20+ years of civil trial practice
Law Degree: Juris Doctor, University of Florida, 1995 Passed the Bar, 1995, First Try
Undergraduate Degree: B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Tech, 1984
Litigation experience: wrongful death, personal injury, product liability, employment, sexual harassment, administrative agency, and appellate work. Handled hundreds of claims, litigated scores of cases, and took many through jury trial and appeal. Member of the Florida Bar since 1995, always in good standing.
Certified, experienced mediator.
Appealed cases with published opinions available on the web are:
Nichols v. State Farm, (851 So. 2d 742) (Fla 5th DCA 2003), rev'g (932 So. 2d 1067)(Fla. 2006)
Held: No-Fault cases are civil cases. There is no such thing as a "General Release."
Thomas's initial brief on 1st party issue
Thomas's answer brief on proposal of settlement issue
Costin v. Famu Bd. of Trustees, 972 So.2d 1084 (Fla. 5th DCA 2008) Held: State agency does not have absolute discretion over interpreting its own rules.
Peacher v. Cohn, 786 So. 2d 1282 (Fla. 5th DCA 2001) Held: Party has absolute right to backstrike juror at any time before the jury panel is sworn.
Frye hearing ruling excluding a "medical biomechanics injury causation" as junkscience. It remains the longest and most detailed opinion to date. It has been used nationwide.
Separate story of an expert who invented a junkscience of invisible bitemarks. http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/out_of_the_blue
Prior experience: 9 years as an aerospace engineer in military defense and auto industries as a senior design engineer for structural and mechanical design for the F-15E Strike Eagle, the AV-8B Harrier jump jet, the YF-23 Black Widow II stealth fighter. Initial configuration of proposed aircraft starting with a blank sheet and a weapon load for stealth attack and fighter aircraft. Designed bird strike test parts. Structural and failure analysis. Initiated and ran cost saving test programs for carbon-epoxy structures, reducing costs about 25% but with increased strength. Design of cabin and engine parts for trucks and passenger cars.
Founder of the Orlando Plaintiffs PIP Attorneys for no fault insurance, organized and was the main presenter of an approved CLE seminar with the group. Current or past member of: Florida Justice Association (previously the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers), Central Florida Trial Lawyers, Orange County Bar Association, Florida Employment and Labor Attorneys.
Speaks some Portuguese, some Spanish. Hears less of both.