Michael J. Roper
Michael Roper was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1985 and is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Middle, Northern and Southern Districts of Florida; the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit; and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Roper received his B.A. in English and Business, cum laude, in 1981 from Florida State University and his J.D. in 1984 from University of Florida. He is a member of the Orange County Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, Florida Defense Lawyers Association, and American Board of Trial Advocates.

OVERVIEW & EXPERIENCE

Mr. Roper’s civil litigation defense practice involves the representation of private and governmental clients in bodily injury, wrongful death and casualty suits, as well as civil rights, products liability, employment and  insurance coverage disputes, in both federal and state courts. He is a frequent speaker at legal, insurance industry, risk management and other professional conferences. Mr. Roper is “AV” rated by Martindale-Hubbell, signifying the highest level of legal ability and adherence to the professional standard of conduct, legal ethics, reliability and diligence in his practice.

EDUCATION

  • University of Florida, J.D., 1984
  • Florida State University, B.A., English, Business, 1981, cum laude

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Bodily Injury and Wrongful Death
  • Civil Rights
  • Products Liability
  • Employment
  • Commercial Trucking
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Public entity
  • Construction Defect

SELECTED HONORS & RECOGNITION

  • “AV” Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE

  • Florida
  • United States District Court, Middle District of Florida
  • United States District Court, Northern District of Florida
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • United States Supreme Court

PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT

  • Orange County Bar Association
  • Defense Research Institute
  • Florida Defense Lawyers Association
  • Florida Association of Police Attorneys
  • Central Florida PRIMA

REPRESENTATIVE CASES

  • Products liability, wrongful death suit brought against product manufacturer; summary judgment in favor of firm client.  Oliver v. TASER International, Inc., 456 Fed. Appx. 815 (11th Cir. 2012).
  • Successful defense/resolution of multi-party wrongful death, catastrophic injury negligence and breach of contract suit resulting from explosion of public utility’s electrical transformer.  Johnson v. Kissimmee Utility Authority, In the Circuit Court in and for Osceola County, Florida, Case No.: 2012 CA 001722 ON.
  • Civil rights, false arrest and excessive force suit arising out of traffic stop; Defense verdict.  Vadimsky v. City of Melbourne, 270 Fed. Appx. 924 (11th Cir. 2008).
  • Wrongful death and bodily injury suit resulting from intersectional collision between tractor-trailer and passenger vehicle; defense verdict for client following two-week trial.  Falkenstein v. Flagler County, Florida, In the Circuit Court in and for Flagler County, Florida, Case No. 06-001259-CA; Div 49.
  • Precedent setting contractual indemnity and sovereign immunity decision, argued to 11th Circuit and Florida Supreme Court.  American Home Assur. Co. v. National Railroad Passenger Corp., 908 So. 2d 459 (Fla. 2005).
  • Catastrophic, multi-party bodily injury and commercial property damage trial arising from collision between Amtrak passenger train and commercial truck; defense verdict for firm client.  National R.R. Passenger Corp. v. Rountree Transport and Rigging, Inc., 286 F.3d 1233 (11th Cir. 2002).
  • Age discrimination (ADEA) suit brought by department director against public employer following RIF; defense verdict.  Slaughter v. City of Melbourne, Florida, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Case No. 6:97-cv-00946-PCF.

A complete list of Mr. Roper’s reported cases is available upon request.

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