The Florida Supreme Court has declined to reinstate an attorney who was suspended in 2022 for filing more than 3,000 claims from smokers against tobacco firms without properly investigating the cases.

The high court on March 14 rejected a court referee’s report recommending the reinstatement of Jacksonville attorney Norwood Wilner, who was suspended for 91 days for filing what are called Engle-progeny claims. The cases came from a decertified class action in the 1990s against tobacco companies and consisted of individualized clams that had to meet certain legal requirements.

Wilner filed the claims without investigating or researching the facts of each case and for “knowingly misrepresenting the viability of the claims to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida,” according to the state Supreme Court’s decision.

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