Healthcare
Healthcare Practice Group
The Healthcare Practice Group is led by Mark A. Hendricks, who is also the Managing Partner of the Firm and specializes in various aspects of healthcare liability and related administrative matters. Mr. Hendricks’ twenty-five years of litigation experience include numerous trials, appellate appearances, and regulatory appearances before the Agency for Health Care Administration, Department of Health and the Division of Administrative Hearings. Most recently, Mr. Hendricks has been at the forefront of new medical technology claims associated with novel use of stem cells, as well as developments associated with alleged medical negligence by providers of involuntary mental health and substance abuse care. Mr. Hendricks is also well versed in the regulatory scheme affecting assisted living facilities specifically.
Our firm has represented and defended various medical providers, including hospitals, physicians, municipal Fire and EMT personnel, medical transport entities, healthcare practitioners, healthcare companies, home care providers, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes. Our clients have included a wide array of healthcare practitioners, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and others. We have provided defense in pre-suit screening under the Florida Medical Malpractice Statute and represented various medical providers in defense of medical malpractice litigation. Our multidisciplinary healthcare group boasts decades of experience. Below are some examples of our attorneys’ experiences within the healthcare practice of the firm:
- Medical Malpractice Claims and Related Disciplinary Proceedings: Our firm routinely handles the defense of medical malpractice claims against a wide range of healthcare providers, including physicians, hospitals, medical clinics, physical rehabilitation centers, substance abuse treatment centers, nursing homes, hospice care facilities, assisted living facilities, mental health practitioners, nursing staff, and certified nurse midwives. We cover various cases involving issues such as defective medical equipment, unnecessary procedures, negligence, foreign bodies, spread of disease, failure to diagnose, care below the standard of care, unlicensed staffing, informed consent, and HIPAA violations. We also represent clients in related disciplinary proceedings, both prior to, and following a finding of probable cause before state licensing boards. Our firm has been at the forefront of defending client-practitioners related to the use of new medical technologies.
- Statewide Representation of Multi-State Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living, and Rehabilitation Owner: We serve as statewide defense counsel for a multi-state provider of nursing home facilities with over twenty facilities in Florida, handling nursing home negligence actions and premises liability actions.
- Certificate of Need (CON) – Exemption Litigation: Our attorneys have been involved in a multi-billion-dollar dispute spanning several years and involving an exemption to the certificate of need process for certain areas in Florida for open-heart surgery. This effort, made by a group of community-based hospitals, underwent CON challenges, significant legislative efforts, and culminated in litigation and appeals involving the country’s two largest hospital chains. Our attorneys prevailed with an exemption that provided the relief sought by our clients, ending years of protracted litigation.
- Certificate of Need (CON) Representation: We have represented numerous healthcare facilities, including hospice, rehabilitation hospitals, Long Term Acute Care Hospitals, nursing homes, acute care hospitals, and more. Our representation includes obtaining specified programs such as neonatal intensive care units, open-heart surgery units, additional beds, new programs, and expanding existing programs.
- Broad Defense of Healthcare Facilities: We have defended numerous tort, employment, and breach of contract claims involving medical facilities and providers. Our experience includes battery/sexual assault, negligent hiring/retention, premises liability, employment claims, and construction defect cases.
Our Healthcare Law Group consists of highly experienced attorneys with extensive knowledge and training in handling various healthcare-related matters. Our services include representing clients before the Agency for Healthcare Administration, Department of Health, Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH), Circuit Courts, and Appellate Courts throughout Florida. We participate in Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration (Agency) workshops, draft and develop Agency Rules in accordance with the Florida Administrative Procedures Act, and defend Agency Rules as valid exercises of delegated legislative authority. We also challenge Agency Rules deemed unconstitutional or in violation of the Florida Administrative Procedures Act, and handle extensive healthcare litigation matters involving formal administrative proceedings under Chapters 120 and 408 of the Florida Statutes.
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Udhaya Elangovan is an Associate in Lydecker’s Los Angeles office with approximately a decade of litigation experience. She is licensed to practice law in California and India and brings an international legal perspective to complex civil matters. Her practice spans a broad range of litigation, including products liability, toxic tort, real property disputes, employment matters, accident and personal injury claims, elder abuse, medical malpractice, immigration related issues, unlawful detainer actions, and family law.
Prior to practicing in the United States, Ms. Elangovan practiced at the Law Offices of Justice G.R. Swaminathan before the High Court of Judicature at Madras in India. During this time she handled a diverse docket of civil matters involving real property, employment disputes, accident claims, and family law proceedings. She was also appointed Advocate Commissioner by the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) in a significant labor dispute, where she assisted the court in fact finding and contributed to a resolution that protected the rights of hundreds of employees.
In addition to her litigation experience, Ms. Elangovan previously served as Compliance Counsel on Google’s Legal Investigations Team. In that role she advised an international team on issues involving data security, user privacy, and regulatory compliance, providing legal insight on sensitive and complex matters involving global technology operations.
Ms. Elangovan is deeply committed to serving diverse and immigrant communities and assisting clients through complex and often life changing legal challenges. She approaches her work with a combination of strategic legal analysis, clear communication, and empathy to help clients navigate difficult situations with confidence.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Elangovan served as Secretary of the Women Lawyers Association in India, where she helped organize and lead legal aid initiatives designed to expand access to justice for underserved communities.
Her professional philosophy is influenced by leadership thinkers such as Brené Brown and Simon Sinek, whose work on vulnerability, purpose, and leadership informs her client centered approach to the practice of law.
Mr. Hendricks is the Managing Partner for Lydecker LLP. He practices out of the firm’s Miami and Boca Raton offices where he maintains an active trial and civil litigation practice in the Federal, State, and Appellate Courts throughout the State of Florida. Mr. Hendricks’ areas of practice include general civil litigation and trial practice, commercial litigation, professional liability/malpractice defense, insurance/tort liability defense, and labor and employment. He also serves as lead trial counsel for the firm’s clients and carriers and oversees the firm’s trial teams. He has over 25 years of experience representing clients and has successfully defended clients against multi-million dollar cases as lead trial counsel. He is often called upon to assist clients and carriers on high exposure and large loss claims in his capacity as monitoring counsel or co-counsel.
Upon graduating with Honors from the University of Miami School of Law, Mr. Hendricks began practicing as an associate Greenberg, Traurig, in the environmental litigation and land use department. Looking to further his litigation experience he accepted a position as a practiced commercial litigation associate with Kimbrell & Hamann. In 1990, Mr. Hendricks relocated to Palm Beach County where he spent several years practicing insurance defense and commercial litigation at Walton Lantoff. He subsequently joined the firm of Carman, Beauchamp and Sang as a senior associate and trial attorney. From 1999 thru 2007, Mr. Hendricks was employed as a partner at Panza, Maurer, Maynard & Noel where he served as a senior litigation partner and lead trial attorney for many of the firm’s corporate, institutional and governmental clients.
In law school, Mr. Hendricks was the winner of the University of Miami Law School’s Mock Trial Competition and member of the National Trial Competition Team. He also served as a member of the Inter-American Law Review, member of the Society of Bar & Gavel, Society of Wig and Robe, and was inducted into the school’s Moot Court Board.
Mr. Hendricks’ representative clients include private and public educational institutions, environmental, pollution and toxic tort defense, prison liability, prison healthcare and liability, public and private corporations, municipal governments, state agencies and political subdivisions, insurance companies and self-insured entities. Mr. Hendricks’ trial experience includes Federal, state and appellate proceedings including public procurements and bid protests.
Mr. Norris’s practice primarily involves representing, defending, and counseling business owners regarding a diverse array of legal issues. Mr. Norris has had the privilege of successfully representing hotel operators and other hospitality businesses, medical practices, airlines, MROs, universities, banks, governmental entities, large institutional clients, and small businesses.
Mr. Norris has extensively litigated matters involving labor and employment law, commercial law, professional liability, hospitality law, premises liability, ADA accessibility, real estate, admiralty and maritime, wrongful death, and various types of negligence. Mr. Norris has defended private and public employers in all phases of litigation, from administrative hearings through trial on matters arising under Federal, State and local employment laws.
Mr. Norris also has extensive experience servicing business owners in the preparation and negotiation of contracts, including stock purchase and asset purchase agreements, ensuring compliance with laws, rules, and regulations, and providing guidance to mitigate risk and limit liability.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Norris served as in-house counsel for a successful Real Estate Investment Company that focused on acquiring and re-positioning distressed assets.
Robert Pariser supervises a talented team of attorneys who practice in the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania offices. The attorneys I collaborate with are comprised of former educators, prosecutors, law clerks to state and federal judges and insurance professionals.
Robert Pariser’s legal practice focuses on the defense of claims against professionals (E&O, A&B, LPL or MPL), directors and officers (D&O) and against employers (EPL). Mr. Pariser represents design professionals (A&E) and other real estate professionals, including managing agents, appraisers, title agents, condo and co-op boards and developers in various disputes. On behalf of construction owners and managers, he defends claims prosecuted by injured workers brought pursuant to the New York Labor Law.
Robert Pariser also represent clients on other types of discrimination claims, including alleged civil rights violations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Robert Pariser defends environmental cases, involving mold, asbestos and ground contamination.
Robert Pariser represents public and private educators in breach of contract, employment, bullying, failing to promote and in due process matters.
Robert Pariser has had election, stock redemption, auction, foreclosure/ sheriff sale, false arrest, prosecutorial misconduct disputes. Robert Pariser has been on the New York Metro Super Lawyers list from 2011-present.
Mr. Patten is a Partner at Lydecker’s New York and New Jersey offices. He serves in the commercial litigation department where he works on third party insurance defense, including General Liability Defense, Bodily Injury Defense, New York Labor Law Defense, Construction Defect Litigation, Architects & Engineers litigation, Products Liability, and a variety of other civil litigation issues. Mr. Patten has litigated countless cases involving wrongful death and catastrophic accidents/injuries at construction sites, including claims brought under New York Labor Laws section 200, 240, and 241.
In addition, Mr. Patten is an expert in automobile negligence defense. He has been working in the auto negligence industry for the majority of his career and manages complex cases involving multi-vehicle accidents and catastrophic injuries or wrongful death. Mr. Patten provides legal guidance on issues involving vicarious liability, indemnity, as well as non-permissive use. He has experience in both trial and arbitration settings, reaching final judgments, verdicts, and beneficial settlements for his auto negligence clients.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Patten was a prosecutor for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office where he obtained extensive trial experience prosecuting criminal misdemeanor and felony level charges. Mr. Patten also prosecuted for the State of Florida Department of Children and Families, where he litigated dependency issues and termination of parental rights cases.
Mr. Patten received his Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in the top 3% of his class. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in History, Cum Laude, from St. John’s University in Minnesota.
While in law school, Mr. Patten served as Editor-in-Chief for the St. Thomas Law Review, as well as Student Bar Association President. Mr. Patten also tutored students in property law and worked as an intern for the Honorable Judge John O’Sullivan in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Stephanie Pidermann (Woodard) is a shareholder in the firm’s Miami, Florida office. Ms. Pidermann concentrates her practice on commercial litigation matters, as well as, defending, significant labor & employment, personal injury, premises liability, and professional liability lawsuits. She represents major hotels, grocers and retailers, Fortune 500 companies, insurers, governmental entities, and transportation companies in state and federal courts throughout Florida and the United States.
Ms. Pidermann’s Labor and Employment litigation experience includes representing private and public employers in all phases of employment litigation, from administrative hearings through trial on matters arising under Federal, State and local employment laws. Ms. Pidermann regularly handles Federal and State actions involving issues of civil rights violations, False Claims Act litigation, sovereign immunity, qualified immunity, 1983 actions, wrongful death claims, sexual harassment, FLSA compliance, discrimination, retaliation, Title VII, whistleblower claims, fraud, and a battery of common law torts.
Ms. Pidermann also regularly represents Directors and Officers in actions involving violations of consumer protection laws, misrepresentation, fraud, malpractice, breaches of fiduciary duties, violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and generalized negligence. She has represented insurance brokers, accountants, brokers, real estate professionals, title agents, closing agents, appraisers, home inspectors, escrow agents, and health care professionals, including physicians, nurses, physician’s assistants, and mental health practitioners involved in a wide array of claims.
Ms. Pidermann has been consistently recognized as a Florida Super Lawyers “Rising Star” since 2014 and has been recognized as a Legal Elite lawyer by Florida Trend’s Legal Elite since 2014.
Michael Poreda is a partner in the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania offices of Lydecker. He is licensed to practice law in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and is admitted to practice in five of the federal jurisdictions in those states.
He is an experienced litigator who has practiced widely in the areas of employment discrimination, civil rights, education, health care, personal injury, consumer fraud, and professional malpractice. He has represented a wide variety of clients including school boards, police departments, insurance brokerages, real estate agencies, healthcare facilities, car dealerships, contractors, and law firms. Michael has extensive experience in every aspect of civil litigation, including jury trials and appeals. Michael has a nearly perfect career record on motions for summary judgment. One of the most notable was defeating a plaintiff represented by Boies Schiller seeking $7 million for malicious prosecution after six years of litigation.
Michael clerked for the Honorable Hector R. Velazquez of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Hudson County and for the Honorable William J. Martini of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark.
Michael graduated with highest honors from Rutgers University with a B.A. He has an M.A. from Teachers College – Columbia University. He earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law where he was a law review editor. Before attending law school, Michael taught high school history in New Jersey and has served as adjunct faculty at Rutgers University. He is a past Chair of the LGBTQ Rights Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association. He is on the editorial board of The New Jersey Lawyer, where he has also published several articles on employment and education law. He has also published articles in Seton Hall Law Review and Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal.
Mary Williams is an Associate in Lydecker’s Miami office. Ms. Williams’ practice involves all aspects of federal and state commercial and civil litigation, with a primary focus on labor and employment, personal injury, premises liability, and professional liability matters.
Ms. Williams earned her J.D. from St. Thomas University College of Law in May 2025, graduating cum laude. During law school, she served as a Certified Legal Intern with St. Thomas University’s Appellate Litigation Clinic, where she represented multiple clients before Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal.
Ms. Williams also served as a Judicial Intern to the Honorable Elaine A. Carbuccia in Florida’s Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. She was an active member of the Moot Court Board, where she held the position of Vice President of Competitions and participated in both national and intramural competitions, earning honors such as Top Oralist and Best Brief.
In addition, Ms. Williams was the President and Founder of the Golf Law Society and the Treasurer of the Maritime Law Society. She was recognized as a Dean’s Scholar and received the Pro Bono Award for completing over 100 hours of pro bono service.
