The Florida Supreme Court has suspended Jacksonville attorney Charlie “Chuck” Farah Jr. for 90 days due to issues with his handling of a class action lawsuit involving tobacco companies, according to the Florida Bar.
The court’s ruling follows its opinion Feb. 27, 2025, stating that Farah had violated legal rules in 2008 by filing thousands of personal injury claims for smokers against the tobacco companies.
The Supreme Court said Farah, a senior partner at the Farah & Farah law firm, failed to adequately communicate with clients. He also failed to provide diligent representation and did not secure written contingency agreements with clients, the court said.
Farah said he accepts the court’s decision, according to an email Monday from his attorney, Hank Coxe.
“Throughout the process, Chuck acted honestly and transparently,” the statement reads. “These actions reflect the character and integrity that are the foundation of his legal career. Chuck remains committed to his profession and community, a commitment he’s built over nearly 40 years.”
The ruling stems from actions by Farah and local attorney Norwood Wilner when they filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Floridians and their survivors who said they suffered illnesses due to cigarette smoking from 1994-2006.
The lawsuit sought payment from a multimillion-dollar fund paid by tobacco companies.
In its opinion in February 2025, the Supreme Court said Wilner is a Jacksonville-based lawyer with experience in tobacco litigation. He and Farah agreed to share the labor and expense required to prosecute some of the tobacco cases. Wilner was to file the cases and conduct trials, and Farah would provide personnel support and financial backing, the court said.
Wilner filed more than 3,000 cases in state and federal court before a deadline of Jan. 11, 2008. They were filed on behalf of 4,432 plaintiffs, including 163 plaintiffs originated by Farah’s firm, with his name in the signature block of each complaint filed by Wilner, the Supreme Court said.
The cases were eventually whittled down to 415 plaintiffs, and the tobacco companies settled with all of them in 2015, court rulings state.
Because of the large number of cases ultimately dismissed as non-viable, federal court officials decided to investigate whether Wilner’s and Farah’s conduct warranted sanctions. That prompted a seven-month investigation into possible misconduct in 2012.
The investigation said Farah took on far more plaintiffs than he could reasonably handle. He should have known well before the 2008 filing deadline that he could not provide legal services to the thousands of plaintiffs and still fully comply with his professional obligations, the investigation showed.
The state Supreme Court’s opinion also ruled that Farah failed to adequately communicate with clients.
“Indeed, a questionnaire sent by the Middle District to the named plaintiffs revealed that more than 500 died before a complaint was filed on their behalf, and that 572 never authorized Wilner and Farah to file or maintain a lawsuit on their behalf,” the Supreme Court opinion noted. “The reach of unauthorized cases included a sitting juror, who learned for the first time in 2012 that she was named as an Engle plaintiff in a suit filed by Wilner and Farah.“
The U.S. District Court reprimanded both lawyers in 2017 and ordered that they pay $9.16 million, later reduced to $4.3 million, Wilner and Farah each paid half.
Wilner was suspended for 91 days in early 2022 for filing thousands of claims without investigating or informing himself as to the facts of each case and misrepresenting the viability of the claims to the Middle District. He was later denied reinstatement to the Florida Bar when he failed to fully comply with legal requirements during his suspension, the court said.
Farah’s case was remanded to a hearing for disciplinary sanction, resulting in his 90-day suspension plus a mandate to pay $2.16 million in legal fees, the court said. The ruling says he must also attend The Florida Bar’s Ethics School.
Disclosure: The Farah and Farah law firm has been a financial sponsor of WJCT Public Media.
The post Florida Supreme Court suspends attorney Chuck Farah for 90 days appeared first on Jacksonville Today.