Appeals Significant Cases
Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Public Employee First Amendment Case
Michael Hill obtained affirmance of a summary judgment award on behalf of the City of Roswell and its police officers in the Eleventh Court of Appeals after a former city police officer was terminated for…
Michael Hill obtained affirmance of a summary judgment award on behalf of the City of Roswell and its police officers in the Eleventh Court of Appeals after a former city police officer was terminated for flying a Confederate flag at her home. She filed suit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging that her First Amendment right to free speech had been violated. Mr. Hill argued that the officer’s display of the flag could impair the City’s ability to effectively run the police department and could diminish the public’s trust in the police. Applying the balancing test established by the Supreme Court in Pickering v. Board of Education, the Court held that the city’s interest in effective and efficient fulfillment of the police department’s operations outweighed plaintiff’s speech interest. The Court found that the city has a “clear interest” in maintaining a favorable reputation with the public that could be impeded if members of the public associate the symbolism of the Confederate flag with the police department.
Silvia Cotriss v. City of Roswell, et al., Case No. 19-12747 (11th Cir., June 29, 2022).
More Successes
More Successes
Summary Judgment Win in Georgia
FMG Attorneys Wayne Melnick and Allyson Brumett secured summary judgment on all claims brought against FMG’s client, the employer of an individual who was involved in a motor vehicle accident and received a DUI while driving a company vehicle…
Dismissal Obtained in Massachusetts Arbitration
FMG attorneys Christian Gunneson, Jennifer Markowski and Joseph McGuire secured a complete dismissal in an arbitration on behalf of a third-party administrator of a self-funded ERISA plan. The claimant was the ERISA plan sponsor who alleged that FMG’s client mishandled…
Dismissal in Georgia Contract Dispute
FMG attorneys Wayne Melnick, Michael Freed and Allyson Brumett secured the dismissal of a tortious interference with contract claim filed against the parents of a student at the Torah Day School of Atlanta. The claim was filed by the parents…
Summary Judgment in Ohio Premises Liability Action
FMG attorney Spencer Sukel prevailed on a motion for summary judgment in a high-stakes landlord-tenant premises liability action. The plaintiff alleged she sustained severe injury due to a defective staircase and sought to recover $300,000. The Court…
Massachusetts Appeals Court Affirms Dismissal of Accounting-Malpractice Claims
FMG attorney Will Covino prevailed in the Massachusetts Appeals Court on behalf of a local accounting firm, defeating an accounting‑malpractice claim in which the plaintiffs sought millions of dollars in damages tied to purported below‑market valuations and…
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Reverses Denial of Qualified Immunity
In a collaboration among FMG’s Labor & Employment, Government Law and Appellate Advocacy practice groups, attorneys Jack Hancock, John Bennett, Kirsten Daughdril and Michael Freed obtained a reversal of a federal district court’s ruling denying qualified immunity to a county commissioner.…
Georgia Court of Appeals Affirms Dismissal in Insurance Coverage Dispute
FMG attorneys Scott Anderson, Jacob Madsen and Cameron Regnery recently obtained a victory in the Court of Appeals of Georgia, receiving a judgment affirming dismissal of all claims against a Georgia insurance broker. The plaintiff, a commercial trucking company, alleged…
Eleventh Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment in Wrongful Death Action
FMG attorneys Sun Choy and Wes Jackson prevailed on all claims in wrongful death civil rights action on behalf of four deputies at a metro-area county jail. The plaintiffs claimed the four deputies failed to provide adequate medical care…
Motion to Dismiss Granted in Texas Cyber Class Action Suit
FMG attorneys Justin Boron and Michele Focht prevailed on a Motion to Dismiss in a cyber class action matter stemming from a security incident that the client experienced. Plaintiffs filed suit on behalf of a class of…
Eleventh Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment in Property Loss Suit
FMG attorneys Phil Savrin and Bill Buechner secured summary judgment in favor of an insurance company that had been sued for millions of dollars in claimed property losses. The lawsuit was filed in 2019 and took several years to…
New York Federal Court Grants Motion for Judgment in Insurance Coverage Dispute
FMG attorneys Jonathan Schwartz and Danielle Rudkin prevailed on a motion for judgment on the pleadings in federal court in New York on behalf of an insurance company. This case involved a medical doctor seeking coverage from the insurance…
Georgia Court of Appeals Victory
FMG attorneys Dana Maine, Kevin Stone and Katie Taylor obtained a win in the Georgia Court of Appeals in a tort and breach of contract case against a governmental entity and its development authority. The plaintiff, a subsidiary…