FL Supreme Court disbars West Palm Beach lawyer for social media misconduct

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla (CBS12) — A West Palm Beach lawyer was disbarred by the Florida Supreme Court last week for posting negative comments to social media about people he was suing.

Before his disbarment, Malik Leigh was a founding partner and Family and Circuit Civil Mediator at Watson Leigh in West Palm Beach.

According to CBS12 partners at the Sun Sentinel, Malik Leigh has practiced law for the past 14 years. Complaints alleging social media slander began in 2016 with a lawsuit against the Palm Beach County School District and two of its employees.

The Supreme Court ruled that Leigh accused the judge of racial bias without a basis for the accusation.

See also: St. Lucie deputies arrest Broward County man in child sex predator sting

In posts to social media, Leigh allegedly wrote about being excited to ask a defendant "how much money she's stolen from the schools." In another post, he used a picture of Jim Carrey's character in 'The Mask' holding a tommy gun, according to the Sun Sentinel.

"During the litigation, Leigh made a number of threatening social media posts directed at the opposing parties in the cases, which raised significant security concerns about those involved in the litigation and necessitated the entry of a protective order by the federal court," the Supreme Court ruled.

After the 2017 ruling, he continued to make what the courts considered 'unacceptable' posts to social media despite court orders barring him from doing so.

While he was charged with six counts of misconduct, the Florida Bar allegedly found 24 violations between 2016 and 2023.

The court ordered his disbarment, citing his failure to follow court orders, and display of contempt for "the courts, the parties involved, and the legal system as a whole.

“The charges from the Bar are all based on retaliation,” Leigh said in a brief phone interview late Thursday with the Sun Sentinel. “For the most part, one just has to look at the record to see that it’s all b.s.”

Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter to get the day's top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the biggest stories and can't miss video.