J. Pablo Cáceres
Partner | Tampa
Pablo, a Partner, joined the firm in 1997. He primarily litigates complex First and Third-Party Coverage matters in state and federal courts, including appeals. Pablo has successfully handled hundreds of hurricanes and other high-value property claims, totaling well into the hundreds of millions of dollars, and he has defended E&O claims asserted against multi-national insurance brokers. He also has significant litigation experience with first and third-party bad faith claims.
Pablo was raised in North Carolina and received his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is admitted to all Florida federal Courts and is a member of the bar in Florida and Texas. Pablo handles insurance matters in both Florida (through his home Tampa office) and Texas (through our Dallas office).
Before joining Butler, Pablo practiced in Virginia and Texas, handling a broad range of civil litigation matters. He is active in the Defense Research Institute and is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He is fluent in Spanish. When he isn’t litigating, Pablo often gives presentations on insurance-related issues and spends time making authentic Neapolitan pizza in his backyard, wood-fired oven.
Admissions
- Florida
- Texas
Recognitions
- AV Peer Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
Education
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Bachelor of Arts - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law
Doctor of Jurisprudence
Memberships
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB)
- State Bar of Texas
- The Florida Bar
- Virginia State Bar Association
Courts
- Florida Federal Courts
Experiences
REPRESENTATIVE CASES
Castle Beach Club Condominium, Inc. v. Citizens Property Ins. Corp. 96 So.3d 964 (Fla. 3d DCA 2012)
Citizens Property Ins. Corp. v. Admiralty House, Inc. 66 So. 3d 342 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011)
Citizens Property Ins. Corp. v. Cuban-Hebrew Congregation of Miami, Inc. 5 So.3d 709 (Fla. 3d DCA 2009)
Citizens Property Ins. v. La Mer Condominium Assoc., Inc. 37 So. 3d 988 (Fla. 5th DCA 2010)
DriRite of Cent. Florida Inc. v. Ironshore Ins., Ltd. 2009 WL 5171771 (M.D.Fla., Dec. 22, 2009)
In Re Sandell 2005 WL 1429746 (Bkrtcy.M.D.Fla., June 9, 2005)
Lane v. Westfield Ins. Co. 862 So. 2d 774 (Fla. 5th DCA 2003)
Langhorne v. Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co. 432 F.Supp.2d 1274 (N.D.Fla. 2006)
Palmer v. Westfield Ins. Co. 2006 WL 2612168 (M.D.Fla., June 30, 2006)
Terra-ADI Intern. Dadeland, LLC v. Zurich American Ins. Co. 2007 WL 2460744 (S.D.Fla., Aug. 24, 2007)
Terra-ADI Intern. Dadeland, LLC v. Zurich American Ins. Co. 2007 WL 675971 (S.D.Fla., March 1, 2007)
Terra-ADI Intern. Dadeland, LLC v. Zurich American Ins. Co. 2007 WL 778611 (S.D.Fla., March 7, 2007)
Tristar Lodging, Inc. v. Arch Speciality Ins. Co. 434 F.Supp.2d 1286 (M.D.Fla. 2006)
Media
Insurance Coverage Issues Arising from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Webinar
Partner Pablo Cáceres and co-presenter Jay Jackter of Safeco Insurance Company will present a webinar titled "Insurance Coverage Issues Arising from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma" for the Defense Research Institute on November 7. This presentation will address the insurance coverage issues that have arisen following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida, respectively. It will discuss t...
First-Party Property: Bad Faith Allegations In Catastrophic Claims
J. Pablo Cáceres presented "First-Party Property: Bad Faith Allegations in Catastrophic Claims" at the DRI Insurance Bad-Faith and Extra-Contractual Liability seminar on June 7, 2019 in Westin Washington, DC. This presentation identified common problems associated with “CAT” claims and discusses how to avoid or mitigate exposure....
Butler Wins Dismissal of a First-Party Bad Faith Claim Involving a Civil Remedy Notice That Listed a Different Household Policy
In Florida, an insured cannot bring a first-party bad faith claim based on a claim for UM coverage unless the insured first files a Civil Remedy Notice (CRN) with the Florida Department of Financial Services. In Mathurin v. State Farm, Butler recently vindicated the importance of this step by winning dismissal of a first-party bad faith action where the CRN did not match up with the Complaint. A...
Florida Insurance Appraisals: Don’t Get Me Started!
This article is originally a publication of Southern Loss Association, Newsletter December 2017. Legal opinions may vary when based on subtle factual differences. All rights reserved. Since the start of my insurance coverage career, I have had a legal-philosophical interest in insurance appraisals. It has been a frustrating and fascinating roller coaster ride of appellate and Florida Supreme Cou...
A Primer on Florida’s “25 Percent Rule” for Roof Repair/Replacement
The 2014 Florida Existing Building Code (the “Code”) contains what is conventionally called the “25 percent rule” (the “Rule”). The Rule applies to roof repair of any commercial or residential building. In a nutshell, the Rule states that if more than 25 percent of a roof or section of a roof is “repaired, replaced, or recovered” then the “entire roofing system” or “roof sec...
