Mr. Socarras received his law degree from the Stetson University College of Law, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida. He is a member of the Florida Bar, South Palm Beach County Bar Association, Broward County Bar Association, and American Bar Association. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, and United States Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Florida.

For more information about the firm’s services, please visit our site at www.socarraslaw.com or call us at 561.361.1000.

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The Holiday Season is upon us, which means many South Florida businesses and employers are planning their office holiday parties and events.   It is never too soon to review and update your policies, procedures, and guidelines which may help make your company’s office party safer and help you recognize any potential liability or exposure.  One of the biggest areas of concerns involves service of alcoholic beverages at office holiday parties. Some things to consider including the following:

• Always make sure a third party is serving drinks.
• Set limits, or serve only certain types of beverages (e.g. beer/wine) to limit consumption
• Offer transportation, such as taxi’s, bus, or limousine services,  and issue written policies against driving unless you have a designated driver.
• Consider an alcohol free party, family oriented, or daytime lunch/brunch instead.
• If a party is during the week, rather than over the weekend, employees are less likely to overindulge, drink, or stay out late.

There are other things you should consider. Attendance at an office party should not be mandatory.   Your insurance should be up to date and you should make sure you have appropriate insurance and coverage in place. Above all, normal work rules, normal standards, and common sense apply.  Your business policy and procedures, or Employee Handbook, should contain detailed and clear substance abuse, anti-drug, anti-discrimination, and anti-harassment policies.  Employees should also be reminded about appropriate behavior at the work function, and they should be reminded about the issues from postings on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter (whether it is their own postings or postings by other individuals).  In addtioin to having policies in place for the general operation of your company, it is very important that businesses of all sizes have clear and unequivocal polices in place prior to an office party so there is no misunderstanding and try to eliminate potential liability. An office newsletter, email or other communication is the best way to address these issues if they are not already addressed in other written policies. Please note, there is never too much you can do to be safe, so this article is not all inclusive of the methods to prevent issues that could arise from an office holiday party.

In the event your business does not have an Employee Handbook, policies/procedures, or other employment-related documents, contact the Law Office of Ruben E. Socarras, P.A. at 561.361.1000 or info@socarraslaw.com so we can review your particular situation or needs. The lawyers at the Law Office of Ruben E. Socarras, P.A. in Boca Raton, Florida, practice in the areas of commercial litigation and business law, employment and labor law, and general civil litigation, including wrongful death and personal injury law.   The firm provides consultation, negotiation and litigation services for various problems encountered in the workplace. The firm delivers strategic advice and partners with its clients to find legal solutions to those problems often faced by executives, professionals, and businesses of all sizes.

The information on this web site and posting is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this web site or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. Every case is different and each client’s case must be evaluated and handled on its own merits. Furthermore, this information on this web site is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship between you and Law Office of Ruben E. Socarras, P.A.  You must first retain our firm, and we must acknowledge that you hired the firm, before the attorney-client relationship is created.

The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. This web site is not intended to be an advertisement or solicitation. Before you decide to hire the lawyer to whom you are referred, ask that lawyer for written information about that lawyer’s qualifications and experience. To protect the public, Florida law provides that only lawyers can give legal advice. We invite you to contact us and welcome your inquiries, calls, and e-mail. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time you have retained the firm, and the attorney-client relationship is established.

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Labarga said Rideout “slammed” her  car into the rear of the stalled vehicle, and a jury reasonably could  have concluded Cevallos, travelling four car lengths behind and slowing  at the top of the hill, could not avoid the collision. He said it was  wrong for a judge to issue a directed verdict in Rideout’s favor.  Labarga  said a jury could have concluded Rideout was at fault for talking on a  cell phone while driving 45 mph in moderate to heavy traffic.

In  the Fifth DCA case, Labarga concluded, “The presumption that a rear  driver’s negligence is the sole cause of a rear-end automobile collision  can be rebutted and its legal effect dissipated by the production of  evidence from which a jury could conclude that the front driver was  negligent in the operation of his or her vehicle.”  The presumption  “is not a substantive rule of law that supersedes Florida’s comparative  negligence system of tort recovery,” he wrote. “Rather, it is an  evidentiary tool imposed by decisional law to facilitate a particular  type of negligence case, one that is applicable where the evidence is  insufficient to create a jury question on the relevant issues of fault.”

Ruben E. Socarras, Esq., founder/managing partner of the firm that is based in Boca Raton, Florida, is an AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney focusing his practice in the areas civil litigation, wrongful death, catastrophic and personal injury law, among other areas of law. The AV® Preeminent™ designation is Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer review rating based on a legal professional’s skills and ethics. Please contact our firm today for more information about how we can assist you with your accident or injury case at 561-361-1000, or via email at info@socarraslaw.com.   We offer a free consultation and there is no obligation to pay for legal fees or costs unless we successfully recover against the at-fault party. Please visit our website at www.socarraslaw.com for more information.

The information on this web site and posting is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this web site or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. Every case is different and each client’s case must be evaluated and handled on its own merits. Furthermore, this information on this web site is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship between you and Law Office of Ruben E. Socarras, P.A.  You must first retain our firm, and we must acknowledge that you hired the firm, before the attorney-client relationship is created.

The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. This web site is not intended to be an advertisement or solicitation. Before you decide to hire the lawyer to whom you are referred, ask that lawyer for written information about that lawyer’s qualifications and experience. To protect the public, Florida law provides that only lawyers can give legal advice. We invite you to contact us and welcome your inquiries, calls, and e-mail. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time you have retained the firm, and the attorney-client relationship is established.

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Law Office of Ruben E. Socarras, P.A. is proud to announce that Ruben E. Socarras has been named and featured in the 2012 edition of ALM South Florida’s Top Rated Lawyers. Get a copy in the Sept. 28, 2012 Wall Street Journal, Miami Herald and Daily Business Review. Visit http://www.law.com/jsp/law/ads.jsp?p=southflorida_reprints to view or upload the magazine as well.

Ruben E. Socarras, Esq., founder/managing partner of the firm, is an AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney focusing his practice in the areas of commercial litigation and business law, labor and employment law, and general civil litigation, including wrongful death and personal injury law. The AV® Preeminent™ designation is Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer review rating based on a legal professional’s skills and ethics. Contact us at 561.361.1000 or visit www.socarraslaw.com for more information.

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Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM) is a type of automobile insurance coverage that is available to drivers to provide benefits if the other at-fault driver causes you any serious injuries and has no insurance or insufficient insurance to compensate you for your injuries.  It is commonly overlooked or misunderstood by the public.  However, it can be the most important insurance policy in Florida that one can carry.  For instance, Florida does not require that every driver carry bodily injury liability (BI) insurance to cover other drivers that are injured.  Under Florida’s laws, the minimum coverage required is $10,000 personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 property damage liability (PDL) as long as you have a valid Florida license plate.  BI coverage pays for serious and permanent injury or death to others when you cause a crash involving your automobile. Statistics show that one out of four drivers on the road in Florida do not have any insurance and are driving illegally. Typically, 75% of drivers are underinsured or carry no insurance at all.

It is often recommended that individuals carry minimum limits of $100,000/300,000 in UM coverage, but you should always consult an experienced and professional insurance agent when selecting the available insurance based on your circumstances.  Another beneficial way to increase the available UM coverage is to “Stack” the coverage.  If you own two or more vehicles with the same insurance policy and you have BI insurance, you should be eligible for stacked coverage which will multiply your available UM coverage by the number of vehicles under the policy for an additional (and usually a low) premium.

Therefore, we stress that you carefully review the insurance needs for you and your family, and obtain sufficient UM coverage that is stacked, if possible.  It is too often that we see a seriously injured claimant realize after a catastrophic or serious accident that they did not carry any UM coverage or enough, to compensate them for their injuries.

Ruben E. Socarras, Esq., founder/managing partner of the firm that is based in Boca Raton, Florida, is an AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney focusing his practice in the areas civil litigation, wrongful death, catastrophic and personal injury law, among other areas of law. The AV® Preeminent™ designation is Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer review rating based on a legal professional’s skills and ethics. Please contact our firm today for more information about how we can assist you with your accident or injury case at 561-361-1000, or via email at info@socarraslaw.com.   We offer a free consultation and there is no obligation to pay for legal fees or costs unless we successfully recover against the at-fault party. Please visit our website at www.bocainjurylaw.com or www.socarraslaw.com for more information.

The information on this web site and posting is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this web site or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. Every case is different and each client’s case must be evaluated and handled on its own merits. Furthermore, this information on this web site is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship between you and Law Office of Ruben E. Socarras, P.A.  You must first retain our firm, and we must acknowledge that you hired the firm, before the attorney-client relationship is created.

The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. This web site is not intended to be an advertisement or solicitation. Before you decide to hire the lawyer to whom you are referred, ask that lawyer for written information about that lawyer’s qualifications and experience. To protect the public, Florida law provides that only lawyers can give legal advice. We invite you to contact us and welcome your inquiries, calls, and e-mail. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time you have retained the firm, and the attorney-client relationship is established.

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Ruben E. Socarras and the firm were honored to sponsor the Palm Beach Central High School’s Broncos Band Golf Tournament held in West Palm Beach, Florida.  Palm Beach Central Broncos Band is one of the top bands in the nation, competing in some of the most pretigous competitions. The band has received superior ratings by the Florida Bandmasters Association at both the District and State level in Marching, Concert, and Jazz Bands. The band is a 3-time FMBC State Finalist, and has won several Regional Grand Championships.

Law Office of Ruben E. Socarras, P.A. is a results-driven firm that concentrates its practice in the areas of commercial litigation and business law, employment and labor law, and general civil litigation, including wrongful death and personal injury law. Headquartered in downtown Boca Raton, Palm Beach County, Florida, the firm provides clients throughout the state of Florida with pragmatic, innovative, and effective legal representation.  In addition to being involved with the legal community, Mr. Socarras and the firm support various charities and community events throughout Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties.

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In 1972, Florida’s personal injury protection (PIP) law was adopted to make sure anyone injured in an auto accident would immediately get insurance coverage for treatment their injuries, regardless of who’s at fault. The legislation provided that your own insurance pay up to $10,000 to cover medical bills and lost wages after an accident.  However, PIP costs have risen by $1.4 billion since 2008 because of fraud in South Florida and other populated parts of the state.  Florida is one of twelve states in the U.S. that requires mandatory PIP insurance by its drivers, but has one of the highest levels fraud in the nation.

The new PIP legislation will require someone in an automobile accident to obtain treatment within fourteen (14) days in an ambulance or hospital, or from a physician, osteopathic physician, chiropractic physician, or dentist. The full $10,000 PIP medical benefits are available only if a physician, osteopathic physician, dentist, or a supervised physician’s assistant or advanced registered nurse practitioner determines that the insured has an “emergency medical condition.”  The bill defines “emergency medical condition” to mean a medical condition manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity, which may include severe pain, such that the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected to result in any of the following: (i) serious jeopardy to patient health; (ii) serious impairment to bodily functions; or (iii) serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.  Otherwise, for “non-emergency medical conditions,” the PIP medical benefit will be limited to $2,500, such as people with moderate or “soft-tissue” injures.  Physicians, chiropractors, osteopathic physicians, or dentists are required to refer patients for follow-up services and care to be covered. Massage therapists and acupuncture was eliminated from eligibility for PIP benefits.

Ruben E. Socarras, Esq., managing partner of the firm, is an AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney focusing his practice in the areas of  general civil litigation, including wrongful death and personal injury law.  We offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case.  Depending on the circumstances of your case, you may be able to seek compensation for your past and future medical expenses, past and future pain and suffering, lost wages, and loss of future earning capacity. Your loved ones may also have a claim even though they were not physically involved in accident.

Contact the Law Firm of Ruben E. Socarras, P.A., located in Boca Raton, Florida, by clicking here or calling 561.361.1000 to discuss your case. We handle cases throughout Florida, including those occurring in South Florida, Palm Beach County,  Broward County,and Miami Dade County.

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An “injunction” is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing specific acts.  Injunctions should be considered in certain types of civil or business or commercial litigation matters, including cases involving employment, business, contract, condominium, corporation/partnership, and landlord/tenant disputes. They can be effectively utilized to prevent the wrongful competition of an ex-employee, prevent theft of trade secrects or customer lists, prevent a landlord from wrongfully evicting a tenant, prevent violations of condominium rules/covenenants, prevent a company’s officer/director from breaching his/her fidcuiary duties, prevent infringement of intellectual property, or prevent the fraudulent transfer by a debtor/borrower.  Alternatively, they can be applied to force someone to do something or perform some type of act.

To determine whether an injunction is appropriate in a given case, we consider various things, such as:

•  the client’s goals;
• the possibility of success;
• the type of injunction to have entered;
• length of time to have an injunction in place and whether it can become permanent;
• will the injunction impact non-parties to the case;
• effect on the claimant or plaintiff of bringing injunction action; and
• costs of seeing an injunction through to the end.

Under Florida law, any person/entity may obtain a preliminary or temporary injunction after pleading and proving the following legal elements: (1) an equitable ground, such as the necessity of prevening irreparable injury; (2) a clear legal right in favor of the party requesting the injunction; (3) an inadequate remedy at law; and (4) considerations of public interet.  An injunction must provide of a bond for damages that could be suffered by the party against whom the injunction is entered. The key to obtaining a proper injunction is timing. You do not want to bring it too early or too late. They can be entered with or without notice to the other side, even before another party is served with a lawsuit.  Injunctions can also be dissolved if they were entered incorrectly.

Martindale “AV” rated business and commercial litigation lawyer Ruben E. Socarras, Esq. is a founder and managing partner of Law Office of Ruben E. Socarras, P.A., located in Boca Raton, Florida.  The firm and its attorneys regularly handle cases involving injunctions in a variety of complex business disputes and litigation matters. Mr. Socarras has experience representing clients in Florida state and federal courts, including those involving contractual claims, fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, intellectual property claims, employment related disputes, real estate and title claims, condominium/association disputes, and shareholder disputes and derivative actions.  Contact us at 561.361.1000 or visit www.socarraslaw.com for more information.

The information in this article site was developed by Law Office of Ruben E. Socarras, P.A. for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. Furthermore, this information on this web site is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship between you and Law Office of Ruben E. Socarras, P.A.  You must first retain our firm, and we must acknowledge that you hired the firm, before the attorney-client relationship is created.Persons receiving the information from this article should not act upon the information provided without seeking profession legal counsel.

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