Lawyers may face discipline for criticizing a judge’s ruling in discrimination case

By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A father-daughter pair of Florida lawyers may face disciplinary action for speaking out against a judge’s ruling in a civil rights case. It all started when attorney Jerry Girley represented a Black doctor who said he was the victim of racial discrimination when he was fired from AdventHealth in Orlando in 2021.  A jury awarded Girley’s client $2.7 million. But the judge presiding over the case reversed the decision. Both Girley and his daughter publicly criticized the judge. The Florida Bar says the comments violated the lawyers’ oaths to respect the courts and judicial officers. A state judge is hearing arguments in the disciplinary case.