Category Archives: RICO claims
Civil RICO Lawsuits, Enterprises, And Sole Proprietorships: What You Need To Know
In order to bring a successful civil RICO claim under federal law or Florida state law, a plaintiff must prove that the defendant(s) acted as part of an “enterprise.” An enterprise is a commercial association with a “fundamental structure” that has the following three characteristics: A genuine relationship between all parties named; An association… Read More »
South Florida Court Dismisses Civil RICO Claim In Zantac Case
On June 30th, 2021, the United States District Court Southern District of Florida dismissed a civil RICO lawsuit in a class action Zantac case. A popular heartburn medication, Zantac (ranitidine) was recalled by the FDA after being linked to several types of cancer. Without weighing in on the product liability question, the Florida court… Read More »
Civil RICO Claims: Jurisdiction And Venue
A RICO claim allows a private plaintiff to hold a defendant liable for damages caused by racketeering activity. There are both state and federal civil RICO laws. Further, these cases sometimes involve conduct occurring in multiple different states. For these reasons, jurisdiction and venue are often in dispute in RICO claims. Here, our West… Read More »
GEICO Files Multi-Million Dollar Civil RICO Claims Against Pharmacy
According to recent reporting by the Insurance Business Magazine, GEICO has filed a multi-million dollar RICO claim against a pharmacy in New York State. The insurance giant alleges that the pharmacy, four of its owners, and health care professionals engaged in racketeering activity as part of a billing fraud scheme. In this blog post,… Read More »
Civil RICO Claims: What Is The Legal Doctrine Of Respondeat Superior?
Broadly defined, racketeering is a genre of crime or fraud through which perpetrators set up an organized, coordinated scheme designed to repeatedly and/or consistently carry the same or substantially similar illicit activity. Through a civil RICO claim, a plaintiff can file a lawsuit to recover damages directly from a defendant(s) engaged in racketeering activities…. Read More »
Federal Court Dismissed Basketball Recruit’s Civil RICO Lawsuit Against Adidas
According to a report from ESPN, a federal judge in South Carolina has dismissed a civil RICO lawsuit filed by Brian Bowen Jr., a former five-star basketball recruit. Mr. Bowen Jr. alleged that the German-based multinational shoe company Adidas engaged in unlawful racketeering activity when it promised his father $100,000 to sign with the… Read More »
BitMEX Founders Hit With Another Civil RICO Lawsuit
BitMEX is a cryptocurrency exchange and derivative trading platform based in the Seychelles, an island off of the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. The company was founded by two Americans and a British citizen. According to a report from Coingeek, the three founders of BitMEX are facing a wave of civil and… Read More »
The Federal Government Can File A Civil RICO Lawsuit To Seek Equitable Relief
The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act was passed into law in October of 1970. The statute allows federal agencies to pursue both criminal and civil penalties for violation. Federal and state RICO laws also allow private plaintiffs to file a civil lawsuit. Private litigants can sue for “treble damages” in a… Read More »
What Is The Difference Between A Criminal RICO Case And Civil RICO Case?
The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and the federal Florida Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act are both complicated and frequently misunderstood. One of the main points of confusion is that there are criminal and civil RICO statutes in place. Here, our Miami RICO claims lawyers provide a brief history… Read More »
Federal Judge Declines To Dismiss Civil RICO Against Electronic Cigarette-Maker Juul Labs
According to a report from the Insurance Journal, a federal judge in San Francisco is allowing a civil RICO lawsuit against Juul Labs Inc.—the nation’s largest electronic cigarette company and maker of “vape” products—to move forward. A collection of consumers, government agencies, and even school districts are currently pursuing a civil RICO claim against… Read More »
