Top trial attorney and longtime friend of Above the Fold Stewart Grossman appeared on Evening Edition this week to weigh in on two high-profile legal battles that have the Southernmost City buzzing.
Grossman, a Miami-based litigator known for handling complex civil cases across Florida, first addressed the criminal trial of Lloyd Preston Brewer, the alleged Conch Town shooter. Brewer is accused in the 2022 fatal shooting of 21-year-old Garrett Hughes outside the popular Key West bar. Grossman previously represented the Hughes family in a wrongful death lawsuit against the businessman.
“This case has gripped the island community from the beginning,” Grossman said, noting that emotions remain raw more than two years after Hughes’ death.
Grossman also touched on a separate legal clash that has stirred passions far from the Duval Street nightlife scene. Prominent businessman Peter Batty has filed a libel suit against Monroe County Tax Collector Sam Steele, alleging Steele published defamatory statements after Batty’s son was cut from a youth baseball team for 7-year-olds. The suit claims Steele’s comments damaged Batty’s reputation and business interests.
The unusual mix of courtroom drama and Little League intrigue has fueled conversation across Key West, where high-profile figures and personal ties often overlap.
Both cases remain active in local courts.
