14-year-old Andrew “Peewee” Joseph went to the Florida State Fairgrounds to attend the annual state fair on opening day with his friends. Peewee was dropped off at the fair by one of his friend’s mom.  The plan was to come back to the drop off spot at 10 pm after the fair ended.

Some other kids who were acting up at the fair got in trouble with law enforcement.  Peewee knew one of them, and when Peewee saw this boy’s FSU baseball cap fall to the ground, in an act of kindness, Peewee picked up the hat and handed it to him.  A Hillsborough Sheriff’s deputy saw this and without any reason proceeded to kick Peewee out of the fair near the interstate highway and far away from the drop off spot. Peewee asked to go through the fair to get to his ride but was threatened by deputies with arrest.  Not being familiar with the area, Peewee did his best to find his way.

But Peewee was struck and killed instantly by a motorist as Peewee ran across the highway trying to find his ride home. The Jospeh Family hired Rubin & Rubin to pursue justice. And after appeals by the Sheriff and the Florida State Fair, Guy Rubin and his team went to trial in federal court in Tampa in a high profile 2-week trial.  The Florida State Fair settled for the maximum before the trial started. At trial, trying to escape liability, the Sheriff blamed Peewee and his parents. The jury rejected those arguments returning a $15 million verdict for Peewee’s devastated parents.

Guy Rubin and the Rubin & Rubin team fought dozens of government lawyers for years to uncover the facts to present compelling evidence and arguments which convinced the jury to provide justice to The Joseph Family.

If you or a loved one suffered a similar catastrophic loss, call Rubin & Rubin.  We would be honored to share our experiences with you and discuss how we might help you.