Law

Federal judge hits Miccosukee Tribe lawyer with $1M in sanctions


The flag of the Miccosukee Tribe. Image from Manataka American Indian Council

An attorney for the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida has been hit with a huge fine by an angry federal judge, The Daily Business Review reports.

Bernardo Roman III was ordered to pay $1 million for "wrongful conduct" in pursuing a lawsuit against the tribe's former law firm. Judge Marcia Cooke said the case wasn't supported by any facts as she referred Roman to the Florida Bar and the federal court's professional committee for possible disciplinary action.

"The wrongful conduct is the filing of the complaints with no reasonable factual basis to support their allegations," Cooke wrote, The Daily Business Review reported.

The tribe had accused its former law firm of fraud and racketeering. Cooke threw out the lawsuit in September 2013.

Get the Story:
The Penalty Miccosukee Tribe Attorney Got For Filing Unsupported Racketeering Complaint is Huge (The Daily Business Review 1/16)

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