ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Two Orange County civil rights attorneys claimed there was racial injustice in a local 2021 lawsuit.
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The father and daughter attorneys are in court this week, facing up to disbarment and suspension of their license to practice law because of those comments.
The Florida Bar filed complaints in the State Supreme Court against Jerry and Brooke Girley.
The Girleys were commenting in response to a judge’s decision in a 2021 case. A Kenyan doctor, whom Jerry Girley represented, claimed he was terminated from a local hospital in part because of his race. The jury awarded the doctor $2.75 million.
Orange County Judge Kevin Weiss overruled the verdict, saying there was not enough evidence race played a role in the doctor’s termination.
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Days later, Jerry Girley commented on the judge’s decision on a church-based group’s YouTube channel.
“Litigating civil rights for Black people and for brown people in a majority white culture is like climbing up a hundred-foot cliff with a hundred-pound boulder on your back. But in that environment, we have gotten juries to agree with us that discrimination has occurred. But consistently, we had have had judges cut the money, find ways to ensure that our clients at the end of the day did not get paid. And that’s what happened Friday,” Girley said in the YouTube video.
Girley’s daughter, Brooke, posted to social media, saying, “Even when we win, it only takes one white judge to reverse our victory. This is an injustice and cannot stand” and “I don’t believe he had the authority to make this ruling and we need to hold him accountable.”
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The Florida Bar complaint says Jerry Girley’s statements suggested that “the court system does not provide equal justice to all.” The Bar claims Girley violated his oath and the standards of professional conduct by attacking the judicial process and making what the Bar calls “false statements” about the judge and his actions.
Jerry Girley says all his statements were true and says he did not violate his oath or Florida Bar rules. He says he was simply voicing his opinion. Girley told Channel 9 he had the right to speak out.
“I’m deeply concerned, troubled, I feel that my first amendment rights… are being impinged upon,” Girley said.
Girley’s attorney, David Winker, says the Bar’s complaint could risk silencing attorneys from their opinions. Winker argued there’s no legal line on where attorneys can criticize the system.
“If he feels like there’s an injustice, what are his choices? As you heard the testimony [Monday], we believe that the Florida Supreme Court precedent, US Supreme Court precedent makes clear that attorneys do not leave their constitutional rights at the courthouse steps when they took an oath of office,” Winker said.
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We’re expecting to hear a ruling in Jerry Girley’s case Tuesday.
The Florida Bar’s case against Brooke Girley is set for Wednesday.
The judge will make a recommendation to the Florida Supreme Court about if the Girleys did or did not violate oath and Florida Bar standards.
From there, the Florida Supreme Court will determine possible discipline up to the disbarment.
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