Hunter O'Connor - Vernis & Bowling

Hunter O’Connor, Esq.
Attorney
Vernis & Bowling of the Florida Keys, P.A. Islamorada Professional Center - 3rd Floor 81990 Overseas Highway Islamorada, FL 33036
Phone: (305) 664-4675
Email: HOConnor@Florida-Law.com
Fax: (305) 664-5414
Website: www.national-law.com
V-Card Email

Verdicts and Dispositions

Digennaro v. Malgrat, et. al.
Gaelan Jones and Dirk M. Smits (Islamorada, FL) (Governmental Law) with assistance from Hunter O’Conner, obtained a Dismissal Without Prejudice on behalf of all Monroe County School Board Defendants in the matter of Digennaro v. Malgrat, et. al. Bianca Digennaro sued the School Board, the City of Key West and several individual school officials and police officers, after Ms. Digennaro’s eight-year old son HMM was arrested at school following reports of him punching a teacher. Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump, representing Ms. Digennaro and her son, filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida and circulated body worn camera footage of the student’s arrest on social media and causing the story to go viral nationally. Plaintiff’s counsel argued that the City of Key West and the defendant police officers violated HMM’s constitutional rights by attempting to use handcuffs during his arrest, and that the School Board defendants had violated HMM’s rights by contacting law enforcement. Specifically, Plaintiff’s counsel argued that school officials should not involve law enforcement in student disciplinary matters unless they believe an imminent threat to school safety exists. The School Defendants moved to dismiss the lawsuit on grounds of qualified immunity, arguing that school officials are compelled to involve law enforcement in response to reports of certain crimes by Florida law, particularly in the aftermath of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. In a seventeen page opinion, Judge K. Michael Moore cited arguments and case law from the School Defendants’ brief and ruled that the Defendants were entitled to qualified immunity.

Areas Of Practice

Administrative Law
Affordable Housing
Business and Real Estate Law
Code Enforcement
Contract Law (Drafting and Defense)
Cyber Security
Education Law
Eminent Domain
Ethics
First and Third Party Property and Casualty Claims
Labor and Employment Law
Land Use and Zoning
Municipal/Government Liability Defense
PIP/Personal Injury Protection Litigation
Public Finance
Public Procurement
Public Records Law
Public Sector Liability
Sunshine Law
Tax Referendum/Election Law

Bar & Court Admission

Florida Bar

Education

Graduate:
St. Thomas University School of Law
Undergraduate:
University of Central Florida

Hunter is a Florida native born and raised in the Florida Keys. Following his graduation from the University of Central Florida, he returned to Key Largo to attend law school at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, graduating in 2020. After admission to the Florida Bar, Mr. O’Connor began practicing with Vernis & Bowling of the Florida Keys.

As an associate with Vernis & Bowling of the Florida Keys, Mr. O’Connor has practiced in a wide variety of areas with a focus towards local government law.

Mr. O’Connor handles various legal matters for The School Board of Monroe County, the City of Key Colony Beach, City of Layton, Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and Key Largo Fire & EMS District, North Fort Myers Fire District, and Monroe County. Some of the legal areas Mr. O’Connor handles include, but are not limited to, contracts, ordinances, procurement, affordable housing, public records, and sunshine law. Mr. O’Connor looks forward to continuing to expand his skills and expertise alongside the excellent attorneys at Vernis & Bowling of the Florida Keys.

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