Reciprocal discipline sought by Florida Bar for Sunny Isles Beach Attorney Tara Demetriades

The case began when Demetriades, a solo practitioner whose firm focused on litigation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, filed approximately 168 ADA cases against small businesses in the Eastern District over three years. Demetriades had relied on “violation lists” or “inspection reports” provided by Cemal Jay Egilmez, a self-described “ADA inspector,” for a fee. Egilmez had prepared the reports without examining the properties himself, and the reports had omitted things that Egilmez and Demetriades did not want to disclose to the defendant’s counsel.

The Committee found that Demetriades had violated various provisions of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, including Rule 1.1 (competence), Rule 3.1 (candor toward the tribunal), and Rule 8.4(d) (conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice). The Committee had also found that Demetriades had engaged in a pattern of misconduct and that her actions had harmed the integrity of the legal system.

In her appeal, Demetriades had argued that she had not violated the rules of professional conduct because she had relied on Egilmez’s expertise and had not known that his reports were inadequate. She had also argued that the Committee’s findings had not been supported by clear and convincing evidence and that the six-month suspension had been excessive.

The Second Circuit had rejected each of Demetriades’ arguments and had affirmed the orders of the Committee. The court had found that Demetriades had been obligated to exercise reasonable diligence in her representation of clients and that her reliance on Egilmez’s reports had not excused her failure to do so. The court had also found that the Committee’s findings had been supported by clear and convincing evidence and that the six-month suspension had not been excessive in light of Demetriades’ pattern of misconduct and the harm it had caused to the integrity of the legal system.

Based on the final order of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the Florida Bar filed a reciprocal disciplinary action against Demetriades.  The complaint summarizes that Demetriades violated various rules of professional conduct, including failing to provide competent representation, engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, and failing to adequately supervise non-lawyer assistants.