A state appellate court Wednesday sanctioned Palm Beach attorney Guillermo J. Farinas, holding him personally responsible for half of an attorney fee award against his client.

Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal held Farinas and client Joseph Manzaro equally liable for “frivolous and completely meritless” filings in a child custody case that jumped from Broward to Palm Beach County. It remanded the case to the lower court with instructions to divide the opposing side’s attorneys fees between Farinas and Manzaro, then took the additional step of making an allowance for future litigation expenses.