Court Upholds Disqualification of Law Firm Representing Firefighter's Widow

A Florida appellate court upheld a judge's decision to disqualify a law firm from continuing to represent a firefighter’s widow due to a conflict of interest created by the hiring of a new attorney. Eric Siena worked for Orange County Fire Rescue for 20 years. He was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in April 2020 and died in May 2021. Siena’s widow filed a claim for death benefits, represented by the firm of Bichler & Longo PLLC. Judge of Compensation Claims Neal P. Pitts denied the claim, and the widow appealed. The 1st District Court of Appeal vacated the OJC...