Posts in NeJame Law in the News

September 21, 2023 Federal lawsuit filed against Osceola County sheriff, deputies in 2022 Target shooting

Attorneys have officially filed a federal lawsuit against Osceola County’s sheriff and two deputies in connection with the 2022 encounter and shooting outside a Target store in Kissimmee in which one person was killed and two others were hurt. Attorneys Mark NeJame and Albert Yonfa...

September 21, 2023 Federal lawsuit filed against Osceola County sheriff, deputies in 2022 Target shooting

Attorneys have officially filed a federal lawsuit against Osceola County’s sheriff and two deputies in connection with the 2022 encounter and shooting outside a Target store in Kissimmee in which one person was killed and two others were hurt. Attorneys Mark NeJame and Albert Yonfa...

September 21, 2023 Osceola sheriff, deputies face civil rights lawsuit in killing of Jayden Baez

Lawyers for the family of Jayden Baez filed a civil rights lawsuit against Osceola County Sheriff Marcos López and two deputies accused of excessive force in killing the 20-year-old and injuring two others in a Target parking lot last year while trying to apprehend them for suspected shoplifting. The federal lawsuit claimed...

September 1, 2023 Worrell confirms she was investigating Osceola deputies before suspension

Suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell confirmed the existence of an investigation into the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office’s handling of several cases, sparked by discrepancies in reports filed after a 2022 shooting that killed a 19-year-old at a Target store parking lot. In remarks published by The Daily Beast on Monday, Worrell said that her investigation was in its final stages...

June 14, 2023 Woman accuses Orlando-area rapper Tyla Yaweh of sexual battery when she was 15, lawsuit says

Rapper Tyla Yaweh, who grew up in Central Florida, is being accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old more than a decade ago, according to a recently-filed civil lawsuit in Seminole County. The plaintiff, Alyssia Jones, now 26, alleges that the rapper, whose real name is Tyler Jamal Brown, sexually battered her while she was...

May 16, 2023 Osceola sheriff, deputies facing lawsuit over deadly Target shooting

In April 2022, deputies in unmarked vehicles participating in a nearby training exercise converged on the car driven by Baez after reports of shoplifting involving about $46 worth of pizza and trading cards. Deputies opened fire as Baez tried to flee, killing Baez and injuring two passengers. Charges against the two passengers...

October 28, 2022 Mother of son shot, killed by deputy plans to sue Orange County Sheriff’s Office

The mother of the man shot and killed by an Orange County deputy back in August is speaking for the first time. Ada Blaker said she was there when a deputy shot and killed her son, Bryan Richardson. She said Richardson was trying to protect her and her other son, Dylan Jimenez, who had just been shot in...

September 7, 2022 Man arrested for deadly shooting of 2 brothers in Orange County

A man was arrested Saturday on second-degree murder charges in the Aug. 6 killings of two brothers, one of whom was shot by an Orange County deputy. Rafael Roberto Villaverde, 24, was booked into the Orange County Jail and being held there as of Tuesday without bond, records show. The arrest affidavit for Villaverde was not immediately...

July 15, 2022 Shoplifting charges dropped for teens shot by deputies outside Kissimmee Target

Prosecutors have decided not to bring formal charges against two teens accused of shoplifting from a Target in Kissimmee before being shot by Osceola County deputy sheriffs in the store’s parking lot, an incident that sparked a firestorm of criticism against the Sheriff’s Office. Court records show prosecutors deemed the case...

May 29, 2022 Experts question Osceola deputies’ arrest tactics before deadly shooting

Questions remain about the decisions Osceola County deputy sheriffs made when they shot and killed Jayden Baez in a Target parking lot, according to two use-of-force experts who reviewed the case for the Orlando Sentinel — one of whom called the shooting “highly problematic.” It’s been a month since Baez was shot as he tried to escape deputies in unmarked vehicles...

May 27, 2022 Deputies killing of Jayden Baez met with outrage at candlelight vigil

The fatal shooting of a 20-year-old man by Osceola County deputies ignited community members to hold a candlelight vigil Friday night, amid heightened scrutiny of the lack of transparency coming from Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and what activists said was a growing reputation of excessive force. Friday evening, a couple dozen community members gathered...

May 19, 2022 Osceola deputy to be charged in Wawa Taser fire that gave man third-degree burns

Two people will be charged after a taser deployed during an attempted arrest at an Osceola County Wawa where a massive fireball ignited and burned a suspect and deputy. Surveillance video from the Wawa at John Young and Central Florida Parkway on Feb. 27 shows the flames that engulfed the suspect, 26-year-old Jean Baretto, and...

May 18, 2022 Florida man 'cooked alive' after deputy's stun gun ignites gasoline at Wawa station, lawyers say

Lawyers for a Florida man say he continues to fight for his life after he was “cooked alive” earlier this year, when a sheriff’s deputy is alleged to have shot him with a stun gun while the man was covered in gasoline from having fueled his dirt bike. Jean Barreto, 26, suffered third-degree burns over 75 percent of his body...

May 18, 2022 A Florida officer is charged after a botched arrest resulted in an explosion that left a suspect with burns over much of his body

A Florida deputy and a suspect are facing charges in relation to a botched arrest earlier this year in which an explosion allegedly set off by a Taser left the suspect with burns over much of his body, Osceola County officials announced Thursday...

May 18, 2022 Attorney: Florida deputy's Taser ignited fire at gas station during arrest of motorcyclist

Earlier this year, surveillance video was released that showed the end of an apparent pursuit between a motorcycle rider and Osceola County deputies at a Wawa gas station in Florida, where a fire erupted shortly after. The 26-year-old motorcycle rider, later identified as Jean Barretto, was seriously burned, suffering third-degree...

May 18, 2022 ‘What are they hiding?’: Lawyers demand outside probes into Wawa fire caused by Osceola deputy’s Taser

Lawyers representing a man severely burned in a fire at a Wawa in February while being arrested by Osceola County deputy sheriffs called on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate, after state authorities found the deputy’s Taser...

May 10, 2022 Lawyers dispute Osceola Sheriff’s account of deadly shooting

The attorney representing the people shot by Osceola County deputies outside a Kissimmee Target said Sheriff Marcos Lopez is distorting facts in the case where a young man lost his life. Lawyer Mark NeJame alleges the deputies' policing escalated the situation...

May 10, 2022 Attorneys for men shot by deputies say video counters Osceola sheriff’s claims

A second-by-second video review of the moments before Osceola County deputies killed 20-year-old Jayden Baez and wounded in Sheriff Marcos López’s retelling of what happened, lawyers representing the men said Tuesday...

May 10, 2022 Florida sheriff releases video of deadly Target parking lot deputy-involved shooting of suspected shoplifters

A Florida sheriff on Monday released surveillance footage of the moments leading up to deputies shooting and killing the accused getaway driver of suspected shoplifters in a Target parking nearly two weeks ago, showing how the now deceased young man rammed his car into department vehicles...

May 9, 2022 Osceola sheriff releases reports, video in fatal shooting by deputies outside Target

After more than a week of refusing to provide basic details about the case, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office on Monday released incident reports as well as video from the night 20-year-old Jayden Baez was shot to death by deputies outside a Kissimmee-area Target...

May 4, 2022 Osceola deputies used shoplifting suspects as ‘human guinea pigs’ before shooting, lawyers say

Osceola County deputy sheriffs fired at a car leaving the parking lot of a Target store in Kissimmee, killing 20-year-old Jayden Baez, after they boxed in and struck his black Audi with unmarked vehicles without announcing they were law enforcement, lawyers representing Baez’s family told reporters...

May 3, 2022 Attorney for family of man killed by deputies breaks Osceola sheriff’s silence

The lawyer for the family of the man killed by Osceola County deputy sheriffs spoke out Tuesday to fill in the information gaps left by Sheriff Marcos López as his agency remains largely silent on what led to a deadly shooting in the parking lot of a Target store in Kissimmee. Albert Yonfa of Orlando-based firm NeJame Law said he...

Mar 22, 2020 Human Rights Defender, Shahzad Ahmed, files Asylum for Iranian Christian

~For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. ~ Matthew 25:35 ...

Jul 12, 2018 Controversial Amazon surveillance program gets second chance in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. – The City of Orlando's police department is giving Amazon’s controversial facial recognition software a second ...

Dec 06, 2017 As a Muslim American, I’m witnessing state-sponsored Islamophobia – the basis of Trump’s travel ban is fake news

In America, you’re more likely to be killed in a mass shooting carried out by a white male than by a Muslim immigrant. Hell, in ...

Nov 21, 2017 Vehicle passenger alleges Progressive failed to provide insurance coverage

ORLANDO — A Lake County woman is suing Progressive Insurance, alleging she is entitled to uninsured/underinsured motorist ...

May 18, 2017 Man alleges dermatologist performed different procedure than what was agreed upon

ORLANDO – A patient has filed suit against a dermatologist over allegations a different procedure was performed on him than what ...

Mar 31, 2017 Lottery-winning sex predator defaults on settlement

Victims trying to collect $300,000 judgment MOUNT DORA, Fla. - A convicted sex predator who won $3 million in the Florida Lottery ...