About
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 hurricane 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, Virginia, 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
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)
- State Bar of Texas
- The Florida Bar
- Virginia State Bar Association
Courts
Experience
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)
Publications
July 14, 2017
PUBLICATIONFlorida Water Loss Claims: What's Owed, And When?
Water loss lawsuits have spiked dramatically in Florida during the past few years. Insurers simply cannot resolve the unusually large differences in water damage estimates. Scope of estimated matching work usually explains the disparity. And litigation ensues over this hypothetical question: Can the water-damaged or tear out items be replaced and then matched to undamaged adjoining items; and if not, what is the proper scope of the matching work?
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January 22, 2008
PUBLICATIONRipe for Campbell Review: A Florida Uninsured Motorist Claimant's Statutory Right to Recover Excess Verdict Damages in a Bad Faith Action
In many jurisdictions, jurors can award punitive damages to punish or penalize an insurer for improper claims handling, in addition to any compensatory damages caused by an insurer’s bad faith. Such jury awards of punitive damages now are subject to scrutiny under State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company v. Campbell.1 As a result of Campbell, insurers have one final check against excessive punitive damages awards by juries.
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July 21, 1998
PUBLICATIONRecovery of Damages for Emotional Distress in Tort, Contract and Statutory Bad Faith Actions
Emotional distress damages may be the most significant aspect of any bad faith action in jurisdictions that allow them. This article outlines the several theories that justify the recovery of such damages. It discusses also the impact of a recent Florida Supreme Court decision which authorized recovery for emotional distress under that state's bad faith statute.
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