Palm Beach Post columnist Alexandra Clough wrote this May 28, 2006 article about Palm Beach County lawyers squabbling over the outcome of an arbitration award in a fee dispute claim. This comes within a month of another arbitration involving Palm Beach lawyers in Brandon Jones v. Beasley & Hauser (see FAL.com post April 29, 2006, "Concerned about the partiality of the "neutral" arbitrator on a panel of three?"). Careful readers might notice some of the same party names in both cases.

According to the Palm Beach Post, local attorneys Robert Montgomery and Chris Larmoyeux took their dispute over Big Tobacco litigation attorneys fees to an arbitrator in 2003. Mr. Larmoyeux was seeking $40 million, part of a $210,000,000 settlement, but the arbitration panel awarded $250,000. Larmoyeux and his lawyer, Patrick Casey, allegedly called the panel a "kangaroo court" so Montgomery filed Bar complaints against them.

The stakes reportedly got higher when the Bar, according to court papers, admits dragging its feet in handling those Bar grievances. Montgomery then filed suit in circuit court and asked Judge Elizabeth Maass to force the Bar into action. The Bar, in return, has apparently turned to the Florida Supreme Court for assistance in preventing the court's intervention.