Florida Bar Association Announces 4 Attorneys Have Been Suspended

The Florida Supreme Court building in Tallahassee, Fla., on Jan. 22, 2023. (Nanette Holt/the Epoch Times)

Four attorneys in Florida have been suspended and a fifth has been reprimanded by the state Supreme Court, the Florida Bar announced in January.

According to its website, “the Florida Bar’s core functions are to prosecute unethical lawyers through the Attorney Discipline system” and to “administer a client protection fund to cover certain financial losses a client might suffer due to misappropriation by a lawyer.”

Attorney suspension occurs as a disciplinary action “when a lawyer faces an ethical complaint, undergoes an investigation, and is subsequently found to have violated professional conduct rules,” according to Zavieh Law.

Following a suspension, attorneys have 10 days to inform their clients, co-counsel, and opposing counsel. They may not take on any new clients and must return all client property and files and refund any unearned money sitting in a trust fund.

The Suspensions

L. Jean Berry of Clearwater, Florida, was suspended and found in contempt of court, effective 30 days following a court order (pdf) issued Jan. 5 for noncompliance and failure to respond to official bar inquiry (pdf).

As a sanction, Berry was suspended from the practice of law in the state of Florida effective Jan. 1. The court further ordered that she close out her practice. The Florida Bar also requested that Berry pay administrative costs of $1,250. The link to her firm’s website is broken, but the Yelp listing, still functional, says her practice dealt with elder law.

Anton Aggrey Gammons of Orlando, Florida, was suspended for six months on Jan. 26 for engaging in sexual conduct with a client.

According to court documents (pdf), Gammons was retained by the client on Sept. 7, 2021. In November 2021, Gammons went to the client’s home to collect his legal fees. The client asked him to come back “later in the day.” When Gammons returned, he engaged in sexual conduct with his client. Gammons later withdrew from the case, citing alleged drug use by the client, which Gammons said was harming the client’s legal defense.

When Gammons provided the client with his final invoice, she “threatened to release a video she claimed to have made of their sexual encounter and demanded a full refund,” court documents state.

Bert Moore of Crestview, Florida, was suspended for one year following a Jan. 26 court order (pdf). Moore was retained in 2017 to file a claim on behalf of a client who alleged her boyfriend had posted sexually explicit photos of her on the internet without her knowledge or consent. Moore miscalculated the 30-day filing deadline, resulting in the dismissal of his client’s case. He paid his client $15,000 over the course of a year to try to make up for the mistake. However, the client demanded an additional $3,000, harassing Moore for several months through text messages, and threatened to file a complaint. When Moore refused to pay more, she filed the complaint.

Hanna Renna of Elmira, New York, was suspended for 90 days. While representing a criminal defendant, Renna took the deposition of a minor witness who had identified Renna’s client as the perpetrator from a photo lineup. Unknown to the state and the witness, Renna printed copies of the photo lineup and renumbered them, substituting the photograph of her client with a photo of a different person. Renna then relied in part on the misidentification to file a motion to suppress.

Renna was also directed to attend an ethics workshop.

The Reprimand

Heather Quick is the owner and managing partner of Florida Women’s Law Group in Jacksonville, Florida. According to court documents (pdf), Quick’s firm was retained to represent a client in a divorce matter. The associate assigned to the case resigned from the firm. Subsequently, the client ended the firm’s services and demanded a refund. Quick returned a portion of the retainer, attributing the delay to a breakdown in her firm’s policies and procedures. Following a review of Quick’s trust account, the Florida Bar’s auditor determined the delay in processing the refund was an unintentional error. Quick received a public reprimand and was ordered by the court to attend the Florida Bar Ethics School.

Quick is still eligible to practice law in Florida.