Jeffrey P. Gill - Vernis & Bowling

Jeffrey P. Gill, Esq.
Department Managing Attorney
Vernis & Bowling of Northwest Florida, P.A. 315 South Palafox Street Pensacola, FL 32502
Phone: (850) 433-5461
Email: JGill@Florida-Law.com
Fax: (850) 432-0166
Website: www.national-law.com
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Verdicts and Dispositions

Adeon Brownlee v. 22nd Avenue Apartments, LLC, Millennia Housing Management, Ltd., LLC, and Aron Security, Inc.,
Jeff Gill (Pensacola) (Negligent Security) obtained Final Summary Judgment in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court. Plaintiff was shot by an unknown assailant while visiting an apartment complex located in a high-crime area in Opa Locka, Florida. The court found that the Plaintiff had been targeted and that the crime, despite the high crime statistics, was thus unforeseeable. It also held that the Defendant had no duty to protect the Plaintiff/invitee from the assailant as the overwhelming weight of the evidence suggested that the assailant had fired from an adjacent property.
Robert Lyons v. Plymel Properties, LLC
Jeff Gill (Pensacola, FL)(Property) obtained Summary Judgment in Franklin County, Florida. Plaintiff Robert Lyons, represented by Morgan and Morgan, was servicing the pool on Defendant’s property when he fell on the walkway to the pool, sustaining a right knee injury that required three surgeries and incurring more than $178,000.00 in medical bills. Plaintiff maintained that the defendant had failed to maintain the walkway since Defendant’s maintenance man had passed away approximately 1 year earlier. He also testified that he had informed the Defendant of the dangerous condition of the walkway on multiple occasions. The Court accepted our argument that Plaintiff had utilized a shortcut over a decorative bench and that, as such, Defendant had no duty to maintain that bench for a purpose for which it was not designed. The Defendant had filed a proposal for settlement in the amount of $175,000.00.
Wiggins v. Whataburger
Jeff Gill (Pensacola, FL) (Premises Liability) obtained Final Summary Judgement in Leon County, Florida in the case of Wiggins v. Whataburger. Plaintiff Bettie Wiggins, a 77-year-old female, tripped and fell over a “crumpled” entrance mat sustaining significant injuries to her knee and back. We successfully argued that our client, Whataburger, did not have actual or constructive knowledge of the condition of the mat and, therefore, had no liability. Plaintiff was represented by a large personal injury firm in Florida and had filed a proposal for settlement in the amount of $1,000,000.
The Estate Of Chad Bentley Anderson v. The Summit Condominum Resort
Jeff Gill (Pensacola, FL) (Wrongful Death) recently obtained a Dismissal of a wrongful death claim which was filed in Bay County. The action was brought by the parents of the 19-year old decedent who fell to his death from the ninth floor condo in which he was staying. We represented the vacation company that booked the condo which allegedly contained an attractive nuisance (scaffolding which was adjacent to the balcony railing). After prevailing on his Motion to Dismiss at the initial hearing, Mr. Gill was able to convince Plaintiff’s counsel to file a Dismissal with Prejudice rather than filing an amended complaint.
Vernis & Bowling Obtains Defense Verdict in Florida's First Live Jury Trial post COVID-19
Jeffrey P. Gill (Pensacola, FL) and G. Jeffrey Vernis (N. Palm Beach, FL) obtained a Defense Verdict in the first live jury trial in the State of Florida this week in Panama City, Florida, since Covid-19 closed our courts.

With Covid restrictions in place, we started to pick a jury on October 12, 2020. The court room was reconfigured for social distancing and there were plastic shields around the judge, the court clerk, the court reporter and installed between the attorneys, even the one sitting at the same table. Everyone wore a mask the entire time they were inside the courtroom whether they were speaking or not. The jurors were brought in much smaller groups for the initial voir dire questioning and once selected, they sat, socially distanced on the benches in the gallery, rather than in the jury box. The jury pool was reduced by about 1/3 for Covid related reasons requiring access to more potential jurors. For each break and for the jury deliberation, the jury was placed in a separate courtroom so they could sit, and later deliberate, distanced from each other. Everyone worked around the new protocols as best as we could and there were certainly times when it was difficult to hear someone through the mask, but that was typically remedied quickly. All sidebars with the Judge were done with the plastic shield in place. Overall, the jury trial went smoothly and surprisingly considering the fear and protocols surrounding Covid-19. For more about the case itself, see below.

The matter of Streichert v. Ennis was tried in Bay County, Florida from October 12, 2020 to October 15, 2020. This case involved an admitted negligence rear-end accident where the plaintiff claimed to have sustained a permanent injury and a permanent and significant loss of an important bodily function as a result of an automobile accident which occurred on April 11, 2016 in Lynn Haven, Florida. The plaintiff claimed significant and permanent injuries to her neck, back, elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome and received medical care and treatment with a chiropractor, orthopedic surgeon, neurologist and pain management physician all of whom testified either live or through records. The plaintiff argued that she sustained three herniated discs in her neck and two in her low back as a result of this accident, together with carpal tunnel syndrome. Although the plaintiff had been recommended for surgery, she had a severe phobia of any treatment that could possibly result in paralysis since she grew up with a mother who was a quadriplegic. Since the plaintiff would not have surgery, she underwent pain management but there were significant gaps in treatment. The Plaintiff denied prior history of neck or back pain or problems before this accident and no records were found to prove otherwise. The plaintiff’s case was tailored to proving how her life has changed from before the accident to after the accident. The plaintiff presented five before and after witnesses all of whom testified how significantly the plaintiff has been affected by the injuries she received in the accident. Interestingly, the plaintiff decided to waive her claims for economic damages and exclusively seek only non-economic damages; i.e. pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. While we admitted negligence for this rear end accident, we contended that the plaintiff was herself partially responsible but also that the plaintiff did not sustain a permanent injury or significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function as a result of the accident. In the defense case, we called a board-certified medical doctor who testified that the plaintiff did not sustain any permanent injury or significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function as a result of the accident.

The trial lasted four days and the jury returned a verdict finding the plaintiff 30% at fault for this rear-end accident and found no permanent injury or permanent or significant loss of an important bodily function and therefore the plaintiff received $0. We had filed a proposal for settlement earlier in the case and our motion to tax attorney’s fees and costs is pending.

If you would like more information concerning this trial, please feel free to contact JGill@Florida-Law.com or GJVernis@National-Law.com.

Areas Of Practice

Automobile Liability (PIP/PD/BI/UM)
Business & Commercial Law
Civil Litigation
Commercial Litigation
Construction and Construction Defect Litigation
Coverage & Declaratory Judgment Actions
Cyber Security & Data Privacy
First and Third Party Property and Casualty Claims
General Civil Litigation
General Liability Defense Litigation
Hurricane Claims
Intentional Torts
Liability Defense
Liquor Liability
Negligent Security
Premises Liability
Product Liability
Professional Liability/E & O
Trucking
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Liability

Bar & Court Admission

Florida Bar, 1988
U.S. District Court, Northern District Of Florida
U.S. District Court, Southern District Of Florida

Education

Graduate:
Vanderbilt University School of Law, Juris Doctorate, 1988
Undergraduate:
Haverford College, Bachelor of Arts, 1984

Distinguised Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Jeff Gill was born in Suffern, New York in 1962. He grew up in Waldwick, New Jersey and graduated from Waldwick High School in 1980. He graduated from Haverford College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1984. Following his graduation from college, Jeff coached high school basketball for a year. He then enrolled in the Vanderbilt University School of Law from which he graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 1988. Upon graduation from law school, Jeff began his legal career in the Pensacola office of Carlton, Fields, et al. He founded the firm of Bridgers, Gill & Holman in 1991 and acted as managing partner there until joining Vernis & Bowling in 2002.

Jeff has tried more than 150 civil jury trials. He has tried and won cases in most Florida jurisdictions including Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Washington, Gadsden, Lee, Jefferson, Taylor, Madison, Suwannee, Dixie, Columbia, Alachua, Nassau, Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Flagler, Putnam, Marion, Volusia, Lake, Seminole, Orange, Pasco, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Broward, Dade and Collier counties as well as in the Federal Courts of the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida.

Jeff has served as national trial counsel for several large corporations in defense of their Mass Tort Litigation. He has also served as statewide trial counsel in Florida for several fortune five hundred companies. He has obtained defense verdicts for his clients in wrongful death cases in both State and Federal Courts and has prevailed in trials against some of the most high-profile lawyers in Florida including, but not limited to, Fred Levin, Bob Montgomery, Chris Searcy, Mike Papantonio and Joel Wolpe.

Jeff has been the head basketball coach at Pensacola Catholic High School since 2015 and lead the Crusaders to the final four in 2018.

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