Thomas & LoCicero lawyers win dismissal of defamation claim brought by Buffalo strip club owner.
On August 27, 2024, Thomas & LoCicero attorneys convinced the Miami-Dade County Circuit Court to dismiss with prejudice two defamation claims asserted against the Sun Sentinel newspaper and a former reporter, Mario Ariza. In March of 2021, the Sun-Sentinel published a news article by Ariza, titled “Nephew of alleged Buffalo mob boss arrested in Fort…
TLo Prevails in 9th Circuit in Win for Fact-Checking Journalism
On August 9, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a case that sought to muzzle fact-checking of online speech. The Court held the lower court properly dismissed a case filed by Children’s Health Defense (“CHD”), a nonprofit organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., that advocates against vaccines,…
Thomas & LoCicero is pleased to announce that seven lawyers have been recognized in the 2025 edition of “Best Lawyers in America.”
Since its inaugural publication in 1983, Best Lawyers has become an eminent legal distinction. It is universally respected for its unbiased and meticulous evaluation process. This year’s 2025 edition of Best Lawyers in America recognizes Thomas & LoCicero lawyers in the following categories, including two as “Lawyer of the Year” in their areas: To be…
TLo secures dismissal and award of attorney’s fees in suit seeking prior restraint and return of county commissioner’s text messages
A judge has dismissed with prejudice a county’s lawsuit demanding a newspaper turn over a county commissioner’s text messages that the newspaper received from an anonymous source. The judge also refused to halt the newspaper’s reporting about the messages and said the county must pay the newspaper’s attorneys’ fees. Escambia County, Florida, brought the case…
2024 Florida Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Announced
Six lawyers from Thomas & LoCicero have been named to the 2024 Florida Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. The Thomas & LoCicero attorneys honored this year, and their practice areas, are: Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer…
TLo secures dismissal of defamation lawsuit with prejudice, citing Florida’s litigation privilege
Agreeing with arguments from Thomas & LoCicero, a federal judge dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit asserting defamation claims against two law firms over statements they made in a separate case. As the Court explained, “protecting these statements from liability is necessary to safeguard the truth-seeking function of the adversarial system.” The defamation claims arose from…
Stagecoaches or newspapers? Jim Lake assesses issues in U.S. Supreme Court social media cases
In a Florida Law Review article, TLo’s Jim Lake examines the U.S. Supreme Court’s pending cases concerning Florida and Texas social media law, including labels the justices might apply. Using an analogy one justice recently borrowed from Benjamin Franklin, Lake writes that social media companies are less like stagecoaches and more like newspapers.
TLo Wins Marsy’s Law Appeal in Florida Supreme Court
In a November 30, 2023, ruling that will have sweeping impact on the public’s ability to conduct oversight over law enforcement action, and more generally better monitor crime in local communities, the Florida Supreme Court held that the Florida constitutional provision known as “Marsy’s Law” cannot be used to shield the names of crime victims,…
Misleading mailings target trademark owners
By Jim Lake Trademark owners, beware! Shady businesses are mining U.S. Patent & Trademark Office records for your contact information and sending misleading solicitations. Carefully review and consider any correspondence concerning your registrations before responding. For example, the self-styled “Patent & Trademark Bureau” (not a real government agency) has been advertising overpriced renewal services for…
TLo wins dismissal of golfer Patrick Reed’s defamation claims
A federal court in Florida has dismissed with prejudice two lawsuits professional golfer Patrick Reed brought against media companies, alleging defamation and tortious interference. Thomas & LoCicero represented defendants Gannett Co., Inc. and Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC in the first case (Reed v. Chamblee, No. 3:22-cv-1059-TJC-PDB) and defendants The Associated Press, Hachette Book Group,…