The Leesfield Family Foundation

Published on: June 3, 2025

Leesfield & Partners Files Lawsuit Against Popular Gym After Minor Sexually Assaulted on Premises.

Leesfield & Partners has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a minor who was sexually assaulted at an LA Fitness in Miami by a gym member with a known history of violent behavior.

This case is being handled by Partner Justin B. Shapiro and Evan Robinson, a Trial Lawyer at the firm, who said that this preventable and traumatic incident represents a gross violation of basic safety standards.

“LA Fitness knew this assailant was a dangerous individual who had previously exhibited violent conduct at the gym,” he said. “They did nothing to restrict his access to the gym and their failure to act is the reason why our client experienced this horrific trauma.”

Published on: May 14, 2025

Seminole County Pastor Accused of Sexually Abusing Children. How Leesfield & Partners has Represented Victims and Survivors for Nearly Five Decades in Florida.

By Leesfield & Partners

Police in Sanford, Florida, are asking anyone with information on a local pastor who they believe has sexually abused multiple children in his congregation.

Yersson David Solarte Basto, 33, was charged with sexual assault on a victim under 18 years old and lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim under 16, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Solarte was a pastor at IPUL Pentecostal Church in Sanford, or Iglesia Pentecostal Unida Latinoamericana Orlando Norte, during the alleged abuse. The crimes were reported to police “after the most recent incident,” according to local media. The victim said she was abused by Solarte on multiple occasions before he “expressed his love for her” and she “refused his advances.” After that, the girl told police he “tried making her jealous” by abusing her sister.

Published on: May 7, 2025

Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Underage Girls Previously Taught at a Miami School. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A former substitute teacher accused of using social media to meet girls as young as 12 years old for sex agreed to a plea deal Monday, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

Enreeka Nalasco, 35, was sentenced to 25 years in prison and 20 years’ probation Monday on two counts of human trafficking and three counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with girls under 16. Nalasco is also said to have given the pre-teens vapes and marijuana “in exchange for sex,” according to the article.

The two children involved in the case were students at Miami Beach’s Nautilus Middle School in 2022, when the investigation began. Nalasco had previously worked as a substitute teacher at Miami Beach Senior High School, The Herald reported.

Published on: March 13, 2025

Medical Examiner Concludes Detroit Children Found Dead in Frigid Van Died of Carbon Monoxide.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Detroit medical examiner concluded that two unhoused children found dead in their family’s van died from carbon monoxide and not the cold, as authorities initially believed.

The official cause of death for the children, 9-year-old Darnell Currie Jr. and 2-year-old A’millah Currie, was certified Wednesday. On Feb. 10, the children were found unresponsive in the family van by their mother after the vehicle stopped running. The children, their mother, their grandmother, two siblings and their mother’s sibling were allegedly living in the van at the time, according to reporting from The Detroit Free Press.

The five children in the van ranged in age from 2 to 13 years old.

Published on: February 5, 2025

Pickup Truck Driver Faces Charges After Driving Through Liquor Store, police say

By Leesfield & Partners

An elderly pickup truck driver faces charges after police accused him of driving drunk through a liquor store, causing an estimated $20,000 in damage over the weekend in Alachua County, Florida.

The driver was charged with driving under the influence, a first-degree misdemeanor, according to court records. The Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg will not be naming the man as he was not charged with a felony.

Police say they were called out following reports of the crash around sunset on Thursday, Jan. 30, to the liquor store, which is about a 70-mile drive southwest from Jacksonville. When they arrived, they found that the pickup truck had driven through the storefront. Officers conducted a field sobriety test which they say he performed “poorly” on before he was taken to jail.

Published on: January 16, 2025

Ira Leesfield Appointed to the Florida Bar’s 11th Judicial District of Florida’s Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee

By Leesfield & Partners

The Supreme Court of Florida approved Ira H. Leesfield’s appointment to the 11^th Judicial District Circuit Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee. The UPL committee is a program within the Florida Bar’s Disciplinary branch and was developed to protect the public from harm caused by individuals attempting to practice law without a license. As part of the Standing Committee on UPL, Mr. Leesfield and other members will give their formal advisory opinions regarding individuals who have been accused of practicing law without a license.

Of the distinguishment, which was bestowed upon him following decades of service to South Florida’s legal community, Mr. Leesfield said he was grateful for the honor.

“I look forward to working alongside my fellow committee members to ensure that the practice of law remains in the hands of qualified, ethical professionals who are committed to serving the best interest of Floridians,” he said.

Published on: December 18, 2024

Self-Driving Taxis in Miami? A Look Back at Motor Vehicle Crash Litigation at Leesfield & Partners

By Leesfield & Partners

Thanks to recent advancements in autonomous vehicle technology, self-driving cars are no longer a thing of the past, and driverless robotaxis may soon be available for transit in Miami.

Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company, announced it expects to bring these taxis to Miami, making the city the fifth in the U.S. with this service. The company currently boasts 150,000 weekly rides, all without drivers, in cities like San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

The decision, however, has not come without controversy. A federal investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into Waymo vehicle collisions with a fixed object in May. In addition to these collisions, incidents in which the cars allegedly went the wrong way down the road and ran through traffic lights are what prompted the investigation.

Published on: December 13, 2024

Police name driver accused in Thanksgiving hit-and-run in Miami. How many incidents has Miami seen in 2024?

By Leesfield & Partners

Police have named the driver accused in a Thanksgiving hit-and-run incident near Miami International Airport that killed a pedestrian.

Gerson Jean, 38, was charged Friday with leaving the scene of a crash involving death and attempted tampering with physical evidence.

The incident happened just before 4 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day near 2100 Northwest 42^nd Avenue, close to Miami International Airport. The pedestrian involved in the crash was seen on airport surveillance footage crossing the street when a gray Kia K5 hit them. Police say the car was being driven by Jean.