Creed & Gowdy received a written opinion in favor of their clients, homeowners who had sued their homebuilder's insurer. The Fifth District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court's decision finding insurance coverage for property damage to their home caused by construction defects. The appellate court also ruled in the homeowners' favor, finding coverage for attorneys' fees and costs incurred by the homeowners in their suit against the homebuilder. You can read the whole opinion here.
Bryan Gowdy was invited by First Coast News to join a live, on-air panel discussion entitled #LetsTalk: A Community Conversation. The forum discussed current events related to terrorism, the Islamic faith, and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's statements on banning Muslims from the United States. Bryan joined the panel, which included three other prominent Jacksonville leaders, as a constitutional law expert, and to analyze the legality of Mr. Trump's intentions to ban all Muslims from the U.S. if elected president. You can watch the full discussion here.
Bryan Gowdy was recently quoted by the Jacksonville Daily Record in an article about the juvenile justice system. In the article, Mr. Gowdy expressed the need for judicial involvement and discretion in determining whether juveniles are tried as adults or in juvenile court. There is currently a bill, HB 129, that will reform this system, but the judicial involvement portion of the bill was recently taken out, leaving just "window dressing" that could leave people thinking that real reform took place. You can read the whole article here.
Creed and Gowdy helped a client reach a settlement with the City of North Port regarding allegations of brutality by the North Port Police Department's K-9 unit. This is the first of three suits filed against the K-9 unit since 2014, all alleging the use of excessive force. The lawsuit asserted that the client, a 17-year old, was allowed to be attacked and bitten by a North Port police canine for anywhere from two to five minutes, which left him with injuries that required plastic surgery and 30 staples in his leg. Scott Jeeves, of the Jeeves Law Group, who was primary counsel, said the settlement was amicable and in the best interest of the client and his family. You can read the full article here.
Creed & Gowdy successfully defended a trial court's judgment from attack by a former spouse who claimed that the trial court did not have personal or subject matter jurisdiction over him and improperly awarded attorney's fees. In a written opinion, the First District Court of Appeal rejected all of the former husband's arguments. Briefing for the case was handled by attorneys Jessie Harrell and Bryan Gowdy. The opinion of the First District Court of Appeal can be found here.