Donald Trump, former President of the United States, has recently engaged a smaller Florida litigant group, renowned for its Republican affiliations, to forward a new legal action against the co-founders of his social media enterprise. The firm, Lawson Huck Gonzalez, is representing Trump Media Technology Group Corp., the parent company of Truth Social, in a lawsuit aimed at Andy Litinsky and Wes Moss. According to the allegations, the co-founders violated their duties by failing to properly establish the company, thus invalidating their entitlement to shares currently valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. The pertinent documents can be found here.
Lawson Huck Gonzalez’s legal team is composed of Jason Gonzalez, the ex-General Counsel to Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, and Raymond Treadwell, the Chief Deputy General Counsel to DeSantis. Additionally, Samuel Salario, a former appeals court judge from Tampa, is also contributing to the case.
In the wake of the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, both Trump and his related entities have required legal representation from various small consultancies. It’s worth noting—an exception being two large legal firms that had previously discontinued representation of Trump.
Advising Trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents case and in Miami boutique Continental PLLC is Chris Kise, a former partner at Foley & Lardner who recently transferred to the aforementioned firm. Both Kise and Continental PLLC maintain close connections with DeSantis, who previously attempted to contest the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Representatives from Lawson Huck have yet to respond to requests for comments.
Currently, Lawson Huck employs fewer than 20 attorneys across various Florida offices and specializes in litigation and appeals cases. The enterprise, established in early 2021, has gradually integrated itself into conservative-leaning legal disputes.
Interestingly, Lawson Huck and Cooper Kirk, another boutique firm, recently represented the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District – the municipal authority overseeing Disney parks in the region – during a highly publicized conflict with Walt Disney Co. stemming originally from a disagreement between DeSantis and Disney. For more details on the final settlement, click here.
The Florida firm is also legal advisors to several companies, including the private equity behemoth Thoma Bravo LP and crypto-focused investment entity Paradigm Operations LP, currently dealing with the fallout from FTX’s bankruptcy.
The case, Trump Media & Technology Group v. United Atlantic Ventures, continues to unfold in Florida’s Circuit Court.