Robert W. Ritsch's Profile

Robert W. Ritsch, Of Counsel, graduated from Rollins College in 1984. In 1988, he graduated with honors from the University of Florida Law School. Mr. Ritsch was a law clerk to Magistrate Judge Thomas G. Wilson of the United States District Court in the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division. Upon completion of his clerkship with Magistrate Judge Wilson, Mr. Ritsch served as a law clerk on the appellate level to Judge Paul H. Roney of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Mr. Ritsch is a member of both the Florida and North Carolina bars. Prior to his clerkships, Mr. Ritsch was in private practice concentrating on commercial real estate and litigation. After his clerkships, he returned to the private sector concentrating on an appellate practice in federal and state courts both in Florida and North Carolina.

Mr. Ritsch assisted in the appeals of White v. Advanced Neuromodulation Systems, Inc., Wendy Bolin, R.N., and Pain Management Systems, Inc., 51 So. 3d 613 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011), winning a decision that a defendant medical device programmer was not liable to a patient under the "undertaker's doctrine"; State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Brainard, 2010 WL 3463653 (Fla. 2d DCA Sept. 3, 2010), an uninsured motorist case, winning an affirmance of a verdict of more than $3 million; Winters v. Mulholland, 35 Fla. L. Weekly D267 (Fla. 2d DCA Jan. 29, 2010), in which he won a reversal of a $1.5 million judgment for civil theft; Whitehead v. Smith, 23 So. 3d 1281 (Fla. 2d DCA 2010), in which he won an important decision regarding the composition of arbitration panels in medical malpractice case; Shaffer v. Icely, 16 So. 3d 282 (Fla. 2d DCA 2009), winning a reversal of a dismissal, which established that ultrasound technicians owe a duty of care to patients; Johnson v. Justice, 995 So. 2d 966 (Fla. 2d DCA 2008), in which an affirmance was won of medical malpractice judgment that exceeded $1.5 million; State Farm Insurance Co. v. Lahey, 972 So. 2d 186 (Fla. 2d DCA 2008), in which an affirmance was won of a verdict of approximately $3.8 million in an uninsured motorist case; Geraci v. Geraci, 963 So. 2d 904 (Fla. 2d DCA 2007), prevailing in a case involving an issue of first impression and millions of dollars worth of commercial property; Geraci v. Geraci, 951 So. 2d 840 (Fla. 2d DCA 2007), winning an affirmance of a complex contract dispute also involving millions of dollars worth of property; Stanley v. Greystone Medical Group, Inc., 952 So. 2d 525 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006), in which a reversal was won in a case involving ownership of a valuable medical product; Azenha v. Larry, 928 So. 2d 1225 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006), in which an affirmance of a medical malpractice judgment that exceeded $4.7 million was won; Nunez v. Westfield Homes of Florida, Inc., 925 So. 2d 1108 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006), in which a reversal of an order compelling arbitration in a class action case was won; Montage Group, Ltd. and Digital Editing Services, Inc. v. Athle-Tech Computer Systems, Inc., 889 So. 2d 190 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004), in which the court affirmed an award of almost $8 million in breach of contract case. He also assisted in The Estate of Canavan v. National Healthcare Corp., et al., 889 So. 2d 825 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004), in which the firm won both the main appeal and the cross-appeal on behalf of a victim of nursing home abuse; assisted in Perdue Farms Incorporated v. Hook and H&N Foods, Inc., 777 So. 2d 1047 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001), a trade secrets case, which affirmed an award totaling almost $32 million plus attorney's fees; provided litigation support to trial counsel for the plaintiff in Maris Distributing Co. v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Circuit Court for Alachua County, Case No. 97-22 CA J; assisted in Veltmann v. Fireman's Fund Insurance Companies, unpublished (11th Cir. 2001); and assisted in winning an affirmance in Beverly Enterprises-Florida, Inc. v. Korte, 753 So. 2d 93 (Fla. 2d DCA 1999).