Find Lawyers in Florida, United States for Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Practice Area Overview
It is important for a defendant not to ignore the deadline to answer the complaint, because doing so can lead a court to decide in favor of the plaintiff and award money damages. Many times, a defendant will have insurance that covers any allegations being made in a complaint. For example, if you are being sued for an auto accident, you probably have car insurance. If someone was injured on your property, you probably have homeowner’s insurance. If you believe you have insurance for the claims being made against you, immediately contact your insurance agent to report the claim and to provide information about the complaint. Failing to do this could result in an insurance company refusing to pay for any money damages awarded in the lawsuit. If you do not have insurance for the claims being made against you, it is important to contact an attorney so that they can protect your interests in court.
When you are a defendant in a civil lawsuit (a matter not involving a crime) you need to consult with a civil defense attorney who specializes in litigation (i.e., matters pending in court). Civil defense attorneys tend to specialize in a specific area. Some examples include: auto claims, homeowner claims, business/contract claims, property disputes, etc. Before hiring a lawyer, you should determine if a particular lawyer has experience in the subject matter relevant to the complaint. If you have insurance that covers a specific claim, your insurance company will typically hire and pay the lawyer for you.
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Cities
David Banker is an experienced civil trial lawyer who has tried a broad range of cases in federal and state courts involving products liability, employment discrimination, medical negligence, personal injury, commercial disputes and consumer disputes. Mr. Banker has also litigated mass tort and class action cases involving prescription drugs, medical devices and consumer products.
Chris Barkas is a shareholder in Carr Allison’s Tallahassee, Florida office where his practice focuses primarily on the defense of commercial vehicle claims, employment-related claims, professional liability claims and retail/premises liability claims. An AV-rated attorney through Martindale-Hubbell, Chris has practiced law in the North Florida area for more than 20 years and has conducted jury trials in many of the counties in the area. In the early part of his career, Chris was an Ass...
Renee L. Brant is a partner in Wicker Smith’s Fort Lauderdale office handling cases concerning medical malpractice and general negligence matters. Mrs. Brant graduated from Baylor University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and environmental sciences. She then continued her education at Stetson College of Law, where she earned a Juris Doctor cum laude in 2000. She has been practicing medical malpractice for approximately 15 years, including local and regional f...
Oscar J. Cabanas is a managing partner of the firm and works in the Miami office of Wicker Smith where he has been a shareholder since 1999. He holds an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell and focuses his practice in healthcare, professional liability, products liability, commercial litigation, and transportation. Mr. Cabanas has been honored as Best Lawyers in America’s® Miami Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year” in 2022 and 2018...
Michael J. Corso is chair for the Tort and Insurance Litigation practice area. His current civil trial practice area is heavily involved in the defense of non-medical professionals, including lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers and surveyors, copyright/trademark infringement, product liability and also more general tort defense matters in litigation. Mike frequently writes and speaks on issues regarding the defense of non-medical professionals and law office risk management issues to ...
Michael Costello was born and raised in Central Florida. In his youth, his competitive spirit became apparent through his participation in local sports. His drive manifested itself in high school as he received Varsity letters in baseball, football, and track, and was named captain of the baseball team. He has always played to win, and he continues to carry this determination for success on behalf of his clients. Michael attended Saint Leo University near the Tampa area of Southern Florida fo...
Mr. Evangelista practices in all facets of civil litigation, focusing on cases involving professional liability, medical malpractice, medical device and drug manufacturers, pharmacies, aviation mishaps and aircraft manufacturers, airports, sports and recreation, products liability, transportation liability, and catastrophic loss. He also concentrates a major portion of his practice to health care related disputes and operational issues involving hospitals and medical providers. Represents: Pr...
David, a shareholder at Taylor Day, leads the automobile insurance team in defending first and third-party insurance claims. This includes work in the areas of personal injury protection (PIP), Bodily Injury (BI), Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist and Coverage issues. In addition to advocating for his clients, David has also served as an expert witness for several national insurance companies and is a Florida state-certified continuing education instructor. When it is time to take a break f...
Dale Hightower was born and raised in Lakeland, Florida, a town between Tampa and Orlando. He grew up loving adventures on the water, paddling a canoe and fishing alone in nearby lakes. His leadership skills became apparent in his youth as he was an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts, Senior Class President at Lakeland High School, and Student Body President at Florida Southern College. He also was elected Student Body President at Cumberland Law School in Alabama. After law school, he began worki...
John is a Shareholder in the firm’s Litigation Group. He is an active trial lawyer who has tried more than 100 jury trials in both state and federal court throughout Florida. His cases have included personal injury, products liability, medical malpractice, premises liability, long-term healthcare, and pharmaceutical litigation. John has represented several major national corporations in defense of personal injury litigation. In addition, he has served as counsel for pharmaceutical corpo...
Gabriel Imperato’s personal practice includes representing individuals and organizations accused of healthcare fraud and assisting and advising healthcare organizations on corporate governance and compliance matters. Mr. Imperato is board certified as a specialist in Health Law by the Florida Bar. He is also certified in Health Care Compliance (CHC) by the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics and the Health Care Compliance Association (SCCE/HCCA). This national accreditation refle...
Chris N. Kolos focuses his practice on the defense of environmental contamination suits, CERCLA litigation, toxic substance exposure cases, and pharmaceutical, products liability, nursing home, assisted living facility, and many other types of personal injury cases. He has substantial experience defending cases involving industrial chemicals and asbestos. He also defends insurers in bad faith and insurance coverage cases. He has served as national coordinating counsel and regional trial couns...
Craig's practice involves the defense of products liability and high-exposure personal injury claims on behalf of manufacturers and businesses. Craig has represented and served as national trial and litigation management counsel for a diverse range of clients, including global medical device companies, a major tobacco company, international hotel brands, asbestos manufacturers and numerous other Fortune 500 industrial, commercial and consumer manufacturers headquartered in the United States a...
Grayson Miller is a partner and attorney in the firm’s Pensacola office where he handles litigation primarily throughout the Florida panhandle and southern Alabama. Grayson is an AV-Rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized in “The Best Lawyers in America” for Personal Injury - Defendants for 2023 and 2024. His practice is mostly centered around defending basically all types of complex personal injury and wrongful death claims. He has significant experienc...
Michael has been practicing law for over 35 years, of which the last 20 have been devoted to insurance defense litigation. He tries significant product liability cases where there is catastrophic damage and/or serious injury or death. Michael also defends doctors, dentists, hospitals, and their employees, as well as other professionals such as lawyers, in malpractice suits and claims brought against them. To date, Michael has tried over 300 cases to verdict. Michael has also handled matters i...
Out of well over 1000 civil trial attorneys in North Florida, Michael Fox Orr was recognized by Attorney-at-Law Magazine as one of the “top 8 civil litigators.” Michael tries civil jury and bench trials primarily in the area of complex commercial and civil litigation with significant damages at issue. Most of his cases involving situations where the company could be bankrupted or an individual stands to lose their net worth. His experience and success as a civil trial lawyer has l...
Rhett Parker focuses his practice on litigation. His trial and litigation experience includes premises liability, traffic accident, wrongful death, personal injury, criminal defense and insurance coverage. He also practices in construction litigation for engineers, contractor and developers and is licensed to practice in all Florida state and federal courts, including the northern, middle and southern districts. Prior to joining Phelps Dunbar, Rhett served as an assistant public defender in t...
With more than 40 years of experience as an appellate lawyer, and more than 2,000 appeals in state and federal courts, Elliot brings a practical and client-centered approach to his work. Elliot's practice covers a wide range of substantive law, which enables him to counsel his clients on both their legal rights and structuring their transactions. He is the co-chair of the firm's National Appellate Practice Group.
Robert Schrader is a shareholder in the firm and has over 25 years of state and federal litigation experience. He concentrates his practice in the areas of general litigation and trial advocacy. He serves a diverse client base and maintains an active caseload throughout Florida in matters involving premises liability, general liability, automobile personal injury defense, trucking liability, negligent security, wrongful death, and products liability. Mr. Schrader has tried numerous jury and n...
Kurt M. Spengler, a partner in the Orlando office, is a board certified trial lawyer by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education. He is also certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in Civil Trial Law. Kurt has over 30 years of experience and has tried approximately 70 civil jury trials, including at least 10 wrongful death cases. Kurt has represented motor carriers for most of his career, but over the past 10 years, his work in this area has increased to approxima...
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