John is chair of the firm’s complex litigation group. John has a diverse national practice focusing on complex litigation, including class actions, product liability, business torts, construction, intellectual property, commercial litigation, and other high-stakes litigation. His clients include businesses of all types, from small enterprises to multinational companies. He has also represented a number of prominent individuals including professional athletes, entertainers and Fortune 500 executives. As a trial lawyer for more than 30 years, John has served as lead counsel in a number of high profile cases in both federal and state courts, achieving a national reputation in the presentation of complex technical, scientific and economic evidence.
John first gained national recognition for his representation of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, whom he represented for more than a decade in a series of highly publicized cases involving a recalled agricultural pesticide. He served as lead counsel in dozens of product liability cases throughout the U.S. and Latin America, successfully trying numerous cases to verdict as first-chair trial counsel. John’s diverse experience includes a wide variety of cases, including construction, business torts, products liability, intellectual property, RICO claims, securities fraud, probate litigation and personal injury cases, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in jury and non-jury cases. He also has considerable experience in the management and coordination of complex and multi-district litigation, class actions and mass torts involving a variety of industries, including chemicals, tobacco, medical products, building products and consumer products. Prior to joining the firm, John was a Principal Shareholder in the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig, where he served as co-chair of that firm’s global products liability and mass torts practice group.
John grew up in Orlando. After graduating from Bishop Moore High School, he attended Florida State University and went on to earn his law degree, with honors, from Florida State University College of Law. John has received numerous professional accolades including being named 2019 Orlando Products Liability Defense Lawyer of the Year, by Best Lawyers In America magazine. John has held an “AV/Preeminent” rating by Martindale Hubbell for more than 30 years and is listed in Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, Best Lawyers in America, Orlando Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Orlando and Florida Super Lawyers magazine. John and his wife, Devon, live in Orlando. They have four sons.
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Notable Work
- Trial counsel for a Fortune 100 product manufacturer in a six-month long products liability trial in Honolulu, Hawaii, involving 11 consolidated cases and claimed damages in excess of $50 million
- Trial counsel for a Fortune 100 chemical manufacturer in a RICO jury trial in Miami-Dade County, Florida, involving claims of more than $100 million in environmental damage to properties located in Latin America
- Trial counsel for a Fortune 500 energy company in jury trial in U.S. District Court involving state and federal whistleblower claims exceeding $10 million alleging violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) arising from construction of electrical power plant in Guatemala
- Trial counsel for a software developer in copyright infringement jury trial against global software distributor in U.S. District Court
- Trial counsel for a Fortune 100 manufacturer in a product liability trial in state court in Charlotte County, Florida; the case involved alleged damages of more than $15 million for personal injuries, property damage and fraud
- Trial counsel for a global chemical manufacturer in environmental damage, product liability and fraud jury trial in U.S. District Court involving claimed damages in excess of $10 million
- Trial counsel for prime contractor of V.A. health care facility in Miller Act construction claim brought by an electrical subcontractor in U.S. District Court
- Trial counsel for an individual plaintiff/shooting victim in excessive force/wrongful shooting jury trial in Seminole County, Florida, resulting in substantial compensatory and punitive damage award
- Trial counsel for a plaintiff-homeowner in fraud, breach of warranty and deceptive trade practices claim in Seminole County, Florida, against national pest-control firm
- Lead counsel for Japan-based global technology company in prosecution of multi-million dollar fraud action in Northern District of California
- Lead counsel for lessor of commercial equipment lease in successful prosecution of multi-million dollar breach of contract claim in Southern District of New York
- Lead counsel for largest U.S. real estate brokerage firm in defense of tortious interference and unfair trade practices claim involving acquisition of Florida-based brokerage
- Lead counsel for UK-based real estate developer in defense of dozens of federal and state securities fraud actions involving sales of resort hotel condominiums
- Lead counsel for global manufacturer of nutritional supplements in patent infringement, Lanham Act and tortious interference litigation in Florida and Hawaii federal courts
- Lead counsel for major Wall Street investment firm in a series of tortious interference and lender liability cases arising from defaulted municipal bonds in South Florida
- Lead counsel for School Board of Orange County, Florida, in successful defense of a voting rights suit challenging results of $500+ million sales tax referendum
- Lead counsel for chair and CEO of a Fortune 100 company in a series of RICO cases in which the chair was named as an individual defendant; succeeded in obtaining dismissals of all claims
- Lead counsel for global rental car company in a multimillion-dollar claim by its European booking agent in U.S. District Court in Orlando, Florida; the case involved claims for breach of contract, tortious interference, conspiracy, breach of fiduciary duties, and theft of trade secrets
- Lead counsel for Florida-based homebuilder in multidistrict mass-tort product liability litigation in New Orleans, Louisiana, involving Chinese drywall
- Lead counsel for U.S.-based generic drug manufacturer in RICO class action involving claims arising from the development and sale of generic versions of branded prescription drug
- Represented a national real estate developer in defense and settlement of multiple state and federal consumer fraud class actions in Las Vegas, Nevada, involving cancellation of $500 million+ condominium project
- Lead counsel for one of the world’s leading high technology firms in a multimillion-dollar product defect, fraud and breach of contract suit involving the computer system for a national transportation network
- Lead counsel for Israel-based producer of biomaterial in multijurisdictional litigation involving alleged pesticide contamination
- Lead counsel for national real estate company in defense of multiple class actions involving properties located on a former U.S. Army bombing range
- Lead counsel for product manufacturer in defense of action brought by national media company under Florida’s Sunshine in Litigation Act
- Lead counsel for global medical device manufacturer in national class action involving claims for fraud and false advertising in marketing of medical testing devices
- Lead counsel for prominent professional athlete in defense of highly publicized civil sexual assault claim and prosecution of defamation counter-claim
- Counsel for Dutch-based chemical manufacturer in multiple wrongful death cases involving benzene exposure and leukemia
- Represented a major pharmaceutical manufacturer in multiple wrongful death cases involving a recalled bronchial inhaler used for the treatment of severe asthma attacks
- Represented a national food services company in wrongful death actions brought in connection with a highly publicized double homicide in U.S. District Court in Tampa, Florida
- Represented a large phosphate mining company in a class action land contamination/toxic torts case in Polk County, Florida
- Represented a Fortune 100 electronics manufacturer in multiple product liability cases involving motor vehicle fires associated with electrical component
- Represented a global electronics manufacturer in product safety/recall investigation involving failure of vendor-supplied computer components
- Represented a UK-based manufacturer of telecommunications equipment in product safety/recall investigation involving electrical fires associated with severe power fluctuations
- Represented a national retailer in implementation and coordination of nationwide recall of children’s jewelry containing excess levels of lead
- Represented a major tobacco manufacturer in multiple Engle progeny and secondhand smoking/environmental tobacco litigation cases
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Recognition
- Best Lawyers in America, 2010-2025
- Commercial Litigation
- Litigation - Real Estate
- Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
- Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
- Lawyer of the Year, 2019, 2021
- Florida Super Lawyers, 2011-2024
- Florida Trend, Legal Elite
- Commercial Litigation, 2013-2016, 2019
- AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale-Hubbell, 1994-present
- Orlando Magazine, Best Lawyers, 2010-2016, 2019-2021
- Orlando Magazine, Lawyer of the Year, Product Liability Litigation–Defendants, 2019-2021
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Media
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Affiliations
- The Florida Bar
- Orange County Bar Association
- Orange County Hispanic Bar Association, Founding Member
- Leadership Orlando, Class of 1991
- AdventHealth Cardiovascular Institute, Board of Directors
- Museum of Florida History
- Board of Directors, Former President
- Mennello Museum of American Art
- Board of Directors, Former President
- North Orlando Little League
- Central Florida Coalition for the Homeless
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Credentials
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Admissions
- Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Florida
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd and 11th Circuits
- U.S. Supreme Court
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Languages
