After two days of fierce competition, Yamilet Soler (3L), Grant Albert (3L), and Allison González (3L) advanced all the way to the Final Round, where they argued in front of the Florida Supreme Court to secure FIU Law’s second place title.
“Competing is often two-fold,” third-year law student Allison González remarks. “It is nerve-wracking, but it is also an adrenaline rush that can’t be beaten. The way I feel at that podium is the reason I know that I made the right decision in pursuing a law career. Everyone should get to experience that same rush.”
Professor Katryna Santa Cruz, who teaches Legal Skills & Values at Florida International University College of Law, describes her pride at the competitor’s dedication and performance:
“Coaching Allison, Yamilet, and Grant pre-competition was rewarding in and of itself; because I got to witness them work together to draft a brief, develop and redevelop their arguments as they found new case law, reason their way through arguments and rebuttals, and master their oral arguments.”
Our team argued against teams from prominent Florida law schools, such as Stetson, St. Thomas, University of Miami, University of Florida, and Ave Maria. Attorneys, trial court judges, appellate court judges, and the Justices of the Florida Supreme Court nodded in approval while our team orated.
Allison, Grant, and Yamilet will be successful advocates for years to come, and their careers are only just getting started. We cannot wait to see what they accomplish next!
The questions presented for argument were as follows:
Whether the independent tort doctrine applies to non-products liability cases after the Florida Supreme Court’s decision in Tiara, and, if so, whether the application of the independent tort doctrine necessitated the dismissal of Plaintiff’s civil theft and conversion claims with prejudice?
Whether a party, who is not a resident of Florida and not a consumer, can have standing to sue for relief under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, and if so, whether the Florida Supreme Court’s ruling in Murthy necessitated the dismissal of Plaintiff’s Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act claim against the qualifying agent with prejudice?
To find out more about the Moot Court Team at Florida International University College of Law, please visit https://law.fiu.edu/academics/experiential-learning/competition-teams/moot-court/