$40.5 Million Award to Assault Victim in Monroe County
E.E. vs. XYZ Resort Hotel & Marina and MARK JASON HOLMES
Attorneys Tom Scolaro and Mark Sylvester obtained a $40,580,000 verdict on behalf of E.E. against her criminal assailant, Mark Jason Holmes, who attacked her with a hammer in the parking garage of a Resort Hotel in Key West. Attorney Scolaro filed an inadequate security case against the hotel for permitting this obviously drug-induced man to roam around the parking garage, undetected between 15 - 20 minutes with a hammer. The Hotel Defendant entered into a confidential settlement with Plaintiff the night before a $40,580,000 verdict was handed down against the remaining defendant. This is, by far, the largest verdict in Monroe County's history and a significant settlement for the Plaintiff who sustained serious and permanent injuries to her face and head.
Ira Leesfield reaches a $3,000,000 Underinsured Motorist settlement
A prominent Broward county family lost two loved ones when an out of control vehicle crossed 3 lanes and crashed into their vehicle. One on the passengers received serious injuries. In a partial settlement, the family received $3,000,000 in Underinsured Motortist recovery. Additional claims remain.
Mark A. Sylvester obtains $4.5 million settlement for death of young girl in recreational vehicle accident
Mark A. Sylvester and Ira H. Leesfield reached a $4.5 million settlement for the Estate of a 15-year old girl killed in a recreational vehicle accident. The identity of the parties to the settlement is confidential. The incident involved negligent entrustment of a recreational vehicle to a minor and the failure of the responsible parent to supervise the children.
John Leighton Recovers $8,650,000 as a Result of a Car-Truck Crash
Three teenage girls were on their way to the library when the driver of a commercial truck made an illegal u-turn on the turnpike. The truck turned directly into the path of these young women, resulting in a horrific crash that killed one girl and caused substantial injuries to two others. John Leighton litigated vigorously on behalf of these young women and their families clients to obtain a $8,650,000.00 settlement and a wrongful death arbitration award of $7,995,467.00.
Ira Leesfield and Thomas Scolaro reach confidential settlement for family victim of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Key West
Leesfield and Scolaro were able to prove that the hotel boiler roof vent was improperly repaired after being damaged in Hurricane Wilma. The hotel failed to pull any permits for the repairs and did not have a licensed technician make or inspect the repairs. As a result of their negligent repair, carbon monoxide was forced back down into the boiler room in the hotel and into the adjoining guest rooms where the injured guests slept. Unbeknownst to them, they were slowly being poisoned to death. They were able to summon for emergency medical attention prior to passing out from CO exposure.
In addition to successfully representing this family, the firm successfully fought for passage of Senate Bill 1822 . This new law, passed as a result of the carbon monoxide poisonings in Key West, now requires any public lodging establishment with a boiler room in the same area as a sleeping room install one or more CO detectors. Construction permitted in 2008 must have a carbon monoxide alarm installed within 10 feet of each sleeping room.
Confidential Settlement in Wrongful Death case for Lawyer's Family
Ira H. Leesfield and Alexander Perkins obtained a confidential settlement in a wrongful death case for the family of a prominent Miami-Dade County attorney. The family retained Leesfield Leighton & Partners to represent them in this very tragic case, where a leading member of our legal community was killed and survived by his wife of 57 years.
Thomas Scolaro and Mark A. Sylvester recover 50 times the insurance policy limits for a woman injured in car accident
Jane Doe was on her way to pick her son up at school when a teen-age driver ran a stop sign and crashed into the driver side of her vehicle. The impact crushed the drivers side of the car and resulted in catastrophic injuries including severe brain damage. Without insurance of their own or any money to pay for medical care, her husband assumed 24 hour care of his wife. Tragically, the defendant only possessed $10,000.00 in insurance coverage for the accident.
Through hard work and tenacity, Thomas Scolaro and Mark A. Sylvester were able to argue that the defendant's insurance company had acted in bad faith in failing to timely and properly tender the $10,000.00 in coverage. As a result, Mr. Sylvester and Mr. Scolaro were able to secure a $500,000.00 settlement for this family. This result will provide the family with greatly needed help and ease some of the enormous financial burdens created by this reckless teenager.
$4,300,000 Settlement for Failure to Treat Brain Cyst - Illinois
Estate of Wiedenbeck v. University of Chicago
Cheryl Wiedenbeck, a 39-year-old mother, is survived by her husband and two children. The failure to treat a brain cyst resulted in a brain herniation, cardiac arrest and her ultimate death.
John Leighton and Patricia Kennedy were joined by Chicago co-counsel Patricia Bobb in obtaining a $4.3 million settlement for the educational needs of these young girls, and providing for their economic security. The case continues against a remaining hospital and two doctors.
$2,850,000 Settlement obtained by Ira H. Leesfield and Mark A. Sylvester in Crash of Single Engine Plane
On September 24, 2002, a pilot and his mother were killed when their single‑engine airplane crashed in severe weather. Ira H. Leesfield and Mark A. Sylvester represented the families in a wrongful death action against the Federal Aviation Administration for the failure of their Air Traffic Controllers to provide pertinent and observed severe weather information to the pilot.
In addition, legal action was taken against the manufacturer of a component part that powered the flight instrumentation as well as the airplane manufacturer and a service facility. Despite the fact that there was no claim for lost earnings, Mr. Leesfield and Mr. Sylvester were able to secure a $2,850,000.00 settlement with the defendants on behalf of the families.
Patricia Kennedy and John Leighton Reach Confidential Settlement in Death of Young Girl in Boating Accident
Patricia Kennedy and John Leighton reached a confidential settlement above 1 millions dollars with multiple defendants in this tragic case involving the death of a 20-year-old young woman. In July of 2006, our client was a passenger in a speedboat that crashed into a dock on a lake in the middle of the night. The evidence showed that the operator of the boat had been drinking and was impaired when he took several passengers for a ride on his speedboat.
Thomas Scolaro obtains $1,045,000 Settlement for Young Woman Raped at a Hotel in Key West
J.J. vs. Hyatt Vacation Club and Majestic Security and Investigations, and Mark Holmes, individually.
Attorney Thomas Scolaro obtained a $1,000,000 settlement on behalf of Plaintiff, J.J., who was raped while cleaning a room at the Hyatt Sunset Hotel in Key West, FL. Attorney Scolaro was able to prove that the criminal assailant had been left alone to sleep out by the hotel pool to smoke crack. This assailant roamed around undetected by any security or hotel staff for several hours. He then stumbled into a room being cleaned by Plaintiff, a young Haitian housekeeper, and brutally raped her. Attorney Scolaro secured a $1,000,000 settlement on behalf of J.J. just before trial.
Ira Leesfield and Mark Sylvester Reach Confidential Settlement with Cruise Line over Death of Passenger
Ira Leesfield and Mark Sylvester filed a lawsuit on behalf of a surviving spouse for the death of her husband, who died after being abandoned by the cruise line in a make shift medical clinic in a foreign country.
On the second day of a seven day cruise, John Doe began vomiting blood. He presented to the ship's infirmary, however, instead of receiving life saving medical care, or being evacuated to a proper medical facility; the ship's doctor and Captain made the decision to place him and his wife in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean, in the dark of night, and transport them to a coastal village in a foreign country. In desperate need of a blood transfusion, John Doe was brought to a make shift medical facility where there was no blood immediately available. When the blood arrived, it was frozen and had to be thawed under heat lamps. As he lay on a gurney, with his wife at his side, John Doe died.
This awful event was even more tragic because this elderly couple spent their lives helping other people. When this couple went into retirement, they served as missionaries traveling throughout North America in their mobile home to various Christian ministries providing carpentry, plumbing, painting, electrical help, as well as tutoring to the poor and needy. Sadly, when they needed help, no one was there for them.
Ira Leesfield and Mark A. Sylvester fought for justice and were able to reach a confidential settlement with the cruise line. In addition, the cruise line assured our client that because of this tragedy measures had been taken to ensure that an event like this would never happen again.
$2.1 million Verdict in Key West
Stuart Kemp, a Key West restaurant owner, was awarded $2.1 million for injuries he sustained on March 3, 2003 when the driver of a national ambulance company transporting a homeless person who was faking a heart attack ran a red light and struck Stuart Kemp on his moped. The employees of American Medical Response, the nation's largest ambulance company, admitted the violations of certain key practices which would have saved Mr. Kemp of lifetime injuries, resulting from nine crushed facial bones and three fractured vertebrae in his back.
The nine-day trial ended in a unanimous verdict by the jury after three hours of deliberation. Partners Ira Leesfield, Tom Scolaro and Patricia Kennedy represented Mr. Kemp who can now obtain the medical treatment necessary to restore his back and face.
