Unjust Enrichment

In a victory for the Plaintiffs, an Eleventh Circuit jury in Miami-Dade County delivered a verdict on November 14, 2024, confirming Oscar and Shirley Manzanares’ equitable claim to a family property against Oscar Simeon Exposito and Carmen Cuellar. The case, which centered on a family agreement to jointly purchase a home, concluded with the jury assigning 50% ownership to the Plaintiffs and the remaining 50% to the Defendants. The Plaintiffs had argued that while the deed was only in the Defendants’ names due to credit concerns, they had significantly funded the mortgage and improvements under the promise of co-ownership. The jury agreed with the Plaintiffs, finding that the Defendants committed fraudulent inducement and were unjustly enriched by the Plaintiffs’ investments. Although the jury awarded only nominal damages of $1.00 for the monetary claims, the primary significance of the verdict was the judicial recognition and formal establishment of the Plaintiffs’ half-ownership interest in the property, effectively resolving the long-standing dispute.

A Miami-Dade County jury returned a verdict in a complex financial dispute involving claims of usury, fraud, civil conspiracy, and unjust enrichment. Plaintiff Manuel A. Bastardo Hernandez and Counter-Defendant Global Trading and Foods Corp. sued Defendant Jose Alberto Olortegui Quispe over an alleged predatory loan. The jury found against the Plaintiff on the primary Usury claim. However, the jury sided with Counter-Plaintiff Olortegui, awarding him $351,000 for Unjust Enrichment against both Bastardo and Global Trading. The verdict ultimately rejected the more severe allegations of fraud and civil conspiracy made by both sides, focusing the recovery on the equitable claim. The judgment was officially entered on March 26, 2025, closing the case against all parties.

Jeremy Ryan, a California resident, survived brain cancer and turned to art during recovery. He created NFTs and quickly became a leading NFT artist on the Binance Smart Chain. He launched six major collections and built a large online following. To grow his work, he opened multiple accounts on X, formerly Twitter. He paid for premium subscriptions and used the platform to promote his NFT projects. His accounts drew celebrity attention, including John Cena and Snoop Dogg. Ryan’s projects gained thousands of followers, and he organized waitlists for upcoming launches.X promoted itself as a platform supporting free speech and promised users the right to appeal suspensions. Ryan relied on these assurances and built his NFT business on the platform. Despite this, X suspended multiple accounts, including @nftdemon_420, @gremlin_society, and others, without explanation. Each time Ryan tried to appeal, the form redirected without processing his request. He attempted thirteen appeals

In a business dispute over unpaid legal fees, a Florida jury ruled in favor of PWBC, LLC, awarding $82,457.34 against The Manors Club, Inc. The case stemmed from a 2020 retainer agreement with law firm Katzman Chandler, which later assigned its claim to PWBC. The Manors Club never disputed invoices for legal services performed but failed to pay. At trial, PWBC presented itemized bills, email records, and the signed agreement, asserting claims for breach of contract, open account, account stated, and unjust enrichment. The defense argued the contract lacked board approval and challenged the fees’ validity. On April 16, 2025, the jury found the agreement enforceable, the services properly rendered, and the defendant liable for full payment.

A federal jury awarded Zest Labs and Ecoark $177 million in a trade secret case against Walmart. The jury found Walmart misappropriated proprietary food tech to build Eden.

A Florida jury sided with yacht broker Scott Goldsworthy, awarding him $806,067.54 for acting as the procuring cause of a luxury yacht sale. The verdict found Baglietto and Miki Naftali liable for breach of contract, confirming that verbal agreements matter in the yachting industry.

Dawn International sued Jacob Fleishman Sales for $5.2M over unpaid pork shipments and contract breaches. A federal jury sided with Dawn, awarding over $3.76M in damages. Fleishman’s defenses and fraud claims were rejected, marking a major win for the supplier.

High Society Management, LLC prevailed in a multi-claim lawsuit against Pro Airways, LLC and its principal, Ryan Staszko, over unauthorized credit card charges and contract violations. The dispute stemmed from a terminated aircraft management agreement and charges made on a company card months after contract expiration. On January 29, 2025, a Miami-Dade jury found Pro Airways liable for conversion, civil theft, breach of contract, and FDUTPA violations, awarding more than $300,000 in total damages. The jury also found Staszko personally liable for breaching fiduciary duties and committing constructive fraud.

A Miami-Dade jury awarded $6,000 to DOMUS in a negligence case against Coral Gate West Condo Association over disputed fees and lost rent.

A Stamford jury will hear Roger Rosendahl’s $500,000 fraud and emotional distress case against Riverside Service Inc., its owner, and mechanic. Rosendahl, a longtime customer, claims the shop overcharged for years and refused urgent service in August 2023, leaving him stranded and emotionally distressed. The lawsuit seeks compensatory, punitive, and additional damages, with a jury trial requested.

A Florida jury recently awarded $230,000 in a business dispute between Abraham Palacios and Alejandro Quintana over a failed oral partnership to launch steel fabrication companies. The case concluded after the jury found Quintana liable for breach of oral contract and conversion of Palacios’s $350,000 worth of equipment, while offsetting $70,000 for unrepaid loans. The verdict recognized Palacios’s contributions and ruled in his favor for misappropriated assets and unjust exclusion from the jointly planned venture.

On August 27, 2021, Plaintiff Abraham Palacios, an individual (“Plaintiff” or “Palacios”) filed a business torts lawsuit against Defendants Alejandro Quintana a/k/a Jose Quintana, a/k/a Jose Alejandro Quintana, a/k/a Jose Alejandro Quintana Diaz, an individual (“Defendant” or “Quintana”), and Holdings of Christopher, LLC. The lawsuit was filed in the Florida State, Miami-Dade County, Eleventh Circuit Court. Judge Barbara Areces presided over this lawsuit. [Case number: 2021-020017-CA-01] In October 2020, Quintana approached Palacios about forming a business focused on steel transformation and fabrication of bolted metal structures. They agreed to an oral partnership, sharing profits and losses equally. Palacios brought over a decade of experience in metal mechanics, while Quintana claimed to be a financially