Greenspoon Marder Wins Suit on Behalf of Orange County Property Appraiser, Rick Singh

News May 31, 2016 Orlando, FL

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Greenspoon Marder Wins Suit on Behalf of Orange County Property Appraiser, Rick Singh

The suit filed against Orange County and the County Commission alleged they had violated the law by enacting provisions making elections nonpartisan for constitutional officers.

Orlando , FL – May 31, 2016 –The ruling on May 26^th by a 9th Judicial Circuit Judge reaffirming that Orange County constitutional officers must run in partisan elections, represents a major victory for Orange County residents and Property Appraiser Rick Singh. He was represented by Greenspoon Marder’s co-founder Michael Marder. The ruling was in response to a suit brought by Greenspoon Marder on behalf of Singh, which charged that Orange County acted outside its authority when it asked voters in 2014 to make constitutional offices nonpartisan. It also asked voters to impose term limits. Orange County Tax Collector, Scott Randolph, and Orange County Sheriff, Jerry Demings, joined the action on similar grounds; however, Judge White ruled earlier in the case that the Plaintiffs, in their positions as constitutional officers, lacked standing to purse the claims. Thereafter, Singh and Randolph joined the action in their individual capacities. Circuit Court Judge Keith White agreed with Singh and Randolph, reaffirming that constitutional officers in Orange County will continue to run under party affiliations.

“Unless the order is stayed, this ruling means that the upcoming election for Property Appraiser, Tax Collector, Sheriff, Clerk of Court and Supervisor of Elections will be held as partisan elections, and reaffirms the importance of keeping local governing in check,” said Marder.

Greenspoon Marder filed the suit after the charter amendment was approved in 2014. The amendment, supported and pushed to pass by the Mayor, originated as an initiative of County Commissioner Scott Boyd. He had expressed interest in running for Singh’s post.

“This was not the will of the people,” Singh said. “The turnout was terribly low and there was such a concerted effort to misguide and misinform voters on this issue. It is a great day for democracy and the residents of Orange County when our legal system validates what we have been saying all along: that this was wrong.”

The judge did rule that term limits will stand.

About Greenspoon Marder

Greenspoon Marder LLP is a full-service law firm with over 240 attorneys and more than 20 office locations across the United States. With operations from Miami to New York and from Denver to Los Angeles, our firm attracts some of the nation’s top talent in key markets and innovation hubs. Our core practice areas include Real Estate, Litigation, and Transactional Services, complemented by the capabilities of a full-service firm. Greenspoon Marder has upheld a spot on The American Lawyer’s Am Law 200 as one of the top law firms in the U.S. since 2015, and our goal is to provide exceptional client service by developing a thorough understanding of each client’s business needs and objectives in order to provide strategic, cost-effective solutions.

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Natalie Villanueva, Director of Marketing
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This Greenspoon Marder LLP Client Alert is issued for informational purposes only and is not intended to be construed or used as general legal advice nor a solicitation of any type. Please contact the author(s) or your Greenspoon Marder LLP contact if you have any questions regarding the currency of this information. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision. Before you decide, ask for written information about the lawyer’s legal qualifications and experience.

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