Source: https://www.butler.legal/mlavisky
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 09:14:47+00:00

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Matthew J. Lavisky joined Butler in 2009, bringing with him a strong background that enables him to handle cases that deal with Coverage Defense and Extra-Contractual matters. Matt graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree, and then later earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Barry University. While at Barry University, he was a member of the Moot Court Honors Board and the president of his university's Federalist Society chapter—a major influential legal organization.
In 2013, Matt earned the James A. Dixon Young Lawyer of the Year Award from the Florida Defense Lawyers Association (FDLA). He currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the FDLA. He is also an AV peer-rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell.
Matt tackles cases that involve such things as bad faith, civil remedy notices, property insurance coverage, deceptive and unfair trade practices, and uninsured motorists.
Forthuber v. First Liberty Ins. Corp., 2018 WL 4635639 (M.D. Fla. 2018) – order dismissing, with prejudice, lawsuit for first-party bad faith arising out of a property insurance claim.
MSPA Claims 1, LLC v. Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 322 F. Supp. 3d 1273 (S.D. Fla. 2018) – order dismissing class action complaint with prejudice.
Aviation One of Florida, Inc. v. Airborne Ins. Consultants (PTY), Ltd, 722 Fed. Appx. 870 (11th Cir. 2018) – opinion affirming order of dismissal under the doctrine of forum non conveniens based on forum-election clause.
Welford v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 713 Fed. Appx. 969 (11th Cir. 2017) – summary judgment in third-party Powell bad faith case affirmed on appeal.
Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co. v. Wal-Mart Stores E., LP, 269 F. Supp. 3d 1254 (M.D. Fla. 2017) – partial summary judgment in subrogation action finding tenant of insured breached duty to indemnify insured.
MSPA Claims 1, LLC v. First Acceptance Ins. Co., 2016 WL 4523850 (S.D. Fla. 2016) – order dismissing class action complaint for lack of standing.
Kropilak v. 21st Century Ins. Co., 806 F.3d 1062 (11th Cir. 2015) – jury verdict in favor of insurer in third-party bad faith case, affirmed on appeal, holding insurer has no duty to enter into a Cunningham agreement and no duty to its insured to enter into a consent judgment in excess of the limits of its policy.
Helt v. Liberty Ins. Corp., 153 F.Supp.3d 1388 (M.D. Fla. 2015) – order dismissing, with prejudice, count for third-party bad faith.
Altrui v. State Farm Fla. Ins. Co., 2014 WL 11394450 (Fla. 6th Cir. 2014) aff’d 192 So. 3d 477 (Fla. 2d DCA 2016) – order dismissing, with prejudice, lawsuit for first-party bad faith in sinkhole claim after evidentiary hearing.
Colella v. State Farm Fla. Ins. Co., 95 So. 3d 891 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012) – opinion reversing order finding insurer had confessed judgment and breached contract in sinkhole claim where insured had not provided competing engineer report before filing lawsuit.
Wild Enters., Inc. v. Assur. Co. of Am., 2011 WL 3802246 (Fla. 4th Cir. 2011) – order granting summary judgment in first-party bad faith action because insured had not satisfied condition precedent to suit.
This article discusses cases permitting and prohibiting lawsuits against adjusters.
Florida provides one of the most generous insurance fee-shifting mechanisms in the nation. The lure of a large attorney fee award has spawned the very litigation that the fee-shifting statute was intended to avoid. It is common for attorneys representing insureds to file lawsuits over matters that could easily be resolved informally or to drive up a fee claim by unnecessarily aggressive litigation. Courts often reward these tactics by failing to adjust a claim for attorney fees to account for unnecessary litigation, or, worse, by applying a contingency fee multiplier. But courts can only respond to arguments made by the litigants. Florida law provides existing tools that, if applied, can help curb a runaway attorney fee award. This article sets out the current legal environment and discusses ways defendants can fend off a runaway attorney fee award.
Florida recognizes two general categories of insurance bad faith: first-party and third-party. A cause of action for third-party bad faith exists at common law, but also may be brought under the Florida bad faith statute. The essence of a cause of action for third-party bad faith is that the insurer breached its duty to its insured by failing to properly or promptly defend claim, which resulted in the insured being exposed to a judgment in excess of the coverage limits.
Partner Matthew Lavisky held a discussion on Florida property insurance trends and recent case law for the FDLA.
Lawsuits for First-Party Property bad faith presented unique challenges to Florida insurers. In Part Two of this webinar series, common issues insurers face when defending these lawsuits have been discussed. We explored allegations commonly made by insureds and their attorneys to support bad faith lawsuits, the damages recoverable by a successful plaintiff, discovery, and strategies for defending against these lawsuits.
Ron DeSantis, the newly sworn Governor of the State of Florida, was given a unique opportunity to remake the Florida Supreme Court within his first days of office. Three of the seven justices of the Florida Supreme Court were forced to step down in the first days of January 2019 due to mandatory retirement. Those justices were Barbara Pariente, Peggy Quince, and Fred Lewis.
In a recent decision, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an important order of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida in a so-called “Powell claim.” Welford v. Liberty Mutual Ins. Co., --- Fed. App’x ---, 2017 WL 5899784 (11th Cir. November 29, 2017). The District Court order can be found at Welford v. Liberty Ins. Corp., 190 F. Supp. 3d 1085 (N.D. Fla. 2016).
August 24, 2017 BLOG POSTWhy Butler?
Why Butler? Find out more from Partner Matthew Lavisky.
Congratulations to Partner Matthew Lavisky for being elected to the Board of Directors for the FDLA!
The firm is pleased to announce that Matt Lavisky has been awarded the Florida Defense Lawyers Association "Young Lawyer of the Year" award. This year, Matt also served as chair of the editorial board for the FDLA Journal. Please join us in congratulating this well-deserved achievement.

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