Patrick M. Causey

Overview

Patrick Causey is a Shareholder in the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group. He concentrates is practice in business and healthcare litigation.

Patrick is a business attorney serving as outside general counsel to businesses ranging in size from start-ups to multi-national corporations. Patrick represents these businesses in, intellectual property, contract, trade secret, and unfair business practice disputes, with significant experience in non-compete and non-solicitation litigation. Patrick has written extensively on emerging issues in the non-compete space for publications such as Market Watch, Tampa Bay Business Journal, and Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Magazine. Patrick also leverages his experience as a trial lawyer to help clients take proactive steps to avoid litigation, including by resolving disputes prior to a lawsuit being filed, and negotiating and drafting contracts with a company’s vendors, customers, and employees.

Patrick also has significant experience defending doctors, chiropractors, and healthcare providers against fraud and RICO claims brought by health insurance companies. Because insurance companies have aggressively targeted healthcare providers for alleged fraud, particularly in Florida, Patrick advises clients on changes that can be made to their healthcare practice to avoid possible claims from insurers. He also represents healthcare providers in pre-suit negotiations with those insurance companies, and has successfully resolved claims before a lawsuit is filed. Patrick also has experience defending these medical providers in claims filed in federal court.

Representative Matters

Commercial Litigation

• Successfully defended  a group of 16 chiropractors, entities, and medical doctor clients who were sued by State Farm for fraud, civil conspiracy, unjust enrichment, FDUPTA and declaratory judgment, alleging medically unnecessary treatment of over 1,000 patients over 6 years.  The jury returned  a 100% defense verdict after a 3 week trial.
• Represented a forklift manufacturer in breach of contract matters against vendors, customers and competitors
• Represented a medical supply company in litigation against a former executive and his new employer for breaching a non-competition and confidentiality agreement and misappropriation of trade secrets
• Represented a Fortune 500 company in litigation involving allegations of trade secret misappropriation
• Represented financial institution in dispute over fraudulently issued check; obtained summary judgment on key claims raised by the plaintiff, which led to a favorable settlement for the client
• Represented a physician’s association accused of violating Florida’s Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
• Defended corporations against charges of violating Federal and Florida consumer protection statutes

Legal Malpractice Defense

• Represented a lawyer and law firm sued for legal malpractice in connection with a malicious prosecution matter. Successfully obtained summary judgment on damage claims totaling $60 million and helped obtain settlement for client on favorable terms, avoiding trial
• Represented a lawyer and law firm sued for legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty in a claim brought by the FDIC. The case was successfully appealed in favor of the lawyer and firm at the 11th Circuit
• Represented a lawyer and law firm sued for legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud in connection with business advice provided to an attorney going through a divorce
• Represented international law firm in legal malpractice action involving the sale of a multi-million property
• Represented a lawyer and law firm sued for legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraud in connection with litigation over the sale of a multi-million dollar business
• Represented a lawyer and law firm sued for legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty in connection with a trademark infringement action. Obtained dismissal of $80 million in damage claims and a settlement on favorable terms for the client avoiding trial
• Represented a law firm sued for violating Federal and Florida Fair Debt Collection Practices statutes

Intellectual Property

• Represented a manufacturer of e-cigarettes in several litigation matters involving enforcing trademark and other intellectual property rights
• Represented a water excavation company in litigation before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board against a former employee and competitor who sought to obtain a trademark on the client’s proprietary information. Successfully obtained a dismissal of the trademark application for fraud on the TTAB
• Represented a nutritional bar company identify and acquire three trademarks for its business name and primary slogan
• Represented a local boutique market protect its common law copyrights against competitor infringing the same
• Represented a bank against third parties using the bank’s trademarks in connection with a fraudulent investment scheme.

Honors and Distinctions

• The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2024-2025
• AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Florida Super Lawyers, 2023-2024
  • Rising Star 2015-2020

Professional Involvement

• St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce
  • Board of Governors
• St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation
• St. Petersburg Bar Association
• St. Petersburg Bar Foundation
  • Board of Trustees, Young Lawyer Representative
• American Bar Association
• The Florida Bar
• Hillsborough County Bar Association
  • Young Lawyers Division
• Defense Research Institute
  • Trial Tactics Committee, Membership Chair
  • Deposition Institue Program, Vice-Chair, 2017
  • ​Vice-Chair, Trial Skills and Damages Seminar, 2019

Community Involvement

• Leadership St. Pete, Class of 2019
• The Kind Mouse Board of Directors, 2017
• Greenlight Pinellas, Business Litigation Council, 2013-2014
• Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Johny Ferlita Memorial Fishing Tournament, Planning Committee, 2012
• YMCA Youth Basketball Coach, 2010-2013