A pair of Fort Lauderdale attorneys helped secure a $15 million verdict for their 8-year-old client, identified as H.H., who is now in the custody of a guardian. It was determined at trial that the child sustained life-threatening injuries, which eventually led to brain damage.

Co-counsel Stacie Schmerling and Lisa M. Elliott of Kelley Kronenberg, a multipractice business law firm founded in 1980 that now has nearly 200 attorneys, represented the minor. They said this was a challenging, but rewarding, case to win because it is one of the largest jury awards in state history against the Florida Department of Children and Families for negligently investigating abuse reports.