Florida Business Attorney, Family Killed in Plane Crash in Bahamas

A well-known Miami commercial litigation attorney, in practice for more than 50 years, and three family members were killed when the small plane he was piloting crashed into the sea after leaving the Bahamas.

The bodies of Mario A. Lamar, 80, his wife, Lili, and their two adult grandchildren were recovered Tuesday after a search of the waters off Andros Island, near Great Harbor Cay in the Bahamas, the South Florida Sun Sentinel and other news sites reported. The family was in route to Miami after spending time at Lamar’s second home in the Bahamas.

Lamar was an experienced pilot with more than 40 years in the sky, his niece told news sources. He was flying a PA-34 Piper aircraft.

Lamar, a graduate of the University of Miami, maintained a law office in Coral Gables, representing clients in business litigation disputes, according to the Florida Bar and other legal news sources. In 2021, the Florida Supreme Court suspended him from practice for three years after he was accused of a conflict of interest—representing and accepting payment from both sides in a dispute between former business partners.

One of Lamar’s clients won an $876,319 judgment against the attorney in a lawsuit in the case that alleged breach of fiduciary duty and fraud.

Lamar petitioned for license reinstatement in 2024, and the Supreme Court granted it after requiring him to attend trust accounting and ethics classes.