Harris Appeals, 5220 Hood Road, Suite 201, Palm Beach Gardens, FL (2026)

06/15/2026

Grace is humbled to share a recent appellate victory in a tragic wrongful death case against a nursing home. In Dolphin Pointe v. Moravia, the plaintiff sued the nursing home for the abuse and neglect of his elderly father after the facility allowed the father–a known fall risk–to fall six times in five months, causing him to sustain fatal subarachnoid hemorrhages. The nursing home tried to move the case to arbitration, arguing that the father–an 82 year old dementia patient at the time he entered the facility–had signed an arbitration agreement as part of his intake papers.

The trial court denied the nursing home’s motion to compel arbitration, finding that the father lacked the mental capacity to agree to an arbitration provision. The nursing home appealed, and the plaintiff’s trial team at Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers called upon Grace to defend the appeal. In a written decision, the Fifth DCA rejected the nursing home’s arguments and found that competent substantial evidence supported the trial court’s factual findings and conclusion that the father lacked sufficient mental capacity to enter into the arbitration agreement at the time he entered the nursing home. The plaintiff can now pursue justice in a court of law before a jury. We are grateful to Baggett Law for turning to Grace to handle this appeal.

A link to the written opinion can be found here:

https://tinyurl.com/Wrongfuldeathcase

06/08/2026

⚖️ Justice delivered. Accountability secured. Women protected.

After three years, our trial team walked into a Pensacola courtroom and told our client’s story. And last week we secured a $7 million global settlement that brings not just money justice for our client, but real, lasting change.

Our client tragically faces Stage IV terminal breast cancer because of a lump that went undiagnosed for eight months, an easily preventable tragedy. We could not undo that. So we fought for our client and her husband. The defendant radiologist and his group settled a week into trial, the evening we rested our case. Then, minutes before closing arguments, Baptist Hospital came forward with an offer that would guarantee our client’s comfort in the precious years she has left. With her courage and her blessing, we pushed for more. As a condition of the settlement, both Baptist Hospital and the radiology group are implementing new policies that will improve breast cancer screening and protect other women in Escambia County for years to come.

There are so few moments in this work when we get to force institutions to change their practices to protect people’s health and safety. This was one of them.

I hit the lottery getting to work this case alongside these people:

🔥 Jonathan Freidin - for letting me be part of this dream team and trusting me to assist in legal arguments in and out of the courtroom. Watching you lead this case and cause was a masterclass. Your understanding of the complicated medicine and your fierce and brilliant questioning of the Hospital corporate representatives is a model for everyone statewide to follow.

🔥 Phil Freidin and Sarah Glasser - for the relentless advocacy that carried our clients through trial. Whether handling expert testimony, ensuring our client’s husband told his own heartbreaking story, and preparing for every witness, it was an amazing effort by you. Shout-out to Doug Melamed as well - joining the Freidin Brown firm just as trial started, and being so invaluable for witness and evidence preparation.

⚖️ Maegen Peek Luka my dear friend and co-appellate counsel - getting to do this work beside you, at trial, was a gift. Shall we do it again?!

⚖️ Grace Mackey Streicher, my associate - for the sharp pre-trial motion practice that set the foundation for everything that followed. Responding to 24 Motions in a court-ordered 36 hours was brilliantly done.

⚖️ Emily Beasley, my indispensable paralegal - for the work behind the scenes that holds all of it together.

💕 My beautiful and loving wife, Adele Small Harris - for holding our home and our children together for two weeks while I was away. None of this happens without you.

Finally to Deborah and Brian: thank you for your strength, your grace, and your refusal to give up. You took the worst news of your life and turned it into a shield for women you will never meet. Your courage will make women in your community safer for generations. I am blessed and humbled beyond words. 💕⚖️

06/03/2026

Tomorrow, June 4, Grace Mackey Streicher will present at the Florida Justice Association Annual Convention at The Breakers Palm Beach as part of the Appellate Practice for Trial Lawyers seminar.

Grace’s presentation will focus on Amendment 7 to the Florida Constitution and patients’ rights to access information regarding adverse medical incidents. This is an important topic at the intersection of appellate law, healthcare transparency, and patient rights.

Grace is grateful to be able to share her knowledge and contribute to the continuing education of Florida’s trial lawyers.

05/29/2026

Harris Appeals, P.A. is honored to be in Pensacola, FL this week, with Andrew Harris serving as appellate counsel in a medical malpractice trial that expected to last for 2-plus weeks. Andrew is grateful to be working alongside his dear friend, the brilliant and big-hearted Maegen Peek Luka, sharing in-trial appellate responsibilities to assist the talented and dedicated trial team. Grace Mackey Streicher also worked tirelessly and tenaciously in Motion in Limine practice over the last few months leading up to trial, so this has truly been an appellate dream team.

At the heart of this case is a real person, a client who deserves justice, and a family that deserves to have their day in court. The right to a jury trial is one of the most sacred things our legal system offers, and we do not take that privilege lightly.

We are grateful for the opportunity to stand alongside such an exceptional team in service of a client who needs us. This is why we do this work. 💙⚖️

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we pause to honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Their courage, service, and dedication will never be forgotten. 🇺🇸

Today, we remember those who gave everything in defense of our freedoms and extend our gratitude to the families who carry their legacy forward.

Wishing everyone a meaningful and safe Memorial Day.

05/10/2026

To all the mothers balancing families, careers, challenges, and everything in between, thank you for the strength, love, and dedication you bring to those around you every day. 🌷

Wishing you a very Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at Harris Appeals.

03/23/2026

This week we’re proud to celebrate Grace Streicher’s five-year anniversary with Harris Appeals!

Over the past five years, Grace has played a central role in the firm’s practice, bringing legal acumen, sound judgment, and exceptional advocacy to our team and our clients. Her work has helped produce and protect significant trial victories and shape the firm’s success in high-stakes, complex, and challenging appellate and trial support matters.

Milestones like this are a great reminder that the strength of our firm comes from the talented people behind it.
Congratulations on five years, Grace—we’re grateful for all that you do and look forward to many more!

03/16/2026

Andrew will be presenting at the Florida Justice Association’s 2026 John Romano Workhorse Seminar in Orlando, FL. He will speak on one of his favorite subjects, Proposals for Settlement, on Wednesday, March 18, providing attendees with the latest updates and insights on this important topic.

The week-long seminar runs from March 16–20 at the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek Resort Hotel & Spa and offers 45+ approved CLE credit hours, with both in-person and virtual attendance options available.

For more information, visit the link below.

https://buff.ly/aERFjwu

03/13/2026

🚨A major appellate decision with a statewide impact! ⚖️

We are thrilled to share a significant victory for our client in Florida’s Sixth District Court of Appeal, which—sitting en banc with all 11 judges—affirmed an $8.25 million jury verdict and issued a decision already drawing statewide attention in the legal community. 🎉

The case arose from a wrongful death trial in Lee County. After repeatedly missing deadlines under the court’s case management order, the defense attempted to introduce two late-disclosed experts shortly before trial. The trial court struck the experts. The jury ultimately found the defendant 100% responsible for the crash and returned a verdict of $8.25 million for our clients—the parents and children who lost their family member in this tragic incident.

On appeal, the defense argued the trial court abused its discretion by excluding the experts. The Sixth DCA took the extraordinary step of hearing the case en banc—a procedure reserved for matters of exceptional importance.

The court ultimately affirmed the verdict in a 91-page opinion clarifying decades of Florida case law interpreting Binger v. King Pest Control. The court held that trial courts do not need to find prejudice before excluding late-disclosed expert testimony and emphasized that case management orders are meaningless unless courts can enforce them. The opinion also highlighted the Florida Supreme Court’s 2025 rule amendments reinforcing strict compliance with case management deadlines as part of a statewide effort to improve litigation efficiency.

🔥 The takeaway for trial lawyers and judges: deadlines matter—and trial courts have broad authority to enforce them.

Andrew and Grace were honored to represent the plaintiff in post-verdict trial support and on appeal. Major kudos to the outstanding trial lawyers, Jason D. Weisser and Gregory M. Cummings of Weisser, Cummings, Podolnick & Chernoff P.A., for trying the case and entrusting us for trial support and the appeal.

This is exactly the kind of complex, high-stakes appellate work we are proud to handle at Harris Appeals.

The court decision and news article are linked below.

https://tinyurl.com/lawnewsarticle

https://tinyurl.com/westlawcourtdecision

02/27/2026

Harris Appeals is pleased to announce another recent victory on behalf of two plaintiffs severely injured in a motor vehicle crash on I-95. The Fourth DCA issued a per curiam affirmed (PCA) decision, upholding the trial court’s decision to allow the plaintiffs to bring claims for punitive damages against the defendant. Andrew and Grace handled the appellate briefing on behalf of these plaintiffs. While the appellate jurisprudence on punitive damages is in somewhat uncertain times right now as everyone waits on a decision from the Florida Supreme Court, this case is an example of where a jury is in the best position to decide if the defendant’s conduct warrants punitive damages. Both the trial court and appellate court recognized that where there is evidence that a person’s driving is so dangerous that it is an accident waiting to happen, that it is for a jury to decide if this supports a claim for punitive damages.

After the defendant’s motion for rehearing was denied, this decision is now final. The case is set for jury trial in the Summer of 2026, led by Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, PA, and trial attorneys, Chris Searcy and D.J. Ward. We thank Mr. Searcy and D.J. for entrusting us to handle this appeal!

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