Source: https://tlolawfirm.com/people/gregg-thomas
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 00:23:48+00:00

Document:
Gregg is one of country’s leading media and First Amendment lawyers. He has argued and won numerous high-profile cases on behalf of newspapers, television stations, movie producers, and other media entities. Gregg also has handled multi-million dollar commercial disputes, and trademark infringement cases.
After watching the justice system from the inside as a law clerk to two federal judges in my earlier years, I realized that I wanted to become an advocate for key legal principles. Now years later, serving as a First Amendment lawyer has been a dream come true.
He has argued and won cases before the Florida and United States Supreme Courts, including Butterworth v. Smith, 494 U.S. 624 (1990), where he convinced the U.S. Supreme Court that laws prohibiting grand jury witnesses from disclosing their testimony violated the First Amendment. Gregg is also a Florida-certified mediator. He practices out of TLo’s Tampa office.
Gregg repeatedly has been qualified as an expert witness on legal issues and attorneys’ fees in defamation and public records cases.
Prior to entering private practice, Gregg was a judicial clerk to the Honorable Ben Krentzman and the Honorable George Carr, both United States District Judges for the Middle District of Florida. He is a former board member and president of the Tampa Museum of Art, and former president of the Tampa Bay Business Committee for the Arts. In 2007, he was inducted into the Florida Freedom of Information Summit Hall of Fame.
Folta v. The New York Times Co., et al. (N.D. Fla. 2019), obtained summary judgment for The New York Times and journalist Eric Lipton in a defamation lawsuit brought by a University of Florida professor regarding a news article documenting public academics’ relationships with the biotechnology and organic food industries.
Has represented more than 50 newspapers and/or television stations in access litigation seeking governmental information in high-profile criminal cases, including cases involving Christine Falling, Ted Bundy, Danny Rolling, Julie Schnecker, Casey Anthony, and George Zimmerman.
Led a media team seeking to prohibit local government officials from banning the film The Last Temptation of Christ and, within 24 hours of being retained, persuaded U.S. District Court to declare a ban unconstitutional and to permanently enjoin its enforcement.
Lusczynski v. Tampa Bay Television (Fla. Cir. Ct. 2006). Won jury verdict for WFTS in defamation and false light case brought by three police officers.
Tyne v. Time-Warner Entertainment, Co., 901 So.2d 802 (Fla. 2005). Persuaded Florida Supreme Court to affirm right of the producers of The Perfect Storm to create a movie depicting historical events without having to obtain consent of individuals portrayed in the movie.
Butterworth v. Smith, 494 U.S. 624 (1990). Obtained ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that law prohibiting a reporter from disclosing the content of his own grand jury testimony violated the First Amendment.
Arabian Amer. Oil. Co. v. Scarfone, 713 F. Supp. 1420 (M.D. Fla. 1989), aff'd 939 Fo. 2d 1472 (11th Cir. 1991). Litigated RICO claim for ARAMCO against architect who submitted false and fraudulent invoices, resulting in judgment in excess of $10,000,000.
Gregg Thomas is a certified federal and state court mediator who combines wide-ranging litigation experience with realistic assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of parties' claims and defenses. Gregg recognizes that the parties – not the mediator – settle cases. But he also believes that as a mediator he can provide the parties with an impartial and realistic perspective on their case, and a chance to put litigation behind them. As Gregg has noted, "In almost every case, the parties stand to gain by compromising. If they continue to litigate, they are more likely to lose time, money, and peace of mind."
Gregg's approach to mediation derives from more than 30 years as a civil and commercial litigator, and from having clerked for two federal district court judges. Defamation law, invasion of privacy, and constitutional claims are the areas in which he is best known, but Gregg also has extensive real-world experience in many other fields, including business torts, contracts, deceptive and unfair trade practices, non-competition agreements, trade secrets, RICO, and Section 1983 actions.

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