ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Bar suspended an Orlando-area attorney’s law license after several clients claimed they paid him thousands of dollars and got nothing in return.
Justin Infurna’s license was suspended on Dec. 28, 2020, according to documents submitted to the Florida Supreme Court.
Jeanelle Douglas said she hired Infurna to handle some estate issues for her after her grandmother died in Palm Bay.
“At first, Justin Infurna portrayed himself like he was a professional. He was an expert. He could have everything done within just a few months,” she told News 6.
Three years and $1,800 later, she said she’s still waiting for results.
“Before I paid him, he would be on the phone with me and hype me up. As soon as I paid him, that’s when he just changed,” she said. “The communication almost stopped.”
“He told me, ‘Slam dunk case,’” Inna Alekseenko said.
Alekseenko said she paid Infurna $2,500 to file a lawsuit over a damaged car.
“I emailed him asking him for an update on my case, and he just keeps stalling,” she said. “He said, ‘I’m still investigating, I’m still doing this.’ There is always an excuse as to why this lawsuit was never filed.”
Alekseenko filed a complaint against Infurna with the Florida Bar, the organization that regulates the practice of law in the state.
The Bar added her complaint to 14 others and submitted them in an emergency petition to the Florida Supreme Court.
According to those documents obtained by News 6, clients in Hillsborough, Citrus, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties filed complaints.
The documents state: “Many of (Infurna’s) clients have alleged that (he) took a large upfront fee and then stopped communicating with them and failed to perform any useful services.”
“Many clients have alleged that (he) yelled and screamed at them, and some clients have alleged that (his) aggressiveness and verbal abuse brought them to tears,” read another allegation.
In all, the Florida Bar claimed Infurna committed “over 90 potential rule violations.”
Three days after Christmas, the Florida Supreme Court suspended his license to practice law, citing violations of misconduct, diligence and communication.
Infurna’s website has been taken down and the law office telephone has been disconnected.
News 6 went to Infurna’s downtown Orlando office to get his side of what may have happened, but the receptionist said he was no longer a tenant of the shared workspace even though his name still appeared in the directory.
“I want my money back, honestly,” Douglas said. “There is nothing really done for me. I pretty much want every last penny back.”
The Florida Bar said it receives complaints about Infurna daily and the investigation is not over.
A representative said a judge could eventually order Infurna to pay all of his clients back.
The Bar has also set up a client security fund that could help them down the road.