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Developer Avra Jain ordered to pay $2.4 million to former attorneys

Developer Avra Jain has lost a hearing against law firm Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney and former shareholder Richard Morgan, who had represented her in a former case involving a failed luxury condo project in Doral.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman has ordered Jain to pay $2.4 million in attorney fees, according to the Daily Business Review.

The ruling marks the end of a decade-long dispute that began in 2009, when Jain hired the firm to represent her in a legal battle against her former business partner, Michael Cohen, over the Doral non-starter.

In 2015, a judge ruled in favor of Cohen and ordered Jain to pay $8.2 million in damages.

Buchanan continued to represent Jain during her appeal, which she lost. When the firm tried to collect its outstanding legal fees of $1.5 million in 2017, Jain sued the firm and Morgan, accusing them of legal malpractice.

In May, Judge Hanzman dismissed her lawsuit and Buchanan dropped its counterclaim against Jain. She has since appealed that decision.

After an Aug. 28 hearing, Jain was ordered to pay $2.4 million in fees incurred by Buchanan and Morgan to defend against her malpractice lawsuit. Jim Robinson, a partner of White & Case, represented Buchanan and Morgan during the lawsuit.