Filed: Oct. 10, 1996
Latest Update: Feb. 22, 2020
Summary: 97 F.3d 448 1997 A.M.C. 1161 Basil YANAKAKIS, Ira H. Leesfield; Roger L. Blackburn, d.b.a. Leesfield & Blackburn, P.A., a Florida Professional Assoc., Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. CHANDRIS, S.A., a Foreign Corp.; Chandris, Inc., d.b.a. Chandris Cruise Lines, a Foreign Corporation, Defendants-Appellants, Matrona Miliaresis, Nikolas Miliaresis, Defendants, Transport Mutual Services, Inc., a Foreign Corporation, Defendant-Appellant. No. 91-5542. United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Oct. 10
Summary: 97 F.3d 448 1997 A.M.C. 1161 Basil YANAKAKIS, Ira H. Leesfield; Roger L. Blackburn, d.b.a. Leesfield & Blackburn, P.A., a Florida Professional Assoc., Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. CHANDRIS, S.A., a Foreign Corp.; Chandris, Inc., d.b.a. Chandris Cruise Lines, a Foreign Corporation, Defendants-Appellants, Matrona Miliaresis, Nikolas Miliaresis, Defendants, Transport Mutual Services, Inc., a Foreign Corporation, Defendant-Appellant. No. 91-5542. United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Oct. 10,..
More
97 F.3d 448
1997 A.M.C. 1161
Basil YANAKAKIS, Ira H. Leesfield; Roger L. Blackburn,
d.b.a. Leesfield & Blackburn, P.A., a Florida
Professional Assoc., Plaintiffs-Appellees,
v.
CHANDRIS, S.A., a Foreign Corp.; Chandris, Inc., d.b.a.
Chandris Cruise Lines, a Foreign Corporation,
Defendants-Appellants,
Matrona Miliaresis, Nikolas Miliaresis, Defendants,
Transport Mutual Services, Inc., a Foreign Corporation,
Defendant-Appellant.
No. 91-5542.
United States Court of Appeals,
Eleventh Circuit.
Oct. 10, 1996.
David J. Horr, Rodriguez, Horr, Aronson & Blanck, P.A., Miami, FL, for Chandris, S.A.
Joseph T. Stearns, Kenny & Stearns, New York City, for Transport Mutual Services.
Joel D. Eaton, Podhurst, Orseck, Josefsberg, Eaton, Meadow, Olin & Perwin, P.A., Miami, FL, for appellees.
Appeals from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (No. 87-1677-Civ-JWK), Jacob Mishler, Judge, Sitting by Designation.
Before KRAVITCH and COX, Circuit Judges, and HOBBS, Senior District Judge.
PER CURIAM:
1
This appeal followed a verdict for the plaintiffs in an action for damages, alleging tortious interference with contingent fee contracts for legal representation, filed by Basil Yanakakis, a Massachusetts attorney, and the Florida law firm of Leesfield & Blackburn, P.A. The facts and contentions of the parties are set forth in our previous opinion. Yanakakis v. Chandris, S.A., 9 F.3d 1509 (11th Cir.1993). We certified two questions to the Florida Supreme Court:
2
(1) WHETHER AN OUT-OF-STATE ATTORNEY, WHO RESIDES IN FLORIDA BUT IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH A FLORIDA LAW FIRM, ENGAGES IN THE UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW WHERE THAT ATTORNEY ENTERS INTO A CONTINGENT FEE AGREEMENT IN FLORIDA, THEREBY RENDERING THAT FEE AGREEMENT VOID.
3
(2) WHETHER A FEE AGREEMENT OF A FLORIDA LAW FIRM BORN OF A FEE AGREEMENT THAT IS VOID AS THE UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW IS ITSELF VOID.
5
The Florida Supreme Court has now answered both questions in the affirmative. Chandris, S.A. v. Yanakakis, 668 So. 2d 180 (Fla.1995). The Florida Supreme Court's opinion mandates a conclusion that the district court erred in denying the motion for summary judgment filed by the defendants-appellants. Accordingly, the judgment in favor of the plaintiffs is reversed and judgment is rendered for the defendants-appellants.
