Negligent Security
Negligent Security Attorneys
Lydecker represents numerous hotels, developers, condominiums, large multi-unit landowners, restaurants, bars, retail establishments, malls, security firms, property managers, and associations involved in numerous claims of negligent security for a wide array of on-property offenses.
We have a set of experienced attorneys who have each handled dozens of high-profile negligent security cases involving complex and detailed expert analysis and testimony, including but not limited to murders/wrongful deaths, assaults and batteries, drug-related offenses, targeted attacks, and rapes and other sexual batteries.
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Negligent Security Team
Timothy Armstrong is an attorney who serves as Of Counsel at Lydecker’s Jacksonville office. Mr. Armstrong’s practice involves all aspects of state civil trial litigation with a primary emphasis on premise liability, bodily injury defense, and tort liability.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Armstrong was the founding partner of his own law firm where he focused his practice on personal injury, family law, and criminal defense matters. Moreover, he previously worked as an insurance defense attorney for a medium-sized law firm where he concentrated his practice on complex civil litigation, serious bodily injury, and wrongful death cases. In addition to practicing law, Mr. Armstrong was previously a professor at Florida State College of Jacksonville where he taught Legal Research and Writing I and II to students in the paralegal program. Likewise, Mr. Armstrong previously taught business law at the college level and graduate school level.
Mr. Armstrong began his legal career at the Public Defender’s Office in and for the Fourth Judicial Circuit. While there he gained tremendous experience defending over two thousand cases ranging from simple misdemeanors to complex felony cases. Mr. Armstrong provides aggressive legal counsel and is committed to giving the highest level of legal representation to his clients at Lydecker.
Mr. Armstrong received his undergraduate degree from Jacksonville University in 1992. While there, he was a regular on the Dean’s list and was very active in both social and business fraternities. Following his graduation, he received his M.B.A. in international finance from American University in Washington, D.C. where he was likewise on the Dean’s list many semesters. Mr. Armstrong graduated at the top of his law class with honors cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1999.
While in law school Mr. Armstrong was an Editor on the distinguished University of Miami Business Law Review. He was also a semi-finalist in the Moot Court competition while in his first year of law school. Similarly, he served in the Student Bar Association where he was elected twice by his fellow peers as a student senator. Mr. Armstrong is committed to thoroughly and aggressively representing clients at Lydecker, LLP.
Of Counsel
Victoria A. Arthington is Of Counsel in Lydecker’s Orlando office where she concentrates her practice in civil litigation with a primary focus on personal injury and premises liability law. In her personal injury and premises liability practice, Ms. Arthington primarily represents and advises business owners and condominium associations in various civil matters, and litigation.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Arthington worked with investors and landowners by helping them navigate complex zoning and compliance issues with real estate investments. Ms. Arthington earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida School of Law, where she also served in the Conservation Law Clinic.
Mr. Arthington was admitted to practice in the State of Florida in 2020 and is an active member of the Florida Bar.
Of Counsel
Belissa Ardisson is an Associate with the firm’s Miami office. Ms. Ardisson’s practice involves all aspects of federal and state civil trial litigation with a primary focus in personal injury, government liability, employment, and civil rights litigation.
Ms. Ardisson earned her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law in May of 2021. While in Law School, Ms.Ardisson interned with the Miami Dade State Attorney’s Office in the Domestic Violence division where she assisted with research and drafting pre-trial motions. Ms. Ardisson also worked as a research assistant and served as a member of the University of Miami Race and Social Justice Law Review.
Upon graduating, Ms. Ardisson served as an Assistant State Attorney for the Miami Dade State Attorney’s Office. During her time at the State Attorney’s Office, Ms. Ardisson handled cases ranging from misdemeanors to first degree felonies, handling all pre trial motions up to trial. Additionally, Ms. Ardisson served as a County Training Attorney where she trained new incoming attorney’s on how to prepare and argue different evidentiary hearings, pre trial motions, and assisted them in trial. During her time at the State Attorney’s Office, Ms. Ardisson litigated countless jury trials to verdict.
Associate
Jane M. Braugh is a partner in Lydecker’s Los Angeles office and received her B.A. in English from the University of Kentucky. She attended law school at the University of Houston, Law Center in Houston, Texas. During law school, Jane M. Braugh studied abroad in Innsbruck Austria and Mexico City, Mexico, where she completed a law internship at Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), Mexico’s state-owned petroleum company.
After obtaining her juris doctorate degree, Jane M. Braugh was appointed Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas in the Financial Crimes Division, and practiced in Austin, Texas from May 1995 through December 1999. While an Assistant Attorney General, Jane M. Braugh took her first jury trial to verdict obtaining a judgment for the State of Texas against a nightclub owner in Fort Worth. Ms. Braugh co-authored the Texas County and District Attorney’s Practice Guide on Asset Seizure and Forfeiture, drafted proposed legislation and testified before Legislative committees regarding pending legislation.
Jane M. Braugh then transferred her practice to Southern California in January 2000 where her practice focused on a variety of complex litigation matters involving catastrophic injury, wrongful death, product liability, premises liability, vehicular and trucking accidents, aircraft accidents, workplace accidents, labor and employment claims, and a variety of business and commercial disputes. Included in her practice is the participation in the complex courtrooms of Los Angeles County Superior Court, Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP) for products liability cases involving auto and tire manufacturers. Such complex coordinated matters included those filed in, In Re Firestone Tires (including a jury trial to judgment in Ramon Moreno Sr., et al. v. ATV, Inc.) and In Re Winston Tires. Jane M. Braugh was part of the trial team that obtained a judgment after jury trial in the products liability case of Mendoza v. Ford Motor Co., in Kern County Superior Court.
Jane M. Braugh is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the State Bar of California. She is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Northern, and Western Districts of Texas, as well as the Central District of California. Jane M. Braugh is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Jane M. Braugh, a Native American, is also a member of the judiciary. In 2004, Jane M. Braugh was elected District Court Judge of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) of which she is a tribal member, where she served until 2010. On June 26, 2010, Jane M. Braugh was elected Associate Supreme Court Justice of the CPN Supreme Court where she remains serving for multiple consecutive terms.
Partner
Christopher Chapaneri is a partner in Lydecker’s Dallas office and is a strategic, results-oriented litigator obtaining favorable settlements where appropriate and trying cases before a judge or jury when needed, including first and second chair jury trial experience in state and federal courts. Christopher intuitively anticipates litigation methods pursued by all parties in a lawsuit, allowing him the ability to engage in “outside the box” strategies where appropriate.
Christopher primarily focuses his practice on legal issues and liability involving amusement parks, water parks, adventure parks, carnivals, trampoline parks, and other entertainment venues nationwide. While Christopher’s primary practice is in amusement park liability, he is experienced and enjoys practicing in a wide array of cases involving commercial litigation, wrongful death/survivor actions, products liability, premises liability, construction defect, catastrophic injury, transportation matters, employment litigation, commercial landlord-tenant disputes, professional liability for engineers, amusement park law, and environmental law. Moreover, Christopher has handled a variety of appellate matters to the Texas Supreme Court and mandamus actions.
Matthew Cassman is Of Counsel in the firm’s Jacksonville office. Mr. Cassman’s practice involves all aspects of general litigation. Mr. Cassman graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law in May of 2015. While attending law school, Mr. Cassman was on the Moot Court team and earned Pro Bono Honors for volunteering more than 125 hours during his time in law school. Additionally, Mr. Cassman was in the inaugural “Fast Track” program, where he earned his Juris Doctorate degree in two years. Upon graduating, Mr. Cassman spent time working on first and third party property insurance claims, as well as personal injury matters.
Of Counsel
Ms. Centrone was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. She attended Columbia College on their Presidential and Leadership scholarships and was a member of the Honors Program, Student Advisory Committee, and Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society. Erin completed her undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida where she was a founding member of the Mock Trial Association and active in Pre-Law Society. Erin is a cum laude graduate of Stetson University College of Law where she earned numerous Honor Roll distinctions as well as four book awards.
Ms. Centrone is a seasoned civil litigator with experience defending clients through agency investigations as well as litigation in administrative, state, and federal courts in Florida. Her practice includes representation in diverse first- and third-party claims, including personal injury, premises liability, professional malpractice, D&O, bad faith actions, labor & employment matters, whistleblower, complex litigation, catastrophic claims, and SIU/fraud matters.
Ms. Centrone has been recognized as The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch in each of its first three years, each year in three distinct areas of practice. She received the Ones to Watch designation for Labor and Employment, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Professional Malpractice for 2021, 2022, and 2023. Most recently, Ms. Centrone was named among The Best Lawyers in America for Personal Injury Litigation – 2024.
Of Counsel
Katherine Chin is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and an associate in the firm’s Miami office. Ms. Chin represents corporations, entrepreneurs, media companies, entertainers, and municipal entities in all aspects of federal and state civil trial litigation and arbitration. Ms. Chin’s practice is primarily focused in commercial litigation including contractual disputes, business torts, and intellectual property. Additionally, Ms. Chin represents public and private employers and insurers against civil rights, health, and disability related claims.
Outside of the courtroom, Ms. Chin advises employers on day-to-day operations, employment matters, and helps clients navigate compliance issues, including federal and state agency investigations before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Florida Commission on Human Relations.
Associate
Mr. Conto is a Partner at the firm’s Boca Raton Office. Mr. Conto began his career in law representing corporations in legal matters concerning maritime law. Mr. Conto then joined a well-known litigation defense firm with offices throughout Florida. There he focused his practice on defending corporations in construction defect matters, premises liability matters and negligent security matters involving claims of wrongful death. He also represented insurance companies in high exposure first-party property disputes.
At Lydecker Mr. Conto is concentrating his practice on defending developers, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, environmental consultants, product manufacturers and insurance carriers in a variety of contexts arising from the construction and use of real property. Mr. Conto has successfully represented clients in all phases of litigation including trials, summary judgment proceedings and mediations.
Partner
John P. Daly is based in Lydecker’s Orlando office where he serves as Of Counsel. He is a skilled litigation attorney with over 30 years of experience handling complex litigation in State and Federal Courts throughout Florida. He has tried multiple civil jury trials as lead counsel to verdict and handled scores of appellate matters, including oral arguments in the 1st and 2d District Courts of Appeal.
Mr. Daly’s practice areas include automobile negligence, premises liability, professional liability, and first- and third-party insurance claims.
Of Counsel
Eliz Demren is an Associate in the Products Liability department of Lydecker’s Miami office. Prior to working at Lydecker, Ms. Demren was an associate at a boutique complex civil litigation firm. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the Honors College at Florida International University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law.
During law school, Eliz received the Dean’s Certificate of Achievement Award and CALI Excellence for the Future Award for receiving the top grades in her courses. She also competed in Moot Court, interned for Circuit Court Judge Spencer Eig, and externed for Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan. While earning her Juris Doctor, Eliz completed several internships at various law firms to fully maximize her time in law school before beginning to practice as an attorney.
Associate
I am litigation associate in the firm’s Orlando office, where I focus my practice area in a range of topics in general civil litigation. I graduated from Barry University with a Juris Doctor in 2018 and the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a behavioral forensics certification in 2015. During law school and prior to joining the firm, I worked in both state and federal litigation along with transaction contract work. Along with Florida state admission, I am also admitted in Middle and Southern District of Florida.
Associate
Lucero Ayala Feliciano is an Associate Attorney in the firm’s Tampa office, where she practices civil litigation.
Ms. Feliciano earned her J.D. from WMU-Cooley Law School in December 2021, graduating with honors. During law school, Attorney Feliciano was a member of the Mock Trial Board, Law Review, and Phi Alpha Delta, while also volunteering at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Meals on Wheels, and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful.
Ms. Feliciano passed the Florida Bar Exam in February, 2022, and she has experience in both criminal and civil litigation.
Associate
Ms. Franks is a partner in the firm’s Miami office, where she defends local, national, and international organizations, as well as individuals, and tries catastrophic personal injury actions, premises liability matters, professional liability claims, construction defect matters, and medical/substance abuse treatment malpractice claims throughout the State of Florida.
Ms. Franks is originally from Pennsylvania and moved to South Florida in 2002 to study journalism and political science. Prior to pursuing her law degree, Ms. Franks taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami in the Department of Political Science for five years. Her classes included Intro to American National Government, the Legislative Process, and Congressional Representation. Ms. Franks earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law in 2011.
Ms. Franks has considerable experience dealing with automobile negligence, professional malpractice, medical malpractice, and premises liability matters involving catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, and extra contractual exposure, including a focus on evidentiary issues, dispositive motion practice, complex liability claims, and damages mitigation.
Ms. Franks earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Miami in 2004. She graduated cum laude with a double-major in journalism and political science. Ms. Franks went on to complete a Master’s degree in Communication at the University of Miami in 2005, also graduating cum laude.
Ms. Franks earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law in 2011. At the University of Miami School of Law, Ms. Franks was the recipient of the Hugh L. Wood Scholarship, Outstanding Merit Scholarship, and the Ehrich Scholarship. Ms. Franks served as a research assistant to multiple highly regarded University of Miami School of Law professors in the areas of environmental litigation and legislation, the first amendment, and communication regulation.
Partner
Paola Garcia’s practice involves all aspects of federal and state civil trial litigation, with a primary focus on general liability. Ms. Garcia’s General Liability experience includes premises liability, personal injury, property damage, professional liability, automobile and trucking accidents, wrongful death, cruise ship accidents, and negligent security cases. Ms. Garcia’s practice includes specific experience with a variety of lawsuits for one of the largest transportation network companies. Ms. Garcia regularly handles actions involving issues such as intentional torts, negligence, negligence security, premises liability, dram shop, products liability, and slip and fall.
Partner
Jeremy W. Harris is the Co-Chair of the Firm’s National Catastrophic Injury and Loss Defense Department. Mr. Harris has extensive trial and appellate court experience in complex litigation, with a special focus on the defense of claims involving wrongful death, paralysis, amputations, traumatic brain injury, sexual assault, and other serious injuries. These claims can result from a multitude of alleged causes, including construction site accidents and collapses, road construction accidents, commercial trucking and car accidents, premises liability, negligent security, and products liability, to name a few. Mr. Harris has specialized knowledge of each of the industries involved in these claims-knowledge that he uses to represent his clients to the best of his abilities.
Mr. Harris’s judicial philosophy involves every action being taken only if it is a purposeful step towards a favorable end result for his clients, whether that involves litigating a matter to conclusion or providing the best possible platform for settlement. He believes attention to the plaintiff’s claim is paramount, but opportunities for risk transfer must always be fully explored. This is especially true in cases involving catastrophic injury, as these claims often have millions or tens of millions of dollars at stake.
Mr. Harris also maintains a healthy construction law practice and represents architects, engineers, general contractors/subcontractors, and developers in all manner of construction/design defect litigation.
He has taken hundreds (if not thousands) of depositions and has attended hundreds (if not thousands) of hearings. Mr. Harris has tried cases before many trial courts throughout the state of Florida and has engaged in oral arguments in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Districts of the State of Florida. He obtained favorable results in the vast majority of these trials and appeals.
Mr. Harris serves as defense counsel from accident investigation to trial (and beyond if necessary) and also serves as monitor counsel/trial counsel for large claims that need a second look or additional help due to the complexity of the claims. When asked to join ongoing litigation, his approach is to immediately and forcefully take all action necessary to ready a case for trial.
Before joining the firm, Mr. Harris was a shareholder and managing attorney of a national firm’s Florida office, leading a large team of attorneys in complex litigation. Prior to going to law school, Mr. Harris was part of his collegiate and high school debate teams-qualifying in college for the prestigious National Debate Tournament. He is a proud husband and father of four boys and enjoys weightlifting in his free time.
Partner
Bobbie Ann Henderson is Of Counsel in Lydecker’s Atlanta office. Ms. Henderson has over 25 years of experience representing clients in all aspects of civil litigation. Her practice is focused on complex commercial and business litigation, insurance tort liability/defense, and premises liability/negligent security matters.
Ms. Henderson began her legal career with a 15-year focus on construction law, in which she represented sureties, developers, contractors, owners and design professionals in complex construction matters. Her work included payment and delay claims, regulatory compliance, construction defects and performance claims. A significant part of her practice involved business transactions and disputes and the assertion of creditor rights.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Henderson’s practice included defense of insurance companies and their insureds in matters involving first and third party insurance claims, complex civil litigation, serious bodily injury, and wrongful death cases.
Ms. Henderson received her undergraduate degree and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida. She is admitted to practice in the states of Georgia and Florida.
Of Counsel
Sarah Hinton is a Senior Associate at the firm’s Orlando office, where her focus is on Florida civil litigation cases.
Mrs. Hinton has represented companies of all sizes in all phases of litigation with a variety of complex civil litigation matters with a focus on auto accidents and premises liability. Mrs. Hinton has conducted countless depositions and has a track record of success drafting and arguing motions at all stages of litigation.
Mrs. Hinton began her career as a Plaintiff’s litigation attorney and has since dedicated her career to being a Defense litigation attorney giving Mrs. Hinton a unique and vast amount of experience in civil litigation from both sides.
Mrs. Hinton achieved her undergraduate degree from Florida State University graduating cum laude and her juris doctorate degree from Barry University School of Law. During her legal career Mrs. Hinton has also been a Certified County Mediator, a Certified Legal Intern and a Guardian Ad Litem.
Senior Associate
John Jabro is an associate in Lydecker’s Orlando office where he practices civil litigation with a primary focus on personal injury and premises liability law. Mr. Jabro primarily represents business owners and condominium associations in various civil matters, and litigation.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Jabro worked as a legal assistant for a civil litigation firm located in Sarasota, Florida.
Associate
Shaun Robert Koby is a Shareholder with the Firm’s Florida offices. His practice focuses in the areas of complex commercial litigation, professional malpractice, insurance defense, and constitutional law.
Mr. Koby earned his undergraduate degree from the Florida State University in 2004. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Criminology. Mr. Koby graduated first in his class out of over 9000 students.
Besides academics, he was also actively involved in Student Government and created two community service organizations that enabled students to perform countless hours of service to the FSU campus and surrounding community. During the summer before graduation, Mr. Koby was an intern in the Governor’s Office of Legislative Affairs for Governor Jeb Bush.
Mr. Koby earned his Juris Doctor Degree, with honors, from the University of Florida in 2007. He was a Teaching Assistant for Legal Research and Writing, Appellate Advocacy, and Trial Practice. Mr. Koby also created a community service organization named Gators United Together for Service and was awarded a Community Service Certificate upon completion of law school.
Partner
Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Koch served as a Public Defender for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Orlando, Florida. During his time as a Public Defender Mr. Koch handled cases ranging from felonies to misdemeanors, from intake to trial preparation. He has extensive litigation experience, including representing businesses and associations in state court. Mr. Koch finds success in securing favorable outcomes for his clients, including a full defense verdict during a four-day jury trial in May of 2023 which saved his clients from a potential million-dollar liability exposure.
Senior Associate
David B. Kowalski is a partner in the Orlando office of Lydecker. He has extensive experience in the defense of civil disputes. Mr. Kowalski represents a wide range of clientele, including condominium associations, homeowners associations, governmental entities, trucking companies, products manufacturers, resorts, restaurants, and other establishments within the hospitality industry. This diverse background provides him with a unique perspective on the needs of each individual client. He has significant experience in cases of catastrophic personal injury, large settlement negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.
While earning his Juris Doctorate, Mr. Kowalski worked as a law clerk with Jacksonville area law firms where he focused on complex commercial litigation. During the course of his clerkships, he gained experience litigating high value cases in state courts as well as the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. His interest in litigation lead him to Lydecker where he now practices a range of topics in civil defense.
Mr. Kowalski earned his Juris Doctorate in 2013 from the Florida State University College of Law where he graduated cum laude. There, he was an active member of the Dispute Resolution Society, Business Law Society, and Estate Planning & Elder Law Society. During the course of his legal education, Mr. Kowalski received numerous merit-based scholarships and was a five time recipient of the Dean’s List award. Prior to law school, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida State University.
Partner
Jessica is a partner at the Firm’s California and Florida office and the Head of the Firm’s Product Liability Department. In her professional career, Jessica has successfully represented both corporate clients and private individuals in all phases of litigation before Local, State and Federal Courts in connection with a wide variety of complex civil and commercial litigation matters, with a primary focus on product liability and premises liability. Her representation includes global manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and major retailers in numerous areas within the field, such as class action, mass and toxic tort litigation, recalled product claims, as well as defending claims involving consumer and commercially available substances and materials.
Jessica is originally from New York and attended college at the University of Connecticut, where she was a team captain of the Ski Team. Before beginning law school, she went on to commit two (2) years to Teach for America in Miami-Dade County. Teach for America is a highly-selective non-profit organization which recruits leaders with a record in achievement to expand educational opportunities and close the achievement gap in low-income communities. Afterward, she attended the University of Miami School of Law and joined Lydecker early in her career. Currently, in addition to her role as the head of the Product Liability Division for the firm, she is involved in mentorship of younger attorneys and leading the law clerk program.
Partner
Quinn LaHiff is Of Counsel in the firm’s Tampa office where his practice encompasses a broad range of civil defense matters.
A Florida native, Quinn received his Bachelor of Science of Legal Studies from the University of Central Florida. He then went on to earn his Juris Doctor from Stetson Law, where he served as Deputy Chief of the Stetson Ambassador and Mentorship Program. Upon graduation, Quinn began his practice as a civil litigation attorney representing clients in both state and Federal Court in a broad range of cases. In addition to litigating, Quinn also spent a significant portion of his career working in private capital and investment advisory firms serving as in-house counsel and chief compliance officer.
In his free time, Quinn enjoys spending time with his family in the great outdoors immersed in the natural beauty that his home state has to offer.
Of Counsel
Mr. Lewis is Of Counsel to the firm’s Miami office. Mr. Lewis spent over 35 years as a partner at a well known Miami insurance defense firm. Mr. Lewis concentrates his practice on defense of large corporations and insurance companies in premises liability, negligent security, products liability, legal malpractice and general tort liability.
At Lydecker Mr. Lewis serves as senior trial counsel having tried over 100 jury trials. Mr. Lewis has secured defense verdicts throughout the State of Florida, is AV rated and admitted to practice in all state and Federal Courts in the State of Florida.
Of Counsel
Astrid Marcelino is an Associate in the firm’s New York and Boca offices. Ms. Marcelino’s practice involves Bodily Injury Defense, focusing on claims involving wrongful death, paralysis, traumatic brain injury, sexual assault, and other serious injuries. These claims can result from a multitude of alleged causes, including construction site accidents and collapses, road construction accidents, commercial trucking and car accidents, premises liability, negligent security, and products liability, to name a few.
The other portion of Ms. Marcelino’s practice involves the defense of employers by employees under state and federal anti-discrimination laws, as well as wage and hour disputes.
Ms. Marcelino joined the firm in March 2023. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Marcelino was an associate at a personal injury litigation firm where she handled premises liability and personal injury claims for plaintiffs.
Associate
Mr. Masson is an experienced civil litigator with a history of success in handling a broad array of complex and high exposure civil matters for individuals, insurers, and other business entities. Mr. Masson prides himself on being an out of the box thinker that is dedicated to meeting his client’s specific needs, providing them with superb legal representation, and obtaining very favorable results.
Of Counsel
Eric McAliley brings more than two decades of legal experience to his representation of professionals in E&O claims and of clients with respect to high exposure personal injury and CGL claims. He draws on his education in accounting/tax, and unique prior career experience in engineering with Pratt & Whitney and the South Florida Water Management District to bring added value to his practice.
Eric defends cases on behalf of clients involving E&O Claims including, legal malpractice, negligence, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and other common law and statutory claims. Eric represents attorneys, financial professionals, including securities brokers-dealers, accountants, retail and wholesale brokers and insurance agents.
Eric’s CGL practice consists of defending claims involving physical and emotional injuries including, but not limited to, automobile negligence, negligent security, premises liability, 1983 claims, and intentional torts. With respect to claims against governmental entities, Eric regularly handles cases involving complex issues of constitutional law, sovereign immunity, civil rights, torts, and common law claims.
Eric also serves as trial counsel for the firm’s clients and carriers and assists with the firm’s trial teams.
Partner
Mewerick Mozza is an associate attorney at the Lydecker’s Miami office. Mr. Mozza concentrates his practice in all aspects of federal and state civil litigation.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Mozza worked for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at the Chambers of Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan, where he aided with matters from Social Security Disability determinations, maritime personal injury cases, to international breach of contracts. Furthermore, Magistrate Judge O’Sullivan and Mr. Mozza were invited to Bolivia to provide an international conference where they were awarded Distinguished Visitor status and laws passed under their names for aiding the judiciary system in Bolivia. Additionally, Mr. Mozza worked for Mozza & Abogados Asociados exposing him to a different legal system. He counseled in the administration and legal transactions of the clients’ international businesses throughout South America and in the United States, including the purchasing and leasing of real estate and their international commercial transactions. Furthermore, Mr. Mozza was the recipient of the Law Awards 2022 by Latin American Quality Institute due to the exceptional performance in representing clients in international business transactions. In addition, Mr. Mozza worked at the Law Offices of Anidjar and Levine, P.A., where he handled personal injury claims and property damage claims in the pre-litigation and litigation departments. Mr. Mozza is committed to providing aggressive representation for all his clients and ensuring all clients receive effective legal representation.
Mr. Mozza graduated from the Trinity University with a Bachelor of Arts and Majors in Political Science, Philosophy, and International Studies in addition to a Minor in Human Communication in 2011. Mr. Mozza graduated Cum Laude from his Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2015, and was a member of the Intercultural Human Rights Law Review. Subsequently, Mr. Mozza graduated from a Master in Law in International Commercial Arbitration from the University of Miami in 2017. Mr. Mozza additionally obtained a Bachelor of Humanities in Political Science from Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in 2022. In addition to being a member in good standing of the Florida Bar, Mr. Mozza is also a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Senior Associate
Daniel Muggeo is an associate in the firm’s Boca Raton office. Mr. Muggeo focuses his practice on civil litigation including the defense of negligence, traumatic bodily injury, wrongful death, and malpractice. Mr. Muggeo is admitted to practice law in Florida state courts. Mr. Muggeo received his Juris Doctorate from the Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University where he was a member of the ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law and the Nova Trial Association. He earned his undergraduate degree from Nova Southeastern University where he received his degree in legal studies.
Associate
Yanina Onyewenjo is an Associate at the firm’s Tampa office. Ms. Onyewenjo’s practice involves a range of topics, including personal injury, premises liability, and other topics in civil defense.
Ms. Onyewenjo obtained her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Florida International University College of Law in May 2022, graduating as a Dean’s Scholar. During her tenure in law school, Ms. Onyewenjo refined her legal advocacy and negotiation skills through active participation in the FIU Law Negotiation & Mediation Team (“NAMT”). As a Finalist in the 18th Annual FIU Law Intramural Negotiation Competition, Ms. Onyewenjo was subsequently chosen to represent FIU Law at the 2021 ABA Regional Negotiation Competition in Chicago, competing against 24 teams nationwide. Her outstanding performance in four national and international competitions, along with her contributions to the negotiation team, led to her selection for the FIU Law 2022 Outstanding Negotiation Skills Award and FIU Law 2022 Outstanding Service Award.
Ms. Onyewenjo’s legal experience includes a judicial internship under the esteemed Honorable Judge Patricia Seitz. In this role, she gained profound insights into the federal court system and contributed to Judge Seitz’s pro bono re-entry program for ex-convicts. Ms. Onyewenjo also served as a law clerk at an international securities law firm supporting the legal department’s management of German class actions.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Onyewenjo worked as an Associate Attorney for a Florida insurance defense firm. In this capacity, she represented clients in general liability matters, including premises liability, automobile negligence, negligent security, and other issues related to liability and casualty defense. Ms. Onyewenjo has represented clients across various industries, including retail, hospitality, and insurance.
Ms. Onyewenjo’s hobbies include playing with her dog Bella, enjoying Florida’s art and music scene, bodybuilding, and discovering new vegan recipes.
Associate
Sienna Osta is an experienced civil litigator and focuses her practice on personal injury litigation including matters related to motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, negligent security, slip and fall, and medical malpractice cases. She has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a number of jury trials and bench trials, throughout the state of Florida, placing her in an advantageous position to strategically navigate proceedings in the best interest of her clients.
Sienna takes pride in creating and maintaining individualized, personal relationships with each and every client through open and direct communication. She provides frequent updates at all stages of litigation, and is always responsive and available to her clients. Sienna approaches every case with the aggressive dedication it takes to gain the best possible outcome.
Of Counsel
Lee Patten is the Co-Chair of the Firm’s National Catastrophic Injury and Loss Defense Department. Mr. Patten has extensive trial court experience in complex litigation, and has defended numerous cases involving wrongful death, paralysis, amputation, traumatic brain injury, sexual assault, and other serious injuries throughout New York, New Jersey, and Florida. These claims and large loss exposures arise from a variety of liability scenarios, including premises liability, medical/healthcare/nursing home liability, school/early education/day care liability, construction site accidents (including New York labor law claims), road construction accidents, commercial trucking and car accidents, negligent security, and products liability, among others. Mr. Patten brings to bear his extensive experience in each of these specific industries to obtain excellent results for his clients.
Mr. Patten maintains a progress-oriented practice, whether pre-suit or in litigation, Mr. Patten works closely with his client to advance the case with every court filing, correspondence, email, and phone conference. Every action is designed to move the case forward toward trial or resolution.
Mr. Patten has taken countless depositions, including deposition of subject matter experts, liability experts, and damages experts. He has attended countless hearings, including important summary judgment hearings, as well as multi-day arbitrations and multi-day framed issue evidentiary hearings.
Mr. Patten has tried cases before many trial courts throughout the state of Florida, New York, and New Jersey, and has obtained many favorable settlement outcomes at the eleventh hour due to detailed trial preparations, including motions in limine and Daubert challenges to opposing experts.
Mr. Patten has also served as monitoring counsel and converted to lead trial counsel in numerous cases involving large losses or multiple layers of insurance. He is successfully able to parachute into potential “problem” or “high risk” cases, and laser in on key areas to prepare liability and damages defenses quickly and efficiently.
Before joining the firm, Mr. Patten was a prosecutor at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office, as well as a prosecutor for the Department of Children and Families. It was there that Mr. Patten started his trial career and was able to transfer those skills to civil litigation. In Law School, Mr. Patten served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and won several awards for both Mock Trial and Moot Court competitions.
Partner
Mr. Polk is an Associate at Lydecker, handling matters in Florida at the State and Federal Court levels. He maintains a wide variety of insurance defense and commercial litigation practice areas including general bodily injury and casualty, construction defect litigation, employment litigation, product liability, professional malpractice, municipality litigation, and various other civil litigation matters.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Polk was a prosecutor for the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, Assistant Attorney for the Office of the Sarasota County Attorney, and has practiced general liability insurance defense since 2016 where he obtained extensive criminal and civil trial experience.
Associate
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.
Partner
Mr. Quetglas is an associate in the firm’s Miami office. Mr. Quetglas’ practice involves defending organizations and individuals involved in personal injury actions, premises liability matters, negligent security claims, professional liability claims, and construction defect matters throughout the State of Florida.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Quetglas was an associate at a boutique defense litigation firm based in Downtown Miami, Florida, where he represented insurers in complex insurance coverage litigation, claims handling, general liability claims, first-party property coverage, and bad faith litigation.
During law school, Mr. Quetglas worked as a Law Clerk at a national firm in Downtown Washington, D.C. specializing in the litigation of complex personal injury, medical malpractice, negligent security and civil rights matters.
Associate
Ana Reyes is an associate attorney in the firm’s Tampa office. Ms. Reyes’ practice involves all aspects civil litigation with a primary focus in labor and employment, personal injury, and premises liability law.
Ms. Reyes earned her J.D. from Western Michigan Cooley Law School, graduating at the top percentile of her class, receiving her Juris Doctorate with Magna Cum Laude honors. During law school, Ms. Reyes received Dean’s List Honors, Book Awards in Contracts, Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, and Business Organizations. Further, Ms. Reyes was a part of the Law Review Journal and served as the associate editor.
Associate
Kristina Sargent served as an enlisted soldier in the United States Army and Army Guard for over 15 years. Kristina graduated from the University of Baltimore and was a prosecutor in Baltimore City prior to moving to Florida in 2021. After spending 8 years practicing criminal law, Kristina shifted her focus to civil litigation. Kristina has extensive trial experience leading dozens of jury trials and high-profile cases.
Of Counsel
Mr. Schlossberg is Of Counsel in Lydecker’s Boca office, where he defends clients in all manner of catastrophic injury cases, including wrongful death, paralysis, amputations, and other serious injuries. Mr. Schlossberg also practices construction defect litigation, where he represents general contractors, subcontractors and developers.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Schlossberg spent over 16 years practicing primarily in the area of insurance defense, where he defended clients in various premises liability, automobile negligence, property damage, and personal injury cases.
Of Counsel
Brittany Singletary is Of Counsel in the firm’s Miami office. Her practice is concentrated in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, premises liability, and vehicle negligence.
Ms. Singletary is a Miami native. After graduating from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Coral Reef Senior High School, she received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Florida International University. She went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law. Throughout law school, she clerked at a local prominent civil trial firm, and also served as a Fellow at the Children and Youth Law Clinic, where she represented children in foster care and former foster youth in dependency, health care, disability, immigration, and other legal matters. She also clerked at Legal Services of Greater Miami, where she represented low-income tenants to help them avoid homelessness and preserve their housing. Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Singletary practiced at a large Florida corporate insurance defense firm in the areas of wrongful death, premises liability, security negligence, condominium and homeowners’ association law, construction litigation, vehicle negligence, and trucking accident defense.
Of Counsel
James Spratt is a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office and practices in all courts in California. His primary areas of practice include complex commercial litigation, tort practice in products liability, real property and construction defect.
Mr. Spratt earned his Juris Doctor Certificate from University of La Verne and his Bachelor’s degree in History from University of California, Santa Barbara. While in law school, Mr. Spratt has held numerous legal internships, including Office of Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
In Mr. Spratt’s practice, he has held various partner positions with national law firms and has worked for national insurance companies, as staff counsel. He has worked defending national insurance companies in professional negligence, commercial trucking negligence, premises liability and habitability claims.
Mr. Spratt is active in conservation efforts of Santa Monica Mountains Restoration Trust and enjoys snow skiing and swimming in his spare time. He also enjoys spending time with his family and his German Shepard dog. Mr. Spratt is also a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Partner
Carrie E. Stricklin, Esq., is a partner in the firm’s Boca Raton office and part of our Workers’ Compensation Practice Group. She practices general civil litigation, concentrating in the areas of insurance defense litigation, including bodily injury; attorney malpractice; negligent security; and workers’ compensation litigation. Ms. Stricklin has represented numerous carriers and private entities such as the State of Florida Department of Financial Services, Whole Foods Supermarkets, Signature Healthcare, AMS Staff Leasing, City Electric Supply Company, iAero, LLC, as well as municipalities including the City of Sunny Isles, City of Bal Harbour, City of Dania Beach, City of Miami Gardens and Town of Surfside through the Florida League of Cities. She has also handled occupational injury and disease claims as well.
Within the scope of her practice, Ms. Stricklin covers the entire spectrum of the defense of the workers’ compensation claims to include the following: investigating suspicious or fraudulent claims; thoroughly evaluating claims for potential resolution at state and/or private mediation; discovery and trial preparation when appropriate for litigation up to and through Final Hearing; evaluation and resolution of subrogation claims; and facilitation and submission of Medicare Set Asides with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Ms. Stricklin also previously developed a comprehensive Continuing Education seminar for claims professionals, which provides an update on numerous developments of the law, as well as CE credit
Ms. Stricklin received her Juris Doctorate from the Shephard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University, where she was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society and a Law Student Advisor. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree in History from Florida Atlantic University. During graduate school, Ms. Stricklin served as the President of the school’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, History Honor Society.
Partner
Ms. Sweet is a bilingual (English and Spanish) and highly experienced attorney. She has a proven track record of success in handling complex trials and high-profile cases. Ms. Sweet is committed to providing her clients with the highest level of legal representation, tailored to meet their specific needs.
Ms. Sweet was an Assistant State Attorney in Florida for over four years, where she gained extensive experience in handling complex cases and over dozens of jury trials. She then moved to work as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Texas. She moved back to Florida in 2023 and has been providing outstanding legal services in the civil litigation area of law ever since.
Ms. Sweet is committed to staying up to date on the latest developments in the law, and regularly is attending courses to keep her knowledge and skills sharp.
Partner
Robert Sylvester Jr. is a partner in the firm’s Tampa office. Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Sylvester served as a law clerk for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he assisted several judges in matters relating to civil, criminal, and family law. While earning his Juris Doctorate, Mr. Sylvester gained legal experience through his work with the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, the Children’s Advocacy Center, Harris Corporation, and the First District Court of Appeal. A strong interest in civil defense litigation brought Mr. Sylvester to Lydecker, where he practices a range of topics in civil defense.
Partner
J.W. Webb is a Litigation Partner in the firm’s Orlando office, where he maintains an active trial and civil litigation practice in Federal and State Courts throughout Florida.
Mr. Webb has considerable experience dealing with automobile negligence, arson, medical malpractice, premise liability and product liability cases resulting in catastrophic injuries and wrongful death. Mr. Webb has also handled cases dealing with bad faith, commercial transaction disputes, construction defects, declaratory actions, land disputes and property damage. He has successfully tried cases in Brevard, Broward, Marion, Orange, Palm Beach, Seminole, and Volusia Counties.
Mr. Webb began his legal career with Hightower and Rudd, P.A. a Miami based insurance defense firm. Shortly after joining the firm, Mr. Webb became the managing attorney of its West Palm Beach office.
After two years in practice, Mr. Webb was invited to join Kubicki Draper, P.A. a State-wide insurance defense firm, where he became a shareholder and was chosen by the firm’s managing partner to start its Orlando Office, which he ran for six years before opening his own law firm.
Mr. Webb has given lectures throughout the country on many subjects during his career. He lectures to insurance carriers on issues ranging from hospital liens and personal injury protection to complicated medial claims and high exposure cases.
Mr. Webb is licensed to practice law in all Florida State Courts and the . He has also served as a Guardian ad Litem for children in the Central Florida area.
Mr. Webb graduated from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas in 1989 with a B.A. in business and a concentration in economics. Before going to law school Mr. Webb worked in the business world for a number of years managing companies in Texas, California, Illinois, and Florida.
Mr. Webb returned to his home state of Michigan to obtain his Juris Doctorate – Cum Laude, from Michigan State University. While attending law school, Mr. Webb served as Managing Editor of Business and Production for the Michigan State Law Review, as an intern for United States Federal District Judge Gerald E. Rose, and as a law clerk for the Department of Justice: United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan. During his tenure with the Department of Justice, under the internship section of the program, Mr. Webb functioned as lead counsel for the prosecution and trial of numerous misdemeanor cases.
Partner
Ronald (Ronn) S. Whitaker is a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office and brings a wealth of litigation experience in the both the public and private sectors. He has represented corporate clients, public entities and private individuals in all phases of litigation in both State and Federal Courts with an emphasis in the defense of product liability, class action, personal injury, civil rights, professional liability, and premises liability cases. He also has extensive experience in employment litigation, including being admitted in pro hac vice in the State of Arizona to successfully defend a large national corporation against claims of wrongful discrimination and racial discrimination. Prior to joining Lydecker, Ronn had a lengthy career in defending high exposure claims on behalf of both corporate and governmental clients, including a number of high-profile parties in high stakes litigation. He has represented multinational corporations, and has a deep understanding of the complexities in defending large corporate entities and institutions, including providing legal and strategic advice which contemplates the impact of large scale litigation and claims on the client’s competing needs.
As a trial attorney for Lydecker’s Environmental Mass Tort, Product Liability Department and General Liability Department, Ronn has tried in excess of sixty (60) jury trials as lead trial counsel with an outstanding record of success. At Lydecker, his primary focus is utilizing his extensive experience and unique background to vigorously defend global manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and other business owners from the inception of a claim through trial, as well as in spearheading new and emerging litigation in the mass and toxic tort arena.
Ronn completed his undergraduate studies at UCLA, and then obtained his law degree from the UCLA School of Law, where he was selected as a Distinguish Advocate in the Moot Court Honors Program.
Partner
