Charlie “Chuck” Farah Jr., the Jacksonville attorney known for Farah & Farah's ubiquitous local advertising, has been suspended from practicing law in Florida for 90 days. The Florida Supreme Court's order, issued October 1, 2026, takes effect 30 days later, and comes with a requirement that Farah pay $2.16 million in legal fees and attend the Florida Bar's Ethics School.
What the Bar Found
According to the Florida Bar, the discipline stems from findings that Farah failed to adequately communicate with clients, failed to provide diligent representation and failed to secure written contingency agreements with clients. The Supreme Court determined Farah violated four Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, specifically rules 4-1.3, 4-1.4(a), 4-1.16(a)(1), and 4-1.5(f)(2), according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. Farah, a partner at Farah & Farah, was admitted to practice law in 1990, per the Bar.
Farah's attorney, Hank Coxe, said his client accepts the court's decision. “Chuck Farah acted honestly and transparently throughout the process,” Coxe said, adding that Farah built his commitment to his profession and community over nearly 40 years and remains dedicated to both.
Roots in a Massive Tobacco Case
The discipline traces back to the sprawling Engle-progeny tobacco litigation. Engle v. Liggett Group Inc. was a landmark class-action lawsuit in which a jury returned a $145 billion punitive damages verdict against major tobacco companies. The Third District Court of Appeal decertified the Engle class action in 2006, and the Florida Supreme Court affirmed that decision in 2007, leading to thousands of individual Engle-progeny suits filed by smokers against tobacco companies.
Farah partnered with fellow Jacksonville attorney Norwood Wilner to divide labor and evenly split recovered attorney fees in the litigation, the Daily Record reported. Under their arrangement, Wilner's firm would be responsible for prosecuting the cases, while Farah & Farah provided administrative support and financial assistance, according to a Florida Bar referee report. In 2008, Wilner's firm filed roughly 3,700 Engle-progeny complaints, per court filings tied to the case. Wilner's firm filed those complaints on behalf of 4,432 tobacco plaintiffs, and Farah & Farah originated 163 of those plaintiffs, the referee report states. The referee report says Wilner's office typed Farah's name in the signature block of all 3,700 complaints; Farah provided personnel support and financial backing.
Federal Sanctions and a Years-Long Case
In 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida issued an opinion and order finding that Farah and Wilner were responsible for filing and maintaining hundreds of frivolous complaints, including cases involving deceased plaintiffs, nonsmokers and people Wilner could not contact. The federal court found the pair violated Rule 11 and 28 U.S.C. §1927, and directed that Wilner and Farah be reprimanded and sanctioned more than $9.16 million.
That sanction was later reduced, though accounts of the final figure differ: the Daily Record reported the reduced amount at $4.33 million, while jaxtoday.org reported it as $4.3 million. Both outlets agree Farah and Wilner each paid half.
The path to Farah's suspension was not straightforward. A 2023 Florida Bar referee had recommended that discipline was not warranted, finding the Bar had failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that Farah violated the charged rules. The Florida Supreme Court disagreed in 2025, finding Farah guilty of violating Bar rules through his involvement in filing thousands of meritless personal injury claims in federal and state court, setting up this fall's 90-day suspension.
Farah's Legal Career
Chuck Farah was admitted to practice law in Florida in 1990.
Wilner's Own Discipline
Farah's co-counsel in the Engle litigation has already faced his own reckoning. The Florida Supreme Court suspended Norwood Wilner for 91 days in March 2022 for filing the claims and knowingly misrepresenting cases to federal court, according to the Daily Record.
Part of a Broader Disciplinary Sweep
Farah's case was one of 16 attorney discipline matters the Florida Bar listed in orders issued between September 24 and October 28, 2026. Among those 16, the Florida Supreme Court disbarred three attorneys, revoked one license, suspended 11 and reprimanded one. One of the disbarments involved Nancy Louise Grier, who was disbarred effective immediately following an October 22, 2026, order after the Bar said she accepted a retainer to prepare estate planning documents but completed no work, failed to appear twice for jury selection after announcing she was ready for trial, and behaved unprofessionally toward an alleged victim in a criminal matter and a relative of the opposing party in a case involving her mother.
