SUNRISE LAWYER DISBARRED OVER HURRICANE IRMA DAMAGES CASE

A Sunrise lawyer has been disbarred after the Florida Supreme Court determined he voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit without telling his client, whose insurance company was refusing to cover some of his damages from Hurricane Irma in 2017.

The dismissal was without prejudice, leaving the client able to refile if he chose.

Mariano Ramon Gonzalez Jr. told Florida Bar investigators that he intended to refile the complaint after the dismissal in early 2023, but he noticed in court records that the client had already hired a new lawyer. Believing himself to be relieved of duty, he stopped working on the case, according to a referee’s report.

The client told the Florida Bar that had he not learned independently that the case was dismissed, he would have lost his opportunity to refile. The case, which was originally filed in 2020, was settled later in 2023 by the client working with his new lawyer. But that, according to the Florida Bar, did not absolve Gonzalez of his decision to dismiss the case in the first place without telling his client, a Miami resident.

Questioned by the referee appointed by the Florida Bar to investigate the case, Gonzalez did not dispute the facts or offer reasons for his conduct, according to the referee’s report.

Gonzalez was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1993 and suspended in 2023 over this case. Disbarment is a more permanent sanction than a suspension, since under Florida law, it means he cannot practice in state court again.

Gonzalez represented himself before the Florida Bar. His business phone and cellphone number have been disconnected.

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.

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