This month, Pennington, P.A. had the honor of sponsoring and participating in the 29th annual Tallahassee Bar Association Chili Cook-Off, benefiting the Legal Aid Foundation of Tallahassee. Our team had the best time visiting with so many members of our community, sharing an amazing new chili recipe, and presenting a country music-themed booth as a tribute to the late, great Dolly Parton. We are so proud to be an annual participant of this event. Thank you to the Tallahassee Bar Association for putting together such a wonderful evening and to the Legal Aid Foundation for their pivotal work in ensuring access to legal services for all.

Pennington shareholder Brian Chojnowski and associate Tanner Cohen recently secured a favorable ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which affirmed the dismissal of all claims against the firm’s clients and the denial of the plaintiffs’ multiple post-judgment motions. The appeal arose from a federal lawsuit asserting eighteen claims against numerous defendants. The district court dismissed the action with prejudice after finding that the plaintiffs’ amended complaint failed to comply with federal pleading requirements despite an opportunity to correct its deficiencies. The plaintiffs subsequently filed multiple post-judgment motions seeking to set aside the judgment, including motions for reconsideration, vacatur, relief from judgment, and a request for an evidentiary hearing, all of which the district court also denied. On appeal, the plaintiffs challenged these rulings on numerous grounds. The Eleventh Circuit rejected their arguments, finding that dismissal with prejudice was proper after the plaintiffs failed to correct the pleading deficiencies. The Court affirmed the district court’s judgment and denied all pending motions. Congratulations to Brian Chojnowski and Tanner Cohen for their work in obtaining this favorable appellate result for our clients.