First Admitted: 1999, Florida

Professional Webpage: https://msworldlaw.com/our-team/tom-j-manos/

Bar / Professional Activity:

Admitted to practice in: All Florida Courts U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit The Supreme Court of the United States of America Professional Affiliations: American Bar Association Cuban American Bar Association Dade County Bar Association The Florida Bar, Sports and Entertainment Section Florida Bar Business Law Section Florida Bar Employment Law Section Phi Delta Phi Legal Honor Society Order of the Coif Legal Honor Society, 1999

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results):

Mr. Manos’ personalized and moral approach to practicing law has led to an undefeated trial record. He has significant experience in jury and non-jury trials and court proceedings, and he has negotiated favorable settlements for clients in several cases in excess of $1 million, and was named in Verdict Search’s Top 100 Verdicts in the United States in 2006. Noteworthy verdicts and settlements in which Mr. Manos participated as either lead counsel or co-counsel, include: $5.4 million against a major aircraft company $33 million verdict against a leading oil company $37.2 million in a large defamation suit $24 million+ settlement in a class action settlement against a major national HMO $1.01 billion+ settlement in a class certification of 600,000 physicians against several national HMOs. Successfully Defending a Client From a $60 Million Lawsuit - Tom J. Manos, representing a Miami defendant who was doing business with a failed stock brokerage in Venezuela, won an appeal affirming the dismissal of a case in Miami-Dade Circuit Court alleging a $60 million fraud, civil theft and conspiracy against his client in favor of litigation in the courts of Venezuela on forum non conveniens grounds. The doctrine of forum non conveniens permits defendants to move to dismiss cases filed in Florida where a foreign forum would be more convenient for the defendant and the court finds the alternative forum to be available and adequate to hear the case. In this case, Manos obtained a dismissal in the trial court for his client in favor of litigating in the courts of Venezuela, arguing at an evidentiary hearing that Venezuela’s court system was an adequate alternative forum for the litigation and that other factors also favored Venezuela’s courts over Miami’s courts. On appeal of the dismissal order, and after oral argument, the Third District Court of Appeal affirmed without opinion on February 26, 2014, and on March 31, 2014 denied a motion by the plaintiff for rehearing and rehearing en banc, or in the alternative for a written opinion. See, Vasquez-Estrella v. Camperos, Case No. 11-035080, Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Third District Court of Appeal case No. 13-2342. The appllate court’s order is now final. Succeeding Where Others Failed - A client came to the firm for bankruptcy advice after their previous law firm lost a motion for a summary judgment for $2.5 million. Mr. Manos assessed the client’s legal position and came up with a new angle. He convinced the judge to set aside the prior judgment and dismiss the case with prejudice. As a result, Mr. Manos was able to save the client from a $2.5 million judgment and from bankruptcy. Winning a Record Defamation Award - Mr. Manos represented a Nicaraguan banker libeled in financial publications and newspapers by another banker who was trying to gain leverage in a contract dispute. Despite the absence of any economic damages, Mr. Manos developed a successful approach to proving damage to his client’s reputation. That resulted in a jury verdict of $37.2 million for the client – the largest defamation award in Florida history. Saving a Home from an Unscrupulous Lender - While attending a hearing on another matter, Mr. Manos overheard a case where two elderly handicapped women were being evicted from their home by an unscrupulous and predatory lender. The ladies were crying and told the judge that they couldn’t afford an attorney. The judge said that, unfortunately, his hands were tied. Mr. Manos immediately volunteered to represent the ladies pro bono and obtained a continuance. Subsequently he found irregularities in the lender’s practices, succeeded in defeating the lender’s motion for writ of possession, and forced the lender to dismiss its case, resulting in the women keeping their home.

Representative Clients:

Mr. Manos' clients expect their matters, including their identities, to be kept in the strictest of confidence.

Honors:

Top Verdicts in U.S. in 2006 for $37.2 million (44th highest jury award in entire U.S.) Lawyers of Distinction – “Recognizing Excellence in Litigation, Entertainment, and Employment Law – 2019” U.S. Business News Legal Elite Awards – “Best Employment Litigation Practice – Florida;” “Best International Business Law Firm – Eastern Seaboard;” “Entertainment and Litigation Attorney of the Year 2019 – Florida.” Awarded "Super Lawyer" designation for 2021 -- As the New Jersey Supreme Court described this recognition: “[The Super Lawyers selection process] is a comprehensive, good-faith and detailed attempt to produce a list of lawyers that have attained high peer recognition, meet ethical standards, and have demonstrated some degree of achievement in their field." "Suffice to say, the selection procedures employed by [Super Lawyers] are very sophisticated, comprehensive and complex."

Educational Background:

Barry University,BLS, summa cum laude, 1993
University of Miami School of Law,J.D. magna cum laude, 1999 University of Miami Law Review, Editorial Board C.A.L.I. Award for Legal Research and Writing Phi Delta Phi The Order of the Coif Who's Who: American Law Students, 19th Ed. Judicial Internship with United States District Judge the Honorable William M. Hoeveler of the Southern District of Florida., 1999

Industry Groups:

Employers
Entertainment Industry
small and medium-sized businesses
the construction industry;
the toy industry

Tom J. Manos