Professional Liability

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You count the professionals you retain to advise and serve you honorably. When your trust is betrayed, Searcy Denney can hold them accountable.  

When hiring a professional for any kind of service, you know you should be meticulous about checking out qualifications and getting references. So you research education and credentials, ask friends and colleagues who are clients, and carefully negotiate the terms of your business relationship. Sometimes, however, this is not enough.

For example, despite Federal and state regulations, it is not uncommon these days to find yourself an unwitting victim of unscrupulous investment banking companies, corporate executives involved in insider trading, or shady stock brokers. You might discover that your attorney has failed to give you appropriate advice in a legal matter, your accountant has not assured your compliance with tax laws, or your insurance agent has not provided you with the coverage he or she promised.

What happens when professionals you have trusted for honest performance of their duties betray that trust and cause you legal or financial problems?  

You have the right to hold them accountable for their wrongdoing . . . and that’s where our experienced attorneys at Searcy Denney can step in. We are not afraid to go toe-to-toe with even the biggest and most prestigious companies. We’ve done it, and we’ve won justice on behalf of our clients.

• The precedent-setting 2005 claim of Ronald Perelman against Morgan Stanley & Co. is one of the most egregious examples of a case of professional liability. Co-counsel Jack Scarola of Searcy Denney successfully argued that Perelman should have been able to rely upon Morgan Stanley’s financial advice in the sale of one of his companies to Sunbeam Corporation.
  
  The court ruled that Morgan Stanley fraudulently misrepresented Sunbeam’s financial position to Perelman in negotiating a deal in which Perelman took more than half of his sale proceeds in Sunbeam stock. Morgan Stanley knew, said the court, that Sunbeam stock was about to take a steep dive, and that Sunbeam was headed for bankruptcy. A jury awarded Perelman a record $1.58 billion.

• In another Searcy Denney victory, the firm represented a Pratt & Whitney manager, Mr. J, who was seriously injured in an accident that left him a quadriplegic. Pratt & Whitney refused to let him resume his job, but the Department of Labor found that Mr. J should have been allowed to return at the same salary, with the same opportunities for advancement.  Mr. J hired an attorney to file a lawsuit under the Florida Civil Rights Act, but this attorney’s failure to file a timely claim cut off that option for recourse. Mr. J hired a second attorney to advocate for him in Florida and under the Americans with Disabilities Act. This lawyer, too, botched the filing procedures. As a result, Mr. J lost forever his rights to recover under Florida and Federal laws.
  
  Searcy Denney attorney Karen Terry picked up the pieces of Mr. J’s tragic case and filed legal malpractice suits against his two prior attorneys. After a year and a half of vigorous negotiations, she secured for Mr. J a settlement of $675,000 for his lost income and intangible damages.

Our attorneys at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley are prepared to assess your situation and evaluate your potential claim if you believe your interests have been compromised by an accountant, attorney, engineer, financial adviser, or anyone who provides advice or professional services. Please fill out our Contact Form, or call us to learn more and arrange for a confidential free consultation.