for $299 to $499 and then engaging in deceptive up-selling. The lawsuit is still in the discovery stage.

New circuit judges

named by Gov. Bush

Gov. Jeb Bush appointed three new 13th Circuit judges, including a senior assistant Hillsborough County attorney, county judge and administrative judge.

Appointed were Margaret Courtney, a county attorney since 1998; Michelle Sisco, a county judge since 2002; and Scott Stephens, deputy chief judge of the Division of Administrative hearings since 2001.

GrayRobinson attorneys

to speak in St. Augustine

Kelley A. Bosecker and Lowell J. Walters, both of GrayRobinson, will speak at the Oct. 3-5 meeting of the Florida Public Pension Trustees Association meeting in St. Augustine.

Bosecker, of counsel to the firm, will discuss tax implications to pension plans, and Walters, a Tampa associate, will talk about Social Security. The two lawyers are part of the firm's employee benefits law practice, one of the largest in the state.

Bricklemyer Smolker

& Bolves adds lawyer

K. Clayton Bricklemyer, son of a co-founder of Bricklemyer Smolker & Bolves PA, joined the firm. A graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Florida, Bricklemyer will concentrate on real estate and property rights.

The Tampa-based firm, with offices in Tallahassee and Longwood, is a general commercial litigation practice that specializes in real estate matters. It was established 11 years ago.

Labor professional spoke

at Tampa HR expo

George Barford, practice group leader of labor and employment law at Carlton Fields, Tampa, spoke at the Aug. 17 HR Tampa Expo & Legal Update on defending whistleblowers and retaliation lawsuits. Barford is a board certified labor and employment lawyer who represents management.

Tampa Bay attorneys named

to Best Lawyers list

Numerous attorneys from the Tampa Bay area were chosen for The Best Lawyers in 2006, a peer-review survey of more than 18,000 attorneys in the United States.

• Thirty-nine attorneys at Tampa-based Carlton Fields PA were named, including George Barford, Daniel C. Brown, David P. Burke, Charles J. Cacciabeve, Martha H. Chumbler, Jeffrey M. Cohen, Chris S. Coutroulis, Nathaniel L. Doliner, Steven Dupra, Edward W. Gerecke, Robert Gilbert, Andrew C. Greenberg, W. Douglas Hall, Thomas A. Hanson, Bruce C. King, Ruth B. Kinsolving, John J. Lamoureux, Hywel Leonard, Edgel C. Lester Jr., Nancy G. Linnan, Richard C. Linquanti, Laurel E. Lockett, Wendy F. Lumish, John P. McAdams, C. Douglas McDonald, Francis M. McDonald, George J. Meyer, Kevin J. Napper, Paul L. Nettleton, Michael F. Nuechterlein, Robert W. Pass, Luis Prats, Benjamin Reid, Gary L. Sasso, Roger D. Schwenke, Thomas A. Snow, Robert A. Soriano, Patricia H. Thompson and Sylvia H. Walbolt.

• Twenty-eight lawyers at Fowler White Boggs Bank PA made the list: Robert E. Banker, Donald S. Bennett, Cathy J. Beveridge, E. Jackson Boggs, Richard K. Bowers Jr., Heather B. Brock, Amelia M. Campbell, W. Donald Cox, John D. Emmanuel, James J. Evangelista, William J. Flynn III, Frank H. Gassler, Mitchell I. Horowitz, Richard A. Jacobson, Rhea F. Law, Joseph K. Lopez, Carl R. Nelson, Thomas G. Pelham, John W. Robinson IV, Richard G. Salazar, Richard M. Sebek, Jeanne L. Seewald, Linda Loomis Shelley, Jacob D. Varn, Edward M. Waller Jr., Robert H. Waltuch, Burton M. Wiand and Kevin D. Zwetsch.

• Twenty-seven of the 172 Holland & Knight LLP that made the list practice locally, including Rod Anderson, Chester E. Bacheller, Anderson L. Baldy III, Bernard A. Barton Jr., Stacy D. Blank, William B. deMeza Jr., William Dufoe, Richard D. Eckhard, Leonard H. Gilbert, Robert J. Grammig, Richard B. Hadlow, William F. Hamilton, Richard O. Jacobs, John Arthur Jones, Edward F. Koren Jr., Bradford D. Kimbro, Jack A. Levine, Henry M. Morgan, Marni M. Morgan, Bruch H. Roberson, Frederick M. Rothenberg, Stefan V. Stein, Richard L. Stockton, Charles L. Stutts, Gregg D. Thomas, Edward W. Vogel III and Douglas A. Wright.

• Seven Tampa attorneys with Foley & Lardner LLP: Michael D. Annis, William Keith Fendrick, James M. Landis, Thomas M. Little, Carolyn T. Long, Stephen J. Szabo and Martin A. Traber.

• Buchanan Ingersoll PC Tampa shareholder James J. Kennedy and R. Andrew Rock, of counsel. In all, 29 of the Pittsburgh-based firm's lawyers made the list.

• Andy Dogali, managing partner of Forizs & Dogali PL.