Florida Bar Picks Tobacco Tort Lawyer as Next President

December 18, 2023, 7:50 PM UTC

A personal injury lawyer, most famous for a $20 million verdict against a cigarette company, will be Florida’s next state bar president, the association said Monday.

Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes, a shareholder at West Palm Beach personal injury firm Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A., was elected by default Friday because no other candidates filed paperwork to lead The Florida Bar in the 2024-2025 term.

The former Palm Beach County Bar Association president will replace current president F. Scott Westheimer next summer.

Baker-Barnes defended a $20 million punitive damages verdict against RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co., in which her client ...

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