"Ira Leesfield"

Published on: July 28, 2025

Therapist at Miami Substance Abuse Facility Faces Sexual Misconduct Charges. What to Know.

A therapist at a Miami women’s mental health and substance abuse treatment facility faces several charges after multiple women reported that he assaulted them during private sessions, according to local media.

Manuel Enrique Garcia, 33, was charged with at least three counts of felony charges related to sexual battery on clients.

Two women reported to police, alleging Garcia had assaulted them during private therapy sessions, according to reporting from CBS Miami. One woman said she was threatened with “job loss and homelessness if she spoke out,” reporters said in the article. Another woman told police that she was assaulted and that Garcia threatened to change her records to harm her standing in court, which would prevent her from “reuniting with her child.” This was not the only time that Garcia had approached the woman in this manner, according to police.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Florida Mom Accused of Leaving Toddler in Car Outside Theater. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Police have accused a mother of locking her toddler, 2, in a car outside a Florida movie theater when the girl became too “disruptive,” according to reporting from local media Monday, July 21.

The 18-year-old woman, of Lake City, has since been charged with neglect of a child without great bodily harm. The woman’s name is not being released to protect the identity of her children.

The incident happened on Saturday, July 19, when the mother took the toddler and her siblings to the movies. However, once inside, the 2-year-old girl allegedly caused “multiple disruptions.”

Published on: July 28, 2025

Four Injured in Broward Plane Crash. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A pilot and at least three passengers were injured when a small plane crashed in a Broward neighborhood, local media says.

The incident happened around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, July 13, as the plane prepared to land at North Perry Airport. Instead, it came down in Pembroke Pines near Southwest 14^th Street and 68^th Boulevard.

All four who were inside the aircraft were able to disembark from the plane safely and were taken to a local hospital, according to reporting from the Miami Herald.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Flesh-eating bacteria in Florida. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least four people have died as the result of injuries related to flesh-eating bacteria in 2025, according to reporting from local media.

The data, which comes from the Florida Department of Health, was updated on Friday, July 11, and shows that at least one person died in each of the following counties:

Bay County

Published on: July 21, 2025

Who Is a Trial Lawyer? All Rise! (No Fries!)

By Leesfield & Partners

There is a healthy inter-generational discussion about the value of courtroom appearances versus digital and remote Zoom litigation. Depending upon age, law school demographics, “quality of life issues” and a long-vested belief and admiration for adversary experience before the court and jury, legitimately different perspectives are advanced. Two seemingly unrelated recent anecdotes capture the essence of the trial lawyers’ dilemma:

Ira Leesfield, the Founder and Managing Partner of Leesfield & Partners.

The bailiff of a well-respected member of the judiciary had to admonish “trial lawyers” in open court for failing to rise when the judge entered the bench. This ancient custom of respect and judicial protocol was unknown to these inexperienced lawyers about to commence trial. Reports of this omission caught the attention of jurists and experienced advocates across the state. In a completely different setting, a well-established and recognized national restaurant refused to allow “take-out” French fries with the food order placed by a customer. At the desk, the manager publicly expressed “our fries just don’t travel well, and we want customers to be satisfied and accepting of our food.” No matter what the plea, no fries “to go.” If you wanted to enjoy a great dinner of ribs, coleslaw and fries, it was going to be in the dining room. This is an interesting way to capture the disparity of conflict for an earnest, developing trial lawyer!

Published on: July 10, 2025

Father, Former Army Captain Transported to Miami Hospital After Hit-And-Run Boating Incident in the Bahamas. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

The wife of a former Army captain at the center of a hit-and-run boating incident spoke out to media this week saying her husband is “lucky that he’s alive” after he was hit while snorkeling in the Bahamas.

The incident happened on June 30 while the family vacationed in Exuma. Brent Slough, 42, of Prosper, Texas, was in the water snorkeling when he was sliced by the propellers of a boat that “never stopped,” his wife, Whitney Slough told reporters. Her husband, she said, was hit underneath the buttocks and the legs.

The boat that hit him never stopped.

Published on: July 10, 2025

Hialeah Woman Airlifted to Hospital After Dog Attack Tuesday. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital Tuesday with non-life-threatening injuries after being attacked by a dog.

The woman, according to reporting from WSVN Miami, was a caretaker at the home where the attack took place around 11 a.m. in Hialeah. She was bitten on both of her arms.

Following the attack, the dog was detained in a cage awaiting officials with animal control after its owner surrendered it into the custody of Miami-Dade Animal Services. In footage broadcasted by WSVN, it looked as though the dog was an American bulldog. A similar dog, allegedly of the same breed, was seen lounging in a kennel in the home’s backyard.

Published on: July 10, 2025

Two Dead in Head-On Collision in Pompano Beach Monday. How many crashes has Florida had in 2025?

By Leesfield & Partners

At least two people have died after a head-on crash on Florida’s Turnpike in Pompano Beach Monday morning, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

The crash happened around 12:50 a.m. near Atlantic Boulevard and involved a 2004 Acura TL sedan and a 2019 Mercedes A220 sedan, officials with Florida Highway Patrol told the newspaper. The Acura was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of the turnpike when it collided with the Mercedes

After the collision, the Acura hit a concrete barrier and burst into flames.

Published on: July 7, 2025

Two Injured in Fourth of July Boat Crash in Flagler County. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least two people were injured after a pontoon boat crashed into a wooden dock on the Intracoastal Waterway near Beverly Beach in Flagler County on the Fourth of July.

Emergency responders were called around 5:18 p.m. and rescued both people from the water, according to reporting from local media. At least one person had life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital in Daytona Beach. The second person was in “stable condition” and was taken to AdventHealth Palm Coast.

The boat was severely damaged in the crash as were parts of the wooden dock.

Published on: July 7, 2025

Five People Aboard Boat Need Rescue off Key Biscayne. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least five people were rescued from a boat that caught fire Sunday morning off Key Biscayne, U.S. Coast Guard Officials said via social media.

The incident happened at 10 a.m. about eight miles off Key Biscayne. A passing Good Samaritan rescued the five people who were on board after the boat’s operator used a radio to report the fire. All five people involved were brought to shore.

No injuries were reported in this incident.