The plaintiff, Fondo de Inversión Stella, is an investment fund where the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (the Brothers), a religious congregation, is a participant. Since 1999, Lizardo Vargas, one of the defendants, convinced the Brothers that the best way to invest their assets was through a fund he managed. Vargas’ investments included the purchase of 15% SUR Corp (SUR) stock, the…
If you live in South Florida, chances are you have been, at a minimum, exposed to a scam. Hopefully, you didn’t fall for it. Here are three simple things we recommend to avoid falling for a scam: First. Look up who you are doing business with. If the person offering you a product or a business does not have a physical location, a decent website,…
Ayala obtains asylum for Venezuelan couple after a three year long and emotionally draining asylum process. The case was initially submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services who declined to make a determination and referred the case to an immigration judge in Orlando, where the couple settled. After a three hour asylum trial, where both husband and wife testified as to the destruction…
Renown Law 360.com featured Ayala’s Lawsuit against BPR Inc. (aka Bombardier), the manufacturer of the popular Sea-Doo Jet-Skis. As stated in the article: “[t]he suit, filed by Elisa Blanco in Broward County on Monday, suggests a new manufacturing process Bombardier started using in 2017 to make Sea-Doos’ hulls is flawed and leads to stress cracks even without the craft being ridden. She also claims defects…
Ayala Files Class Action Lawsuit Against BPR Inc. (BPR), the Manufacturer of the Popular Sea-Doo Jet-Skis. In the lawsuit, the Plaintiff alleges that her Jet-Ski cracked on its own, without any collision, causing it to take on water and almost sink. The lawsuit also alleges that since late 2017, BPR has been using a new technique in the molding of the Sea-Doos hulls that is…
Renown Law 360.com featured Ayala’s Lawsuit against distributors of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). As stated in the article: “A Florida company has accused New Jersey-based Apex Distribution LLC, attorneys in Texas and Michigan, and others of conspiring to defraud it of $2 million through a bogus joint venture agreement to procure personal protective equipment for Apex’s government clients during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The Law360 article…
Ayala filed a complaint on behalf of a group of investors defrauded by a group of purported Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) distributors/experts. The Complaint alleges that Apex Distribution LLC, and its partners (lead by Defendant Hector Alvarez) conspired to induce Plaintiffs to invest two million dollars in a PPE scam. As stated in the Complaint, Alvarez stated that “he and his company Apex had vast…
Ayala’s attorney was invited to discuss the recent immigration developments at the US Border in the context of the new policies set by the Biden administration. The show, hosted by the former mayor if Miami Tomas Regalado, is in Spanish, and focuses on issues of interest to the hispanic community in South Florida. At the interview, Attorney Eduardo A. Maura discusses the recent change…
The TCPA is a federal law passed by congress in 1991 in response to the growing rise of robocalls and faxes. Later, with the growing use of text messages, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) declared that text messages are subject to TCPA restrictions. The law applies to telemarketing calls and automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) calls. An ATDS is defined as: equipment which has the…
An adversary proceeding is the bankruptcy court’s version of a civil complaint. It is governed by Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure (FRBP) Rule 7001. It is essentially a separate lawsuit filed within the bankruptcy case. Like most lawsuits, it starts when someone (the creditor, the bankruptcy trustee, or you) files a complaint. A creditor or the bankruptcy trustee might bring an adversary proceeding to challenge…
You are small business, and as a small business owner, you rely in a multiplicity of websites for services that complement what you offer in your restaurant, dental practice, medical center, or real estate operation. When you go into websites, you notice that the businesses you rely on often ask you to allow or consent to “cookies.” You wonder yourself: do I need that in…
Ayala’s Attorney Eduardo A. Maura attended Oral Argument in the Florida Third District Court of Appeals. In the lower court case, Ayala had obtained an order granting Class Certification for his client. The case was filed on behalf of a class of plaintiffs, alleging that American Towing of Miami violated Florida Statutes 715.07 when it made consumers sign releases prior to returning vehicles that had…
A new presidency brings changes all over. We expect immigration to be no exception. In fact, given the contrast between Mr. Biden’s and Mr. Trump’s views on immigration, we expect, regardless of the passage of any immigration bill in congress, several important changes: In Asylum: We expect an increase in the asylum permissible applications or “quotas.” Down to record lows of around 15,000, the…
The case was filed in the U.S. Southern District of Florida on October 29, 2020. As stated by article “the 6-foot, 2 inch, 250-pound immigration detainee told the judge he was consistently “dragged” off his wheelchair and carried onto a non-wheelchair accessible vehicle by three Immigration and Customs Enforcement guards. His arms and sides bore the bruises of being “yanked and grappled” so many times.”…
Not many people know that Florida law provides strong protections to consumers who are wrongfully towed. This is because getting towed can be an awful experience. Imagine you are on your way to pick up your child and stop at a grocery store which has no no-parking signs. When you come back your car is gone! You have nobody to pick up your child and…
