Biography

Richard P. Hermann’s practice focuses on managing general liability, product liability and commercial litigation throughout the United States, as well as negotiating union matters, working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and drafting service and construction contracts. Mr. Hermann represents international manufacturers, vertical transportation service companies, and numerous commercial enterprises, retail operators and individuals in litigation, arbitration and negotiated resolutions involving claims for negligence, breach of contract, fraud and negligent misrepresentation, wrongful death, toxic torts, class-actions, breach of warranties, code compliance matters, municipal bid disputes, aviation litigation, civil theft and asset recovery. Coming into private practice after serving as general counsel to a Fortune 500 company, Mr. Hermann has concentrated his practice defending and trying complex and high-exposure cases to verdict throughout Florida, where he has obtained numerous directed and defense verdicts.

Litigation Matters

• Provides counsel for defendants in both state and federal courts as well as multi-state litigation.
• Actively providing statewide defense of the three largest vertical transportation companies in the world for more than 10 years.
• Obtained numerous defense jury verdicts, directed verdicts, voluntary dismissals, involuntary dismissals and summary judgments in products liability, premises liability and warranty actions against vertical transportation companies, property owners and retail operators.
• Regularly called upon to provide risk-reduction seminars to local workforces of international corporations.
• Acts as outside counsel liaison between international corporations and regional defense firms.
• Acts as local counsel for Fortune 100 company in antipollution action involving large-scale groundwater contamination.
• Successful appeal of adverse jury verdict, resulting in reversal of verdict, entry of judgment for client and attorney’s fee award for client.

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

Mr. Hermann is a member of the Florida Bar, the Broward County Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute (product liability section). He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. He was also a diplomat of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy: Trial Advocacy Skills, Boulder, Colorado (2002). In addition, he was selected by his peers as one of Florida's Legal Elite for 2011.

While in law school, Mr. Hermann won the Moot Court Competition in 1995.  He also served as Articles and Comments Editor of the St. Thomas Law Review. 

Presentations and Publications 

• “Florida Appellate Court Decides Providers Were Entitled to Reimbursement for Certain Services,” co-author, Sedgwick’s Healthcare Law Newsletter (Fall 2010).
• “Florida May Expand the Dangerous Instrumentality Doctrine to All-Terrain Vehicles,” Sedgwick’s Product Liability Advisory (September 10, 2010).
• “Deconstructing Experts: A Case Study of Experts Carl J. White and C. Stephen Carr, Ph.D.,” Schindler Elevator Corporation, Madison, N.J. (October 5, 2009).
• "Who's Liable for On-Line Libel?" St. Thomas Law Review (1997).