Recent Blog Posts
March Is Florida Bike Safety Month
Although National Bike Month is in May, Governor Ron DeSantis made the official proclamation that March is Bike Safety Month in Florida. Though bicyclists and pedestrians represent just 2 percent of commuters in Palm Beach County, they made up a whopping 30 percent of all transportation-related fatalities on county roadways from 2018-2020, according to… Read More »
Understanding The Different Kinds Of Intellectual Property
When people talk about intellectual property (IP), they usually talk about copyrights, trademarks and patents, without knowing exactly what the difference between them actually are. Your business may actually have interests in all three, or need to protect all three, so it’s a good idea to understand the differences between them. IP and Your… Read More »
FTC: Central Florida Company Deceived Consumers With Credit Card Interest Rate Scam
On February 28th, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced official enforcement against a Central Florida company and its owners and operators. According to the FTC, the company unlawfully targeted and deceived people looking to reduce the interest rate on their credit cards. In this blog post, our West Palm Beach deceptive & unfair… Read More »
Three Reasons Why Your Business Partner May Have Breached Their Fiduciary Duty
A fiduciary duty is the highest standard of care in the American legal system. Described simply, a fiduciary duty requires a person or entity to act in the best interests of another party. Under Florida law (Florida Statutes § 620.8404), business partners have limited fiduciary duties. Specifically, you and your business partner owe each… Read More »
Shareholder Litigation: Rivian Accused Of Misleading Investors About Vehicle Prices
According to a report from Reuters, Rivian Automotive Inc—an electric vehicle manufacturer based in Irvine, California—is facing a shareholder lawsuit for allegedly misleading investors about the pricing of its vehicles. The shareholder is seeking class action certification for the lawsuit. In this blog post, our West Palm Beach shareholder disputes attorneys explain some of… Read More »
Business And Consumer Protection: Why The FDUTPA Is So Important
Whether you are an individual consumer or you own and operate a business, you are entitled to fair treatment from other companies in the market. Our state has strong business and consumer protection laws in place. Most notably, the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA) allows businesses and consumers to hold companies… Read More »
Federal Civil RICO Litigation: Court Rules Thwarted Beneficiary Not Eligible To Pursue Civil RICO Claim
Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled against a plaintiff in a civil RICO lawsuit. In the case of Lerner v. Colman, et al, the federal court determined that the plaintiff—a beneficiary who suffered damage because of alleged racketeering activity involving her uncle’s estate—cannot move forward with a civil… Read More »
An Accounting Can Be One Of The Most Effective, Efficient Methods To Resolve Partnership Litigation
Disagreements between business partners are virtually inevitable. Even if you are largely on the same page, there may come a time in which you and your business partner have different visions for the future or different solutions for a problem. When a disagreement between business partners grows into a dispute, it is crucial that… Read More »
Does My Homeowners Insurance Cover Personal Injury Claims On My Property?
Typical homeowners’ insurance policies do include personal liability coverage. This component of your policy coverage may help prevent you from paying out of pocket should the unexpected occur on your property. Should someone slip and fall on your property or experience any other type of common personal injury, you could be held responsible for… Read More »
Don’t Forget These Policies And Procedures
We have often written in the past about the kinds of corporate documents, and specifically policies and procedures that you need for your business. But a comprehensive list of every kind of policy and procedure that your business should have would be impossible to put together. Firstly, much depends on your specific business and… Read More »
Don’t Mess With Trains
It’s been all over the news: train vs. car accidents. And guess what? The car never wins. Brightline, the high-speed trains that zip between Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, spent millions to upgrade its safety systems and launch a public awareness campaign. But these accidents keep happening. Not just car accidents, but people… Read More »
Florida Leads The Nation In New Business Formation
Are you thinking of starting a business? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, you have so much company that you are part of a group of business owners that have made Florida the number one state in the nation for the creation of new businesses. Florida is Number One In February of 2021,… Read More »
March Is Brain Injury Awareness Month
For more than three decades, the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has been observing Brain Injury Awareness Month. By conducting an engaging public awareness campaign in March of each year, the goals are: De-stigmatizing brain injury through outreach within the brain injury community Empowering those who have survived brain injury and their caregivers… Read More »
Annual Reports Are More Important Than You May Think
Even if all your state paperwork is in and filed, the state is never truly done with you. That’s because every year, you will have to file annual reports. Yes, these can be more of a nuisance than anything else, and rarely is there a devastating error that can be made on an annual… Read More »
What Is Injunctive Relief And How Could It Help You?
When a business agreement is violated, we often think about what we are owed—that is, how much money we’ve lost, or how much money the breach has cost you. But businesses often fail to consider another element of damages—getting the offending behavior to stop—immediately. A Classic Example Let’s say that you have a list… Read More »
Don’t Forget These Things In Your Trade Secret Agreements
In your business you probably have a lot of trade secrets, and you are probably aware of the need to protect those trade secrets. You may even have employees or other outside agents sign agreements promising to protect your trade secrets from disclosures. But there are certain elements that every trade secret agreement should… Read More »
Drafting An Enforceable And Legal Security Agreement
The business of lending can be a profitable one, but as everybody knows with lending comes the risk of not being paid back. That risk can often be minimized by securing property, but securing property the right way and the way the law requires is an absolute necessity. Why Secure Any Property? The benefit… Read More »
Business Fraud: Florida Moving Company Operators Indicted For Alleged $12 Million Scam
On February 18th, 2022, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Matthew Pardi and Ashley Lynn Hars, the owners of a Florida-based moving company, have been indicted on criminal fraud charges. The federal complaint contends that their company engaged in a number of different violations, including allegedly holding consumer belongings for “ransom”… Read More »
What To Know About Civil RICO Claims And Arbitration
Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) through which a legal conflict is resolved by an independent arbitrator instead of in state or federal court. Many different types of commercial disputes may be subject to arbitration, potentially even including civil RICO claims. At Pike & Lustig, LLP, we have extensive experience representing… Read More »
Federal Judge: Chemours Must Face Shareholder Lawsuit Over Alleged Mistreatment Of Maximum Potential Liability For Hazardous Chemicals
According to reporting from Reuters, a federal judge has ruled that Chemours—the Wilmington, Delaware headquarter American chemical company—must face a lawsuit from shareholders over its alleged misrepresentation of the cost of certain environmental cleanups. However, some of the other claims raised by the shareholders were dismissed. In this article, our Miami shareholder disputes lawyers… Read More »
