Our News Library

NorthStar Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Investor Lawsuit

Many investors have suffered substantial losses after investing in NorthStar Real Estate Income Trust (REIT) at the unsuitable recommendation of broker-dealers.

The securities lawyers at Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty & Proctor, P.A. are investigating claims from investors whose broker-dealers did not inform them of the risks of such an investment and/or neglected the factors of their clients’ risk tolerance, age, liquidity needs, investment experience, or age.

Potential Customer Claims Involving Charles Bonilla of the Miami/Fort Lauderdale Area

Levin Papantonio Rafferty is investigating potential customer claims involving the broker Charles Bonilla, formerly employed by David Lerner Associates, Inc.

According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)’s Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent No. 2020067626001, Charles Bonilla has been suspended for five months, fined $5,000, and has been ordered to disgorge $22,417 in commissions. Bonilla’s suspension is a result of recommending energy-sector securities to his customers without having a reason to believe the investments were suitable.

New York City Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Investor Lawsuits

When New York City Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) listed on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol NYC), price shares plummeted 41 percent within the first day of trading. The crash hit one group of investors particularly hard—those who had purchased New York City REIT as a non-traded REIT.

Multiple Clients of Wayne Hummer’s Former Broker Jeanette Adcock File Disputes and Win Settlements

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)’s BrokerCheck system reports several disclosure events for broker Jeannette Adcock, currently employed by Thurston Springer Financial in Indianapolis, Indiana. According to these reports, Adcock is linked to one regulatory action, 10 customer disputes, and 10 terminations.

Former Coastal Broker Luke Michael Johnson’s List of Customer Disputes Runs Long

Now a registered investment advisor with Prime Capital Investment Advisors, LLC, Luke Michael Johnson was once registered as a broker with several securities firms, according to records gathered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)’s BrokerCheck.

In this capacity, 20 customer disputes (14 pending and six final) have been filed against Johnson, BrokerCheck reports. He also experienced three terminations.

Mutual of Omaha’s Edward Earl Matthes Barred From Working as a Broker

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has barred Edward (Ed) Earl Matthes from working as a broker or even associating in any capacity with a broker-dealer firm. FINRA’s BrokerCheck reports on the events that led to Matthes’ disbarment, including a 20-year history as a broker, generating multiple disclosed events—five regulatory, one criminal, one investigation, one civil, 15 customer disputes, and two terminations.

FINRA Permanently Bars James Blake Daughtry From Broker Activities

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) barred James Blake Daughtry (CRD#: 3272282), preventing the former broker and investment adviser from working as a broker and from associating in any way with a broker-dealer firm, according to FINRA’s BrokerCheck reports.
Regulatory Action

The First Black Student to Attend UF Faced Discrimination, But Found a Friend in Fred Levin

Even before he became a larger-than-life attorney and celebrity, Fredric G. Levin did not shy away from a challenge; and that is what he faced in 1958 when he befriended, George Starke, the first Black student to attend the University of Florida. Both had enrolled in their first semester of law school, but UF had only recently become racially integrated. No one knew what to expect and initially Starke was escorted to school by two U.S. marshals.

“My classmates didn’t really speak to me at first,” Starke said. “My good friends were ostracized for associating with me.”

Levin Papantonio Rafferty Law Firm Begins 2021 with New Name

The Law Firm’s Name Change Reflects Recent Retirements and Honors Shareholders Who Have Made Extraordinary Contributions

Restricted Trading & Market Manipulation Claims against Robinhood, Webull, Interactive Brokers, TD Ameritrade, E*Trade, Schwab & Other Trading Platforms

BREAKING NEWS: LEVIN PAPANTONIO RAFFERTY Investigates Restricted Trading & Market Manipulation Claims against Robinhood, Webull, Interactive Brokers, TD Ameritrade, E*Trade, Schwab & Other Trading Platforms.

3M Military Combat Arms Earplug Trial Set for March

More than 220,000 military members have been patiently waiting for 3M to be held accountable for service members’ hearing losses suffered because of the company’s defective earplugs. That wait now draws to a close. A trial date has been set for March 2021, with Judge Casey Rodgers, Chief U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Florida, hearing the lawsuit in Pensacola, Florida.

DuPont, Chemours reach agreement over PFAS Forever Chemical

The Dupont Co. announced a binding memorandum of understanding related to the environmental liabilities of pollution stemming from man-made chemicals—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—that are linked to cancer, according to a January 23, 2021 report from the Associated Press.

Lawyers Push for Statewide Skanska Blacklist

Skanska has filed a limitation of liability complaint, effectively stalling more than 70 lawsuits against the company for damage it caused to Pensacola Bay Bridge—and to the Pensacola and Gulf Breeze areas, as a result.

DOJ Files Lawsuit Against Walmart Over Opioid Crisis

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a nationwide lawsuit against Walmart Inc. According to a civil complaint the DOJ filed, Walmart pharmacies across the country unlawfully dispensed controlled substances. At the height of the country’s prescription opioid crisis, Walmart unlawfully distributed such drug to their pharmacies, according to the complaint.

The Case of Egregious Conduct Against Skanska and the Pensacola Bay Bridge Damage

“It’s not just about a bridge,” Sarah Papantonio, attorney at Levin Papantonio, said in an interview with The Big Picture host Holland Cooke.

Looking Beyond Pelvic Mesh Injuries

For years, media outlets, medical practitioners, and legal professionals have publicized, studied, treated, and represented women who endured health issues after receiving pelvic/transvaginal mesh implants.

Judge Blocks Proposed Elmiron Class Action

A federal judge has blocked the class action lawsuit proposed in Almond v. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, wherein the plaintiff had not yet suffered injury from the defendant’s drug, but rather demanded compensation for medical monitoring to check for signs of damage from the medication.

New Surgery for Essure Removal Relieves Device-Related Pain in Patients

The Journal of Robotic Surgery published results of a study touting a new robotic-assisted surgical approach for the removal of Essure, a medical contraceptive device designed as an alternative to tubal ligation.

How the Study Was Conducted

The purpose of the study was two-fold:

Plaintiffs Must Select New Trial for Talc Verdict or Reduced Damage Award

Johnson & Johnson is the defendant in more than 20,000 lawsuits that allege the company’s talcum-based Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower caused plaintiffs to develop mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. In one such case, Olson v. Brenntag N. Am., Inc., plaintiffs Donna Olson and Robert Olson thought they had won big in their suit.

Australia Bans Three Breast Implants

Three types of highly textured implants can no longer be supplied or imported to, or exported from, Australia. On October 29, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) had dropped the following three breast implant entries from the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), effective October 27, 2020:

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