Padma Hinrichs litigates complex commercial disputes in state and federal court. She has represented a broad range of clients in matters such as contract disputes, business torts, construction defect litigation, shareholder and partnership disputes, products liability, class actions, employment discrimination, FLSA claims, and a variety of real estate disputes including claims arising under Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA), Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Areas of Concentration
· Complex commercial litigation
· Products liability
· Business torts
· Class action defense
· Construction defect litigation
· Commercial landlord-tenant disputes
Significant Representations
· Represented national home builder in bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Florida and prosecuted and defended several adversary proceedings.
· Defended mortgage lenders and title companies against claims arising under TILA, HOEPA, RESPA, RICO, FDCPA, FCRA, ILSA and FDUTPA.
· Defended national home builder against Chinese drywall claims.
· Defended real estate developers in a number of multi-million dollar commercial mortgage foreclosure actions and receivership proceedings.
· Represented major home builders and real estate developers in land acquisition and land development litigation.
· Represented home builders in construction defect litigation and homeowners association and condominium association disputes.
· Defended national manufacturer of consumer products in multiple products liability cases.
· Represented a national bank against claims of fraud in connection with the sale of stock in a second bank and in class actions.
· Represented closely held corporations in shareholder disputes and dissolution proceedings.
· Defended manufacturers of asbestos and Phen-fen in multi-state class actions.
· Represented New York casino development company in lawsuit against world's largest casino company for anti-trust violations and interference claims.
· Researched and drafted state specific marketing and product testing guidelines for internal, nationwide use by national tobacco company.
· Represented nationwide telecommunications company in a multi-million dollar tax assessment case before the Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals.
· Represented corporate taxpayers in protest of sales and use tax and franchise tax assessments.
· Certified corporate plaintiffs in class action asserting state and federal constitutional challenges to the computation of taxable capital for purposes of calculating license tax in Kentucky.
· Represented state appointed liquidator in the dissolution of insurance company and sought damages for malpractice from national accounting firm.
· Represented publicly traded company in investigating accounting malpractice and securities fraud.
Professional & Community Involvement
· Member, The Florida Bar
· Member, Kentucky Bar Association
· Member, Palm Beach County Bar Association
· Member, American Inn of Court, Palm Beach County Chapter
· Member, Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Palm Beach County Chapter
· Member, Board of Directors of South Asian Bar Association (SABA)
- Advisor and speaker on professional growth, South Asian Law Society, University of Florida Levin College of Law, July 2010
· Mentor for law students through Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA)
Awards & Recognition
· Listed by Super Lawyers magazine as a Rising Star, 2009
Internship
· Legislative Intern for Representative Philip G. Smith, Missouri House of Representatives, Jefferson City, MO, 1995
Articles, Publications, & Lectures
Articles
· Co-author, "Recent Developments in Products, General Liability, and Consumer Law," Tort and Insurance Law Journal, Vol. 35, No. 2, Winter 2000
(Also at Boca Raton Office)