Important Cases and Clients

Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462 (1985), an important U.S. Supreme Court decision establishing the constitutional standards for asserting jurisdiction over an out-of-state defendant in a commercial relationship, a case now taught in all U.S. law schools.

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, AFL-CIO v. Hechler, 481 U.S. 851 (1987), while holding that a worker’s action against her Union for an unsafe job assignment had to be brought under the federal labor laws, the Supreme Court agreed that the action was governed by her state’s statute of limitations, which allowed the action to proceed and eventually succeed.

Represented the families of the Brothers to the Rescue shot down by the Cuban Air Force in 1996, resulting in a federal damage award of $187 million, of which Congress ultimately authorized payment of $96.7 million out of frozen Cuban assets.

Represented the Government of Belize in litigation over ownership of its telecommunications system. See Belize Telecom Ltd. v. Government of Belize,528 F.3d 1298 (11 th Cir. 2008).

Represented a Consortium of Lloyd’s of London Underwriters in litigation over an insurance policy on former Miami Marlins pitcher Alex Fernandez.

Represented Miami landmark Joe’s Stone Crab in appellate litigation regarding its hiring policies.

Represented the largest U.S. independent record producer, Teevee Toons, Inc. (TVT), in litigation concerning rights to an album by Miami rapper Pitbull.

Represented Florida’s citizens in a class action brought under a federal statute forbidding the State Department of Motor Vehicles to sell personal information taken from drivers’-license and vehicle-registration documents to mass marketers, for purposes of bulk mailings and telephone-call solicitations.

Represented the Republic of Colombia in an action against major U.S. liquor manufacturers for the smuggling of their products into Colombia without paying excise taxes, in order to undersell local producers.