Richard G. Garrett

Richard G. Garrett

Richard G. Garrett is a shareholder and serves as the law firm's Chief Legal Officer, Vice President and General Counsel. For eight years he was Chairman of the Litigation Department. He has been a member of the law firm's Executive Committee. His legal career spans 35 years.

Areas of Concentration

· Securities litigation

· Complex commercial litigation

· Professional liability defense

· Constitutional litigation

Significant Representations

· City of Hialeah, Florida, before the United States Supreme Court in the widely reported constitutional law case involving the issue of whether members of the Santeria church could lawfully perform animal sacrifices as part of their religious practice.

· Representation of Microsoft Corporation in Florida in defense of consumer antitrust class actions alleging monopolization of computer operating systems.

· A national law firm and 125 of its partners in defense of a $500 million claim alleging malpractice in connection with a failed savings and loan association.

· City Investing Company Liquidating Trust in defense of claims for breach of warranty and negligent misrepresentation as to financial statements used in connection with the sale of Southern California Savings & Loan Association.

· Warner Bros., Inc. and Lorimar Telepictures Corporation in defense of claim for breach of warranty in connection with the sale of television stations located in Puerto Rico.

· Florida State Board of Administration in prosecution of claims against a national bank involving breach of a trust holding pension funds belonging to employees of the State of Florida.

· Magazine Publishers Association before the Supreme Court of Florida involving questions concerning the constitutionality of the proposed tax on services by the State of Florida.

· Chase Manhattan Bank in state and federal class action securities cases seeking rescission of investments in real estate funds.

· Numerous public companies such as Applica Incorporated, Windmere Corporation, C.V. REIT, Inc., Perfumania, Inc., General Development Corporation, and Gencor Industries, Inc. and certain of their officers and directors, in defense of federal securities law class action claims.

· John Alden Life Insurance Company in litigation and administrative proceedings challenging, on constitutional grounds, certain provisions of the Insurance Company Holding Act as part of hostile takeover litigation.

· Pacific International Equities, Inc. and related corporations in a corporate dissolution action seeking to dissolve corporations with an asset value in excess of $100 million on the grounds of corporate deadlock.

· National law firms with respect to malpractice cases commenced in Florida.

· Rose Kennedy, and other members of the Kennedy family, as co-counsel in federal court in connection with their efforts to enjoin, on constitutional grounds (privacy rights) the newspaper publication of death scene and autopsy photographs of her grandson, David Kennedy.

· Windmere Corporation in federal court in an action against it seeking to reinstate federal judgments on state unfair competition claims which had been vacated by a court order as part of the settlement of a $100 million antitrust judgment in favor of Windmere.

· American Association of University Professors in a class action challenging the State of Georgia's rescission of yearly salary raises for all professors at state universities.

· Substantial contract claims, general business torts, and matters involving insurance coverage.

Awards & Recognition

· Selected by Super Lawyers magazine, 2006 and 2007

Articles, Publications, & Lectures

Speeches

· Speaker, "Meeting of the Minds: An Interactive General Counsel Roundtable," Law Firm Liability Forum, May 9-10, 2006