FBI Involved After Two Florida Injury Lawyers Go Missing From Fishing Trip
Two south Florida injury attorneys, one a former insurance defense counsel, were still missing Sunday after their fishing boat was found southwest of Naples with the engine still running.
The FBI has joined the investigation into what may have happened to Randall Spivey, 57, a prominent lawyer in Fort Myers, and his nephew, 33-year-old Brandon Billmaier, of Boca Raton, according to news reports. Spivey led his own firm, specializing in injury and wrongful death suits, and Billmaier was with the Shiner Law Group.
Billmaier previously worked as in-house counsel for an insurance carrier, then at a large defense firm, the Shiner Law website indicates.
The two set out on a fishing trip on the morning of Dec. 19 from the Fort Myers area. They were supposed to return that evening, the Palm Beach Post and other news outlets reported. When they did not check in that night, their wives contacted the U.S. Coast Guard. The Guard and dozens of volunteers searched a large area off southwest Florida.
By midnight Saturday, the Coast Guard had found the boat, named “Unstopp-A-Bull,” about 70 miles off the coast of Naples. Two life jackets were missing from the boat but the men were not found. Billmaier’s wife told news outlets that Coast Guard officials surmised that one of the men fell into the water and the other went in after him, not realizing the motor was still running, the U.S. Sun and Gulf Coast News Now reported.
The Coast Guard suspended the search Monday evening.
The unusual circumstances and FBI involvement have led to widespread speculation on social media, with some suggesting that foul play or foreign interests were involved.
Spivey earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and his law degree from Loyola University. He was board-certified in civil trial law, was a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and was known for a number of large jury verdicts over the last two decades, his firm’s web page indicates.
In 2013, Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal upheld a $3 million verdict against State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance after a schoolteacher was severely injured in a car crash, the Naples Daily News reported at the time. The teacher had sought the $2 million policy limit on his underinsured motorist policy, but State Farm offered $190,000.
Billmaier, born in Ohio, obtained his bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Toledo. After graduation, he worked for a number of years for an insurance company and then for a large insurance defense law firm, the Shiner website noted.
In a statement, the Shiner Law Group said the firm members are saddened by the disappearance, and noted that Billmaier is a valued member of the firm and a great lawyer, the Palm Beach Post reported.
Top photo: The Naples shoreline (AdobeStock)