
After 2 Tampa Bay delivery attacks, gig workers worry about dangers
A 1998 federal report found taxi drivers were 10 times more susceptible to being killed than the average worker because they often worked late nights, handled money and were alone. Since apps such as Uber disrupted the taxi cab industry, drivers no longer have to manage the financial transactions that had escalated their risk of attacks.
But in a recent interview with the Tampa Bay Times’ Bernadette Berdychowski, Davis Goldman Co-Managing Partner Aaron Davis explains that technological advances that come with apps like Uber and DoorDash bring their own risks. Delivery apps have gotten easier to use and show lots of information, such as a person’s name, photo and location, which can make it simpler for an assailant — rider or driver — to target someone through the app.
While there’s a strong focus on rider safety, some feel ride-sharing and delivery services don’t have as much motive to protect drivers.
“There’s really no incentive for the company that they [drivers] work for to provide them with warning about the dangers that they may be facing when they go out,” Aaron says.

Co-Managing Partner Jason Goldman Moderates Judicial Speakers Panel
Davis Goldman Co-Managing Partner Jason Goldman recently moderated the Judicial Speakers Panel for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce Leadership Ft. Lauderdale Public Safety & Law Day.
Panelists included Broward County’s Chief Judge Jack Tuter, Chief Assistant State Attorney Regina Faulk, and Broward County Chief Public Defender Gordon Weekes.

The Landscape is Shifting for Litigation Funding
Davis Goldman Co-Managing Partner Jason Goldman offered insight to the Daily Business Review’s Lisa Willis about various considerations for litigation funding amidst a shifting landscape.
“There’s a lot of good that it does, I think from a societal standpoint, as well as from a plaintiff-oriented standpoint, where it does help level the playing field for people who have valid claims, who may not be able to hire an attorney without funding,” Jason says. However, Jason advises that “as an attorney you must do your homework and know what you’re doing and advise your client accordingly.”
https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/2023/04/19/the-landscape-is-shifting-for-litigation-funding/

Co-Managing Partner Aaron Davis Selected for the ABA’s TIPS Leadership Academy
Davis Goldman Co-Managing Partner Aaron Davis has been selected for the American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) Leadership Academy!
The TIPS Leadership Academy serves the public by providing participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop a vision to lead the legal profession and to improve leadership service in the community as a whole.

Co-Managing Partners Aaron Davis and Jason Goldman Selected for 2023 ‘On the Rise’ Award by the Daily Business Review
Davis Goldman Co-Managing Partners Aaron Davis and Jason Goldman have been selected by the Daily Business Review for the ‘On the Rise’ award, as part of the publication’s 2023 Florida Legal Awards!
The ‘On the Rise’ award recognizes South Florida’s most promising innovative lawyers who demonstrate strong leadership qualities and have wielded influence in their practice areas in Florida and beyond.

Partner Kimberly Cook Attends Miami-Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers’ 11th Annual Trial Skills Workshop
Davis Goldman Partner Kimberly Cook recently took part, as distinguished faculty, in the Miami-Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers’ 11th Annual Trial Skills Workshop.
The two-day workshop featured hands-on training and constructive feedback for young lawyers led by experienced circuit and appellate court judges in Miami-Dade County.

Controversial Tort Measure Moves to Florida House Judiciary Committee
After approval by the Civil Justice Subcommittee in February, the Florida House of Representatives Judiciary Committee will take up the civil remedies bill. Plaintiff attorneys have argued the bill places new limits on lawsuits that could make it more difficult for constituents to sue insurance companies or win damages in complicated lawsuits. The legislation will also remove certain requirements that insurance companies act in good faith and that they pay for their policyholders’ attorney’s fees when the insurer fails to properly pay a claim for benefits.
Davis Goldman Co-Managing Partner Jason Goldman says this bill is bad for Floridians and decreases the rights of all of the State’s residents. In a recent interview with the Daily Business Review’s Michael Mora, he cited a case in North Carolina with the negligence standard he said Florida is moving towards. In the case, a newlywed couple was driving behind a car when they hit an 18-wheeler, whose driver failed to put on blinkers or cones when he stopped on the highway. As a result, the wife died and the husband was severely injured, ending his military career. But because the husband was speeding and following too closely to the car before him moments before hitting the 18-wheeler, the husband could not sue for his wife’s death nor his alleged injuries in North Carolina due to being deemed partially at fault.
“Currently in Florida, if the husband were driving the car and was 10% at fault, he would still be able to recover 90% of his injuries,” Jason said. “In the regime proposed in this legislation, if the driver is 50.1% at fault, he can’t recover anything. Insurance companies are incentivized to try and alter our laws to limit their expenses and shift them to ordinary Floridians.”

Navigating the Civil Litigation System: Understanding the Rights of Foreign Nationals
In partnership with Canero Lammers Fadul Acevedo Immigration Law Group, Davis Goldman Co-Managing Partner Aaron Davis, Associate Michael Bild, and Law Clerk Ladys Almaguer presented a webinar focused on navigating the civil litigation system and understanding the rights of foreign nationals.
The webinar provided a detailed examination of the legal process and procedures involved in civil cases, including the role of the courts, lawyers, and witnesses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6500ooV7Rg

Viral Video Shows Amazon Driver Robbed at Gunpoint
The Latin Post reports yet another delivery driver being robbed at gunpoint while on the job.
AdvisorSmith, an online resource for small businesses, ranked 25 of the most dangerous jobs in the US, with delivery driving coming in at number eight. Although delivery drivers are performing one of the most critical occupations in the United States, they often have little protection.
“You see anything from a dog bite to a wrongful death,” says Davis Goldman Co-Managing Partner Aaron Davis. “There are incidents involving shootings in high-crime neighborhoods or even crime inside the home. Employers owe a duty of reasonable care to protect them.”
https://www.latinpost.com/articles/158454/20230127/florida-amazon-driver-robbed-gunpoint.htm

Partner Kimberly Cook Serves on University of Florida’s Basic Civil Litigation Workshop Panel
Davis Goldman Partner Kimberly Cook recently served as a panelist at the University of Florida’s Basic Civil Litigation Workshop: Transitioning From Law Student to Civil Litigation Associate. The panelists discussed what is typically expected of first year associates and common issues they face.
The panel was moderated by UF Law School Dean Laura Rosenbury. Other panelists included Kozyak Tropin Partner Dwayne Robinson, as well as Cole, Scott & Kissane Managing Partner Richard Cole. The program was organized by United States District Judge Paul Huck and Steve Zack, Partner at Boies Schiller Flexner and former President of The Florida Bar and American Bar Association.