Florida Bar Summaries
From the March 2025 Florida Bar discipline summaries
Alex S. Barnett, 2500 Jennings Rd., Silver Spring, MD, disciplinary revocation without leave to seek readmission effective immediately following a February 13 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2018) Barnett entered into a disciplinary revocation without leave to apply for readmission due to social media posts, other communications and/or filings that contained disparaging, impugning, and/or threatening language directed at courts, attorneys, and others which resulted in Barnett pleading nolo contendere to multiple felony charges. (Case No. SC2025-0083)
Nicole Marie Pearl, 1172 S. Dixie Hwy, Apt. 163, Coral Gables, disciplinary revocation with leave to seek readmission after five years effective 30 days following a January 30 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2014) Pearl petitioned for disciplinary revocation following a judicial finding of fraudulent conduct in connection with a real estate development project. The Supreme Court granted the petition. (Case No. SC24-1814)
Johnny A. Pineyro, 8601 Commodity Circle, Suite 100, Orlando, suspended for 91 days with proof of rehabilitation required prior to reinstatement, effective 30 days following a January 30 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1997) After a motion for sanctions was filed in a civil matter, Pineyro submitted an affidavit to the court that was not accurate regarding his involvement in the representation. Pineyro explained that he was not counsel in the interpleader action at issue. Pineyro drafted an affidavit, which he sent to his attorney who made substantial changes to the affidavit. Pineyro then signed the affidavit without thoroughly reviewing the content. His attorney filed it with the court. The affidavit failed to explain that Pineyro had assisted counsel in the case by reviewing a few pleadings and answering some questions, which led to additional litigation. After several days of testimony in the interpleader action, the court entered an order denying the motion for sanctions and referring Pineyro to The Florida Bar. (Case No. SC24-0913)
Andrea Povilaitis, 5505 North Atlantic Ave., Suite 207, Cocoa Beach, disbarred effective immediately following a February 6 court order. (Admitted to practice: 1997) Povilaitis concealed her neglect of a client’s civil case by paying him what she falsely claimed were his settlement funds from her personal checking account. In fact, there was no settlement because she never filed the case, and she made misrepresentations to the Bar about the nonexistent settlement during the Bar’s investigation. In a second case, Povilaitis was arrested in 2021 for driving while under the influence, for causing property damage after she crashed her vehicle, and for resisting arrest without violence. Povilaitis ultimately pled no contest to reckless driving and was placed on probation. Povilaitis failed to respond to the Bar’s written investigative inquiries and failed to participate in the resulting disciplinary proceedings against her. (Case No. SC24-0811)
Stephen Everett Walker, 810 Saturn St., Suite 16, Jupiter, suspended from the practice of law for three years effective 30 days following a February 27 court order. (Admitted to practice: 2001) Walker filed a civil complaint against his former romantic partner that included numerous unprofessional and derogatory statements about her and forwarded the complaint to her family and friends. Subsequently, he voluntarily dismissed the case and filed a second civil complaint which included numerous salacious and explicit statements that were included only to embarrass, humiliate, and harass his former partner. He also included new counts against others and made false accusations of RICO violations and misrepresentations to the court. Walker forwarded the second civil complaint to his partner’s family and friends. Further, Walker was charged with two misdemeanor counts of violating a restraining order against his former partner. (Case No. SC2023-1205)
(Mike Frisch)