ORLANDO, Fla. (Legal Newsline) — A Florida law firm is suing three insurance carriers for allegedly violating its lien on a $1.6 million personal injury settlement.
Florida Injury Law Firm PA filed a complaint July 13 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida against Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Indiana Insurance Company and The Netherlands Insurance Company.
Florida Injury Law alleges in its complaint that the defendants violated its attorneys fee charging lien by wrongfully disbursing the proceeds of a settlement in Florida without protecting the lien. Specifically, Florida Injury Law alleges that it was retained by Prerana Trivedi in January of 2016, for a personal injury claim against Joeliz Moralez and Blue Chip 2000 Commercial Cleaning.
It claims it conducted substantial work on Trivedi's case and worked on a settlement that involved Moralez's and Blue Chip's liability insurance carriers. Florida Injury Law further claims that in March of 2018, before it could settle the case, it was discharged, with the client retaining a former attorney from its firm to pursue the claim.
It alleges the defendants settled Trivedi's claim for $1.6 million and disbursed the settlement proceeds to her new attorney without honoring its charging lien.
The plaintiff seeks monetary relief of more than $75,000, interest and all other just relief. It is represented by Christopher Zacarias of The Law Office of Christopher F. Zacarias PA in Miami, Florida.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida Orlando Division case number 6:23-CV-01312-CEM-LHP