TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A recent lawsuit accuses a Florida lawyer of mishandling funds that were supposed to be used to support a victim of medical malpractice.
A lawsuit was filed March 18 in Hillsborough County Circuit Court against attorney Floyd Faglie and his law firm, Staunton & Faglie, P.L. The plaintiff is JF, a vulnerable and disabled adult represented by her mother and natural guardian, Carol Mulholland.
The suit alleges that the defendants failed to uphold their fiduciary duties towards JF. The complaint claims that Faglie and his firm knowingly placed JF's assets at risk by depositing them with an entity known as The Center for Special Needs Trust Administration (CSNTA), despite being aware of CSNTA's precarious financial condition.
The case also accuses the defendants of having a conflict of interest due to their role as primary attorneys for CSNTA while simultaneously representing JF, a victim of medical malpractice who recovered more than $1 million in the tort system.
The lawsuit further states that the defendants did not disclose this conflict to JF or inform her about CSNTA's financial instability.
Frank Fernandez of The Fernandez Firm and Andrew Ellenberg of Needle & Ellenberg represent the plaintiff.