Supreme Court Suspends Defense Attorney for Coaching Witness in Deposition

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday suspended an Orlando-area workers’ compensation defense attorney for coaching a witness via text message during a deposition. Derek Vashon James had represented an employer in a workers’ compensation matter. On July 31, 2018, Renee Gray, an adjuster who worked for the employer, was deposed via telephone. James and the claimant’s attorney also participated by telephone in separate locations. While the deposition was in progress and Gray was being questioned, James sent text messages to Gray regarding her testimony. The texts included coa...