On September 3, 2021, five-year-old Bo Madden was with her family friend’s home in Destin, Florida where they went swimming in the pool at the house. While in the pool, Bo’s hair was entangled on the entrapment cover and she was sucked underwater. Bo was unable to untangle her hair and was trapped, drowning, and dying.
As per the settlement agreement, the names of the parties involved in this case are confidential. The victim, in this case, was a father who was shot at a Tampa, Florida apartment complex with a history of crime.
The shooting occurred very early in the morning as the victim, The Haggard Law Firm’s client, was on his way to work. The gates at the apartment complex (defendant) were not operational at the time of the shooting. The front gate was wide open, allowing criminals to freely enter the property.
On March 12, 2021, Defendant Luis Iraheta traveled on vacation to Florida with a friend. Mr. Iraheta rented a Lamborghini Urus from Co-Defendant GoExotics.
That evening, Mr. Iraheta and his friend went to several nightclubs until they ended up at a nightclub in North Miami called the Arena Grill & Lounge. Echarte and Diaz’s client, Abraham, worked security at the nightclub.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Pedro Echarte, along with co-counsel Mark Stuckey of Kaufman Law obtained a policy limit settlement of more than $980,000 in a trucking personal injury case.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Michael Haggard and Adam Finkel obtained a $5.25 Million settlement in a negligent security wrongful death and negligent security injury case. Per terms of the settlement, the names of the parties involved must remain confidential.
With the pandemic shutting businesses down, on March 22, 2020, a restaurant employee left his home in Atlanta to visit his family in Miami. Spending the weekend catching up with his older brother, the two of them were hanging out with a friend in an apartment complex they used to live. Listening to music, having a few drinks and laughs, the men stayed in the hallway in front of a friend’s apartment, when unknown men appeared out of nowhere and opened fire. Ultimately, the older brother from Miami was killed. The younger sibling from Atlanta was struck in the leg, and seriously injured.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Pedro Echarte has obtained a $1 Million policy limit settlement in a case involving the sexual assault of a minor at an Orange County, Florida daycare. The parties, insurance carriers, defense counsel, date of loss, and school where the incident occurred are confidential.
Echarte represented the parents of a 7-year-old child, who was molested by an older student during an after-school care program that was operated by the defendant (a private entity). The incident occurred in a bathroom in the school’s cafeteria during after-school care hours. Both students were enrolled in the after-school care program at the time of the incident.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Pedro Echarte and co-counsel Michael Carmona of Friedland Carmona obtained a $1 Million policy limit settlement in a Miami-Dade County Bar/Liquor Liability Case or “dram shop” case (Florida Statutes § 768.125).
On August 10, 2020, Charilyn Martica Rodriguez went to work at Sandbar Sports Grill in Culter Bay, Florida. Like many prior occasions in the past, she consumed alcohol both during her shift and after her shift. Rodriguez became heavily intoxicated and was unable to make decisions for herself.
Tragically, she attempted to drive home and was killed when she crashed her car only miles from her house.
Trial lawyer Adam FinkelManaging Partner Michael Haggard
On October 26, 2019, Rodney Hinds, Jr. picked up snacks from a gas station in Miami Gardens, while On October 26, 2019, Rodney Hinds, Jr. picked up snacks from a gas station in Miami Gardens, while other friends filled the car with gas. After purchasing snacks and returning to the car, an unknown person approached the car and opened fire. Rodney was struck and died. He was only 17 years old. He is survived by his mother, Tina, and his father, Rodney Sr.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Kimberly Wald and Michael Haggard have obtained a $1 Million pre-suit settlement in a negligent security case involving a 22-year-old shot outside a pop-up club in Brevard County. Wald successfully resolved this case within the first month of her joining The Haggard Law Firm.
On Halloween night 2021, Levontay Thomas was in the parking lot of the Bee Hive Lounge, a pop-up club in the Arlington Pines Shopping Plaza. A group of men began shooting into the crowd in the parking lot and Thomas was one of their victims. He was shot in his left leg. Since the shooting, Thomas has developed compartment syndrome which is a condition in which increased pressure within one of the body’s anatomical compartments results in insufficient blood supply to tissue within that space. He underwent multiple surgical fasciotomies and had several complications including infections and extensive wound care. He remains at risk of amputation. To date, Thomas has had eight surgeries.
“This is a life-changing tragedy that could have been prevented if the defendants had taken action after years of notice from a series of consistent violent acts on the same property where Thomas was shot,” says Wald.
Coral Gables/Ft. Lauderdale – The Haggard Law Firm has hired trial lawyer Kimberly L. Wald who will work from the renowned law firm’s first-ever office in Broward County.
Wald comes to The Haggard Law Firm from Kelley Uustal where she focused on catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, tobacco, and medical malpractice litigation. To date, Wald has obtained verdicts and settlements totaling more than $104 Million. Those cases included a $35 Million dollar jury verdict in 2021 for a paralyzed Navy veteran who suffered catastrophic injuries in a car crash case. Two other results of significance include a $28,795,000 verdict against the second-largest cigarette manufacturer in the country and a $4 Million medical malpractice arbitration award.
“We have spent a significant amount of time searching for our next experienced, talented, and passionate trial lawyer,” says Michael Haggard, The Haggard Law Firm’s Managing Partner. He adds, “Kim is a grand slam hire. She has the skill, creativity, and commitment we demand as a trial-focused firm that advocates for our clients. She also champions causes that can help make a positive difference in the communities we touch.” I am ecstatic to join the prestigious Haggard Law Firm,” says Wald. “I have co-counseled cases with the Haggard Law Firm for the past four years and have always admired their dedication and commitment to protecting our community. I am thrilled to be able to work alongside the best and brightest attorneys and look forward to continuing to fight for justice on behalf of injured victims.”
Kimberly is the incoming President of the Young Lawyer’s Section of the Broward County Bar Association (BCBA). She also serves on the Broward County Trial Lawyer’s Association Board of Directors as the Newsletter Editor and is the Chair of the Annual Young Lawyers Judicial Reception. She also serves on the Young Lawyers Division Board of the Florida Justice Association and is an active member of Trial School and the Broward County Women Lawyer’s Section. In 2021, Kimberly was honored to be selected by the Broward County Trial Lawyers Association to receive the inaugural “Rising Star Award.” She also was named a “Rising Star” by the Super Lawyers organization in both 2020 and 2021 and additionally was named one of the best lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Wald was named one of the Daily Business Review’s “Most Effective Lawyers” in 2016.
Wald, and her new support team, will be the first members of The Haggard Law Firm to staff the 50-year-old law firm’s maiden office in Ft. Lauderdale. About the office expansion, Haggard says “Our Firm has been handling cases across the country for decades, but we felt this initial expansion into Broward County will further enhance our opportunity to consistently serve in that community.
Kim’s well-established reputation and the positions she holds in Broward make this decision to expand our offices a simple one.”Haggard adds that as the number of the Firm’s catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases continues to increase, he expects to open more offices across Florida.
