PRACTICE AREAS: Florida Employment Defense Lawyers
Labor and Employment Defense
Cristal Law Group provides preventative strategies tailored specifically
for your business designed to prevent a lawsuit before it starts. We also
help you develop personnel procedures, employee manuals and are always
available to make recommendations for immediate concerns. In the event
an employee files a complaint or initiates litigation, we aggressively
defend you at the administrative level from the first Charge of Discrimination
at the EEOC or the FCHR as well as the subsequent lawsuit filed in either
State or Federal Court. This includes defending employers from alleged
violations of:
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act;
- Florida Civil Rights Act;
- Wage & Hour under the Fair Labor Standards Act;
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA);
- Age Discrimination (ADEA);
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA);
- Sexual Harassment and Discrimination;
- Hostile Work Environment;
- Whistleblower;
- Wrongful Termination and
- Workers’ Compensation Retaliation.
Florida State Workers’ Compensation Defense
and Employers’ Liability Defense (Coverage “B”)
Cristal Law Group handles defense of Employers with insurance, Uninsured
Employers, Insurance Companies and Third Party Administrators from Workers’
Compensation claims. While we handle defense of all claims, we have a
particular niche in matters involving fraud. We also specialize in defending
claims against Employee Leasing Companies and are on the cutting edge
in dealing with all of the unique issues that arise in this area. We counsel
Insurers, Self-Insureds and Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs)
on formulating Client Service Agreements, Return to Work Programs and
internal policies and procedures.
Cristal Law Group also defends Employers and Carriers from claims from
employees alleging Intentional Torts and incidents that were “Virtually
Certain” to lead to serious injury or death. These are claims filed
by an injured worker but, due to the alleged egregious manner in which
the injuries allegedly were sustained, the employee may actually sue his
employer in State Court for damages far in excess of those provided in
the Workers’ Compensation system.
Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation and Defense Base Act
Cristal Law Group has years of experience in defending USL&H claims
on behalf of Employers throughout the Southeast; not just Florida. Having
an attorney who has a strong knowledge of both USL&H claims as well
as Florida State Workers’ Compensation claims is also important
in helping to distinguish the jurisdictional issues that arise and formulate
a determination of how the claims should be handled.
Foreign Voluntary Compensation Defense
These claims are also unique as they often present complicated issues of
jurisdiction. In fact, attorneys representing injured workers covered
by these policies oftentimes file claims in the wrong jurisdiction which
usually creates a substantial expense for everyone involved. Employees
injured oversees are usually covered under these “catch all”
policies and there are always specific legal requirements in how these
claims need to be handled and defended. Having an attorney with this unique
knowledge combined with similar claims falling under other jurisdictions
is an important safeguard against improper claims filed by uneducated
attorneys.
Stop-Work Orders/Penalty Assessments
The State of Florida requires all employers to maintain Workers' Compensation
insurance coverage for all employers in the construction industry as well
as all other employers that have more than three employees on the payroll.
If the State determines that a business is not in full compliance by maintaining
workers’ compensation for all employees at the job site or place
of business, the State may issue a Stop-Work Order requiring that employer
to cease any further operations at the inspected locations or even at
multiple locations at which the employer is conducting business. Penalties
Assessments are often calculated incorrectly and employees are commonly
misclassified.
Appellate Practice
Cristal Law Group has a long history defending and initiating appeals
on behalf of its clients. Some of the appeals handled by our attorneys
become landmark decisions in the area of Workers’ Compensation benefiting
employers and carriers.
Insurance Coverage and Carrier Representation Disputes
Cristal Law Group advises and represents national insurance companies,
reinsurance companies, funds and all types of broad based policies in
coverage related matters on a statewide basis. Our attorneys have the
privilege of being principal counsel in coverage disputes and have experience
not only in the area of coverage analysis and the Florida Claims Administration
Statute, but also in complex employers liability matters which include
preparing reservation of rights letters, declaratory actions in both federal
and state courts and navigating the conflicting relationship between employer
liability tort exposure and workers’ compensation immunity.
Bad Faith and Extra-Contractual Liability
Cristal Law Group counsels and guides clients in the complexities of insurance
policies and coverage, including assessing policies to determine if the
insurer has a duty to pay for a client’s defense and/or indemnify
the insured.
Transportation Defense
Cristal Law Group attorneys realize that truck accident claims are much
more unique than typical motor vehicle accidents. They are costly and
without effective counsel, can be devastating to a business. Our attorneys
work with investigators statewide and immediately go to site crashes insuring
that your interests are protected, evidence and data is maintained in
compliance with the law and causation is assessed. Cost effective legal
management takes place immediately in an attempt to reach the best outcome
on behalf of the client.