Wall Street Journal Reports on Cuba

The Wall Street Journal today contained a front page article on efforts by the families of Thomas "Pete" Ray and Howard Anderson, who were both brutally murdered by the Cuban government, to collect on judgments under the 1996 Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act. ZP&W represents Janet Weininger, the daughter of CIA pilot Thomas "Pete" Ray, whose plane was shot down during the April 19, 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. After being shot down, Mr. Ray was captured, executed and his body was desecrated while on display for nearly two decades.

Significant Appellate Victory for ZP&W

AMEDNEWS contained an article on ZP&W's appellate victory in the Adventist Health System/ Sunbelt Inc. v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield case. The article cited the appellate decision as "the first round in what doctors and hospitals hope to be a larger victory." The article outlines Florida's 5th District Court of Appeal decision that "physicians and hospitals can take their payment disputes to court under a state law that requires HMOs to pay non-contracted health care professionals for emergency treatment they give patients who belong to the network." The article quoted John M. Knight, Esq., General Counsel to the Florida Medical Association, as stating that "this decision finally resolved the biggest question as to whether or not doctors have the right to sue, and it provides a redress for physicians who, in the past, had to basically accept whatever the HMO wanted to pay." Leon Patricios was quoted in the article as stating that Adventist Health System, which operates seven facilities in the Orlando area that are not part of the BCBS network, was not appropriately reimbursed because the BCBS payments "did not reflect the usual and customary charges for comparable services in the geographical area. Usual and customary provider charges means the charges that other health care providers usually and customarily bill for their services." Mr. Patricios further stated that this case should "give providers the certainty to know what they are going to get paid when they treat patients in an emergency situation."

ZP&W Continues Firm Expansion

The Coral Gables Gazette today published an article on the expansion of Zumpano Patricios & Winker, P.A. into Chile. The article stated that "the law firm of Zumpano Patricios & Winker, P.A. is continuing its successful 'new globalism' approach to expansion". Citing ZP&W's growth, the article states that "with this office opening, the firm has catapulted to more than 40 members in fewer than three years, placing the firm among one of Coral Gables largest and fastest growing firms." Joseph Zumpano was quoted in the article as stating "with our latest representative Office opening in Santiago, we have grown the firm past the 40 member mark and further expanded our international reach. The fully integrated concept of 'new globalism' has taken off and resulted in our firm growing exponentially over the last three years while maintaining the quality of work that is the hallmark of ZP&W." The firm's Representative Office is located within the law firm of Betancourt Escarate & Concha y Cia. ZP&W has hired three attorney coordinators to oversee operations at the firm Marcelo Betancourt Merino, Pablo Concha Hermosilla and Angela Munoz Salazar. "Our newest Representative Office in Santiago strengthens our South American presence, especially since Santiago is the most important industrial and financial center of Chile," added Zumpano "Many multinational companies have their South American regional headquarters in Santiago, which opens up new avenues for business development and growth."