Mario Gomez Obtains Dismissal after Filing a MTD for Fraud

Mario Gomez Obtains Dismissal after Filing a MTD for Fraud

Mario GomezPlaintiffs, husband, and wife filed suit claiming permanent injuries stemming from a rear-end motor vehicle accident. Both claimed injury to their spine, resulting in various procedures and surgeries. Combined, the Plaintiffs incurred just under $500,000 in Letter of Protection medical bills. Plaintiffs produced photographs of their vehicle showing a dented bumper, trunk, and broken taillight. Plaintiffs used the severity of the impact to bolster their medical causation arguments and the need for the procedures and surgeries. Defendant denied causing any damage to the Plaintiffs’ bumper as the impact was low velocity (but had no photos from the scene of the accident to prove his position). However, Defendant was able to obtain deposition testimony from the police officer, and bodycam footage (although somewhat blurry from humidity) from the accident scene to prove there was no visible damage to the rear of the Plaintiff’s vehicle.

Defendant also retained an accident reconstruction expert and biomechanical expert to support the Defendant’s position that the height differential in the vehicles could not have resulted in the type of damage claimed, and that the minor impact could not have caused sufficient velocity/forces to cause the injuries claimed. Additionally, Plaintiffs denied and/or downplayed their multiple prior injury claims, and the Defendant uncovered a combined fourteen (14) personal injury claims between the husband and wife, arguing that the two were serial Plaintiffs. Surveillance footage captured the two Plaintiffs engaging in multiple activities that they claimed in deposition they could not perform because of their alleged permanent injuries. The Defendant also uncovered that one of the Plaintiff’s was not taking the narcotic mediation prescribed by his pain management specialist (though pharmacy records revealed multiple purchases). In fact, the Plaintiff husband’s urinalysis revealed that he was instead abusing Fentanyl (a non-prescribed drug) which he was likely purchasing from the sale of the prescribed narcotic mediation. As a result, the extensive discovery, the Defendant filed a Motion to Dismiss for Fraud. The case was ultimately dismissed, and the Court entered an award in favor of the Defendants to recover all their costs.

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La Cava Jacobson & Goodis Supports PATCHES PPEC Medical Daycare

La Cava Jacobson & Goodis Supports PATCHES PPEC Medical Daycare

PATCHES PPECLa Cava Jacobson & Goodis Miami office made a donation this holiday season to PATCHES PPEC. PATCHES PPEC takes care of medically complex children and their families. They have helped countless families manage their child’s health care needs so they can feel secure in returning to work or school. La Cava Jacobson & Goodis is pleased to partner and support the outstanding and compassionate care PATCHES provides to children with complex medical conditions in the Miami-Dade area.

La Cava Jacobson & Goodis Supports the LPGA Amateur Association

La Cava Jacobson & Goodis Supports the LPGA Amateur Association

La Cava Jacobson & Goodis is a proud sponsor the LPGA Amateur Golf Association. The support the firms gives the LPGA Amateur Association makes it possible for them to provide their members various social activities, golf events and competitions.

The LPGA Amateurs Tampa Bay welcomes golfers of all skill levels and from all backgrounds to Connect Learn Play and Belong through the game of golf. The Tampa Bay Chapter offers weekly league play opportunities at several area courses. They also sponsor social events that often have nothing to do with golf but everything to do with getting to know fellow Chapter members better.

LPGA Amateurs Tampa Bay

Mario Gomez obtains Dismissal of Plaintiff’s Complaint following Motion for Summary Judgment/Motion to Dismiss for Fraud

Mario Gomez obtains Dismissal of Plaintiff’s Complaint following Motion for Summary Judgment/Motion to Dismiss for Fraud

Mario GomezPlaintiff filed a suit claiming personal injuries stemming from a premises liability claim against the owner of the property (Defendant). Plaintiff claimed he slipped and fell causing permanent injuries which included a wrist fracture, spinal injuries, and a traumatic brain injury. The incident was captured on the property owner’s surveillance footage. Defendant objected to the video’s production in discovery before the Plaintiff was deposed so as to not allow the Plaintiff to alter his testimony in line with the footage. Plaintiff’s testimony sharply contradicted the footage which revealed the Plaintiff was liable for his own claimed injuries. As a result of the glaring contradiction between the deposition testimony and surveillance footage, the Defendant filed a Motion for Summary Judgment (based on the newly implemented summary judgment standards), Motion to Dismiss for Fraud, as well as serving the Plaintiff and his attorney a Motion for 57.105 Sanctions and the required Safe Harbor Letter. As a result, the Plaintiff filed a Voluntary Dismissal to avoid the imposition of sanctions.