Sunday, May 17th marked ten years since Bryan Gowdy represented and gave oral arguments to the United States Supreme Court on behalf of a teenager, Terrence Graham, sentenced to life without parole for an armed burglary. For the first time in its history, the U.S. Supreme Court categorically applied the Eighth Amendment's cruel and unusual punishment clause to a non-capital punishment, and it declared unconstitutional all life-without-parole sentences imposed on juveniles for non-homicides. The ruling invalidated in part the juvenile sentencing laws of thirty-seven states, the federal government, and the District of Columbia.
To mark the 10th anniverary of the landmark ruling, The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) has shared a video conversation between Bryan Gowdy, and CFSY board member and Graham beneficiary, Ralph Brazel, "unpacking the decision and what it's meant to the broader movement." Click here to view the video and here to read more about the CFSY organization.
Bryan Gowdy and Meredith Ross represent Nadia Caro in a federal declaratory action filed by Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, Inc. Shands sued Ms. Caro, its patient, after she asserted her state constitutional right under Amendment 7 to access adverse medical incident documents relating to her care. United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan recently heard arguments on Ms. Caro's motion to dismiss Shands' complaint.
A Law360 article describing the hearing can be viewed here. (subscription required).
On Wednesday, April 1, 2020 Bryan Gowdy argued before the11th Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of Appellants, Joselyn and Steve Santiago. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the appellate court held oral argument via telephone.
Mr. Gowdy argued whether Florida's four-year statute of limitations should apply in the federal wrongful death lawsuit and urged the appellate court to find the trial court erroneous in granting summary judgment for United Technologies Corp.
Listen to the oral argument here.
To read more about the case, please visit Law.com or Courthouse News Service.
Bryan Gowdy represents the Respondent in Wilsonart LLC et al. v. Lopez, Case No. SC19-1336, in which the Supreme Court of Florida is considering whether to change Florida's summary judgment standard. Law360 has named Wilsonart as the number one case to watch in Florida in 2020.
To read the full article, Click Here.
Thomas Burns, Of-Counsel to Creed & Gowdy, P.A. was featured in the first Issue of the 2020 Florida Bar Journal. Burns and his colleague, Arda Goker, discuss the differences among federal and state appellate finality doctrines and explain how to file federal and state notices of appeal. This publication concludes with the revelation that federal and state finality doctrines are "deceptively dissimilar".
The read the full article, Click Here.