Blog Archive: November 2013

On November 1, 2013, the State of Florida entered into a $28 million settlement agreement with The Bank of New York Mellon ("BNY Mellon"). This settlement concludes one of several lawsuits filed by a Delaware general partnership formed by several whistleblowers and their lawyers in other jurisdictions under the federal False Claims Act and several state false claims acts. Since 2005, the State of Florida entrusted its state pension fund to BNY Mellon, which is “the world's largest trust ban...

The Attorney General’s Office of Florida released the following statement regarding the $2.2 billion settlement between Johnson & Johnson and the governments of 40 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States, of which the State of Florida will receive $18 million: Florida, 39 other states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government reached a global settlement with New Jersey pharmaceutical manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuti...

Disbarred-attorney Linda Vasquez and her former husband, Ross Littlefield, have been sentenced to federal prison for money laundering after admitting in a guilty plea to "defrauding 'vulnerable clients' to fund their other businesses, buy real estate, make car payments and finance an extravagant lifestyle," as reported by the Orlando Sentinel. Linda Vasquez (formerly known as Linda Littlefield) was only recently released from two years of incarceration in state prison for the former couple...