The Fourth District Court of Appeal, with deep sadness, mourns the passing of our colleague, friend, and brother, the Honorable Frederick A. (“Fred”) Hazouri.  Judge Hazouri’s life was defined by integrity, service, and an unwavering commitment to justice.  Beyond his distinguished career, Judge Hazouri’s greatest legacy lies in the many lives which he touched though mentorship, education, and kindness.

 

Fred received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 1965, and his law degree, with Honors, from the University of Florida in 1967.

 

In 1967, Fred began his career working as a law clerk on the Fourth District Court of Appeal.  He then worked in private practice for twenty-seven years, first with a longstanding West Palm Beach civil litigation firm, before launching his own successful civil litigation firm.  He became a board-certified trial lawyer who earned a reputation for demonstrating the highest level of skills and professionalism throughout his career.  He was a longtime member of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, serving as its President from 1980-81.  He also was chosen for membership in the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and as a Diplomat of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

 

In 1995, Fred was appointed to serve as a Circuit Court Judge for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County.  In 1998, Judge Hazouri was appointed to serve as an Appellate Judge on the Fourth District Court of Appeal, returning to where he had begun his public service thirty-one years earlier.  He served on the Fourth District Court of Appeal for fifteen years until his retirement from public service in 2013.  He spent the remainder of his career serving as a civil litigation mediator in South Florida.

 

During his service on the appellate bench, Judge Hazouri authored nearly 500 opinions.  He was a valued Trial Skills instructor at both the Florida Judicial College and the Florida College of Advanced Judicial Studies.  He also served as a mentor to appellate judges, trial judges, law clerks, and attorneys throughout Florida.  He spent many years volunteering as an instructor and mentor in the Palm Beach County public schools system, teaching the virtues of the American justice system to students of all ages.

 

Judge Hazouri received the Florida Justice Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, and received the Craig S. Barnard American Inn of Court’s Outstanding Jurist Award in 2012.

 

Above all, Judge Hazouri was an admired and trusted colleague, friend, and brother to the judges and staff who had the honor of working with him, and a well-respected judge to the attorneys who had the privilege of appearing before him.  His wisdom, compassion, and devotion to public service will carry forward through the lives which he shaped and the lasting impact which he made on the community which he loved.

 

Judge Hazouri is survived by his beloved wife, former Fourth District Court of Appeal Judge and Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente, their children, grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

 

In tribute to Judge Hazouri’s honorable life and devoted public service, the Fourth District Court of Appeal’s flags were flown at half-staff from Monday, September 28, through Friday, October 2.  May Judge Hazouri’s memory be a blessing.