ALittleBirdie
February 14th, 2003, 10:23 AM
Mr. Boatman of Stump, Storey, and Callahan (Florida) seems to have an interesting tactic...
Looking at the cases filed recently in Florida, Mr. Boatman seems to be hitting the Tampa/St.Petersburg area extremely hard. On the surface one would think if Boatman would hit any area hard it would be Orlando (the home base of Stump, Storey, Callahan). When one thinks Tampa in regards to these letters --- one thing pops into your mind...Mr. Zakarian whose name is quickly becoming associated with "cookie cutter" settlements. Doesn't it seem possible, if not likely, that Boatman is filing in Tampa hoping to push these guys into Zakarian's lap, knowing all the while a relatively hassle free settlement is the likely result? The pattern holds true for all of the Florida "DirecTv Defense Lawyers", the lawsuits are generally being filed in the areas of these lawyers. There are no "DirecTv Defense lawyers" in places like Daytona Beach (Middle District), Jacksonville (Middle District), or Tallahassee (North District)...all of which have sizeable populations. The number of lawsuits in these areas is nothing compared to the rest of the state. It's not necessarily a distance thing either...the North District begins with Alachua county (roughly 90 minutes from Orlando), yet Boatman seems to prefer staying away from this area (or anywhere in the North District for that matter).
My question...
Has anyone seen a similar pattern elsewhere (other states)? Has DirecTv earmarked the home bases of "DirecTv Defense Lawyers" as easy targets (as Mr. Boatman seems to have)?
I realize DirecTv is hitting certain states hard (such as Florida) and completely ignoring others (such as Georgia) and it must have something to do state laws...but could this explain DTV's approach on the local level?
I don't know if the lawyers really are easy targets (and its also probably not fair to lump them into one group like that), but it seems to be DTV's thinking in Florida.
Looking at the cases filed recently in Florida, Mr. Boatman seems to be hitting the Tampa/St.Petersburg area extremely hard. On the surface one would think if Boatman would hit any area hard it would be Orlando (the home base of Stump, Storey, Callahan). When one thinks Tampa in regards to these letters --- one thing pops into your mind...Mr. Zakarian whose name is quickly becoming associated with "cookie cutter" settlements. Doesn't it seem possible, if not likely, that Boatman is filing in Tampa hoping to push these guys into Zakarian's lap, knowing all the while a relatively hassle free settlement is the likely result? The pattern holds true for all of the Florida "DirecTv Defense Lawyers", the lawsuits are generally being filed in the areas of these lawyers. There are no "DirecTv Defense lawyers" in places like Daytona Beach (Middle District), Jacksonville (Middle District), or Tallahassee (North District)...all of which have sizeable populations. The number of lawsuits in these areas is nothing compared to the rest of the state. It's not necessarily a distance thing either...the North District begins with Alachua county (roughly 90 minutes from Orlando), yet Boatman seems to prefer staying away from this area (or anywhere in the North District for that matter).
My question...
Has anyone seen a similar pattern elsewhere (other states)? Has DirecTv earmarked the home bases of "DirecTv Defense Lawyers" as easy targets (as Mr. Boatman seems to have)?
I realize DirecTv is hitting certain states hard (such as Florida) and completely ignoring others (such as Georgia) and it must have something to do state laws...but could this explain DTV's approach on the local level?
I don't know if the lawyers really are easy targets (and its also probably not fair to lump them into one group like that), but it seems to be DTV's thinking in Florida.