We have just passed the two year anniversary of the landmark $521 million verdict against certified public accountants BDO Seidman LLP in the Banco Espirito Santo case. Gamba & Lombana was co-counsel in the case. The case involved the largest bank fraud in South Florida history at the time, and Enron-like conduct by the fraudsters. For seven years, BDO audited the financial statements of E.S. Bankest LC, and for seven years BDO certified as real $521,689,343 in fake accounts receivables. BDO did so as a result of egregious financial conflicts of interest that violated the strict ethical rules governing certified public accountants and clear Florida law. The total amount of money awarded -- $521,689,343 -- exactly matched the fake accounts receivables BDO certified as real. The Circuit Court found substantial evidence to support the jury's award. The award is now on appeal.

As attorneys with a great deal of experience in representing injured victims in cases involving substandard medical care, we were not surprised to learn about a recent major national study which found that hospitals are under-reporting doctor incompetence. The report by Public Citizen, the national consumer advocacy organization, chronicles the failures of the National Practitioner Databank to protect patients from physicians who have histories of medical incompetence. The group concludes the study with several important recommendations for making hospital peer reviews and physician incident reports more accessible to the public.

Gamba & Lombana is proud to announce that each of the firm's four attorneys has been named as Florida Super Lawyers by the publication in its 2009 listing.

The law firm's Marisol Gomez recently had the honor of being one of only five ASPIRA of Florida delegates to receive a personal invitation to a private reception with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor in Washington D.C. This invitation-only event was held for national organization leaders and provided Gomez with a unique opportunity to meet Justice Sotomayor and hear her speak about her path in the legal profession to the Supreme Court.