News & Insights

Congratulations to one of our stalwart senior partners, Michael Jenks (pictured on left) on your 50th work anniversary!!! Michael is a dedicated senior trial attorney at the firm and has been AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell for over 25 years! We also want to take a moment to congratulate our Family Law attorney Elisa Terraferma (pictured on right) and our Accounts Receivable Manager, Khodu Ragaby (not pictured)on their 15th work anniversaries! Thank you Michael, Elisa and Khodu for your continued commitment […]

Kevin B. Elmore Kevin B. Elmore, Esq. is the Firm’s lead litigation counsel for Central and South-West Central Florida. He is based out of Tampa Bay but has litigated matters in all 67 counties. Mr. Elmore and his family have deep connections to the state now spanning five generations. Of all the Firm’s partners, he may be the most obsessed with Florida’s history and its standing as the best State in the Union. He takes great pride in serving as […]

On September 9, 2020, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal entered a groundbreaking and seminal opinion regarding the ‘No Supplemental Claim Defense’ in Brandon Goldberg v. Universal Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., 2020 WL 5372305 (Fla. 4th DCA 2020). Ian Ronderos of Walton Lantaff served as the lead partner at the trial level. He argued and obtained final summary judgment on behalf of the insurer. Paulo Lima from the Russo Appellate Firm served as appellate counsel. In Goldberg, the insurer […]

Walton Lantaff Schroeder & Carson invites you to attend a free CEU* webinar:Addressing Issues With Public Adjusters And Loss Consultants (Webinar)Friday, October 9, 2020:Start: 10:00 AM EDT End: 12 PM EDT (2 hours) Provider 1256 / Course ID 114730 / Course Offering 1131290 Click or Copy/Paste the link below to Register Now https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EF4clwLqRm6ace8vqPUXVw Join us to explore:• Statutory authorization to act as a public adjuster;• Requirements and ethical rules;• Recent changes in the insurance code, as well as potential violations […]

Fraud, Concealment, and Material Misrepresentation are well known and often-pled defenses in the Insurance industry. So much so, that many adjusters overlook the practical application of the defenses within the litigation setting. In this article, I will briefly review the basis of the defenses and more practically, the timing of their application. That is to say, “When does each defense apply and how quickly can I get my case dismissed?” The answer is not always the same as it is […]

John P. Joy John P. “Jack” Joy, Esq. is a Senior Partner at WLSC who works out of the firm’s offices in Fort Lauderdale and Gainesville, as his practice extends throughout the state of Florida. Mr. Joy has been with the Firm since graduating from law school. Originally from New York, Mr. Joy is a “double Gator” having attended the University of Florida for both his undergraduate degree and for law school. After surviving a four-hour interview with one of […]

Walton Lantaff Schroeder & Carson invites you to attend a free CEU course:“How to Successfully Combat Premature Bad Faith Litigation (Webinar)” Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2020Time: 1:00 p.m. EDTDuration: 1 hour (approx.) REGISTER HERE: https://bit.ly/32Qkx0i Provider #1256 (Walton Lantaff)Course ID #1129382Course Offering: #114304Continuing Education: 1 CEUCA Description: CE 3-24A – Adjuster Law and Policy.Level – Intermediate Course DescriptionThis webinar will focus on providing an explanation of what conduct is considered bad faith in the insurance context, updates in case law […]

Whether you are general counsel, vice president of claims, the claims manager of your particular organization, or in charge of overseeing your business’ legal operations, one of your main responsibilities is likely the selection and ongoing evaluation of your defense counsel.  Some of the factors universally considered when making this assessment are the general knowledge, experience and competence of the attorney/firm, the hourly rate being charged, and the coverage area(s) they can assist you with.  However, far too often that […]

On July 20, 2020 the First District Court of Appeals issued an opinion in the case LSG Sky Chefs, Inc. / Liberty Mutual Insurance Company v. Santaella, Case. No. 1D19-4073, affirming the Judge of Compensation Claims’ order denying the Employer/Carrier (E/C) misrepresentation defense. The pertinent Florida statute in dispute is statute 440.105(4)(b)1-3., which states it is unlawful for any person to make, or cause to be made, any false, fraudulent, incomplete, or misleading oral or written statement for the purpose […]

Walton Lantaff Schroeder & Carson invites you to attend a free CEU course: “Dealing with Public Adjusters and Loss Consultants (Webinar)” Date: Friday August 14, 2020Time: 10:30 a.m. EDTDuration: 1 hour (approx.) REGISTER HERE: https://bit.ly/jose-ian-0814 Provider #1256 (Walton Lantaff)Course ID #1127775Course Offering 113720Course Authority: CE0324ACourse Level: Intermediate This webinar is designed as a panel discussion to address the duties of public adjusters as well as the emergence of loss consultants involved in adjusting property insurance losses. It will discuss the […]