Stoler Russell STOLER • RUSSELL • KEENER • VERONA

firm news

• February 2023

Founding partner Catherine Verona won summary judgment on behalf of a commercial beachfront property owner which had been sued for wrongful death arising from an accident which resulted in the death of two individuals. The plaintiffs appealed the ruling, and Catherine appeared before the Second District Court of Appeals for the oral argument on the matter. The appellate court affirmed the summary judgment shortly after the oral argument.

• December 2022

Stoler, Russell, Keener, Verona, PA was once again recognized by U.S. News as a “Best Law Firm” for 2023. Founding partner Bob Stoler was recognized as a “Lawyer of the Year”, as publicized in the latest edition of “Best Lawyers in America” in the category of Personal Injury Litigation - Defense. Founding partner John Russell was recognized as a “Lawyer of the Year”, as publicized in the latest edition of “Best Lawyers in America” in the category of Insurance Coverage Litigation - Defense. Founding partner Robin Keener was recognized in the latest publication of “Best Lawyers in America ” in the category of Insurance Coverage Litigation - Defense.

• May 2022

Founding partner Bob Stoler won summary judgment on behalf of a self-insured group of Florida Sheriff’s Offices in a Declaratory Judgment matter arising from a serious motor vehicle crash involving a Deputy Sheriff and a civilian.

• February 2022

The trial team of Bob Stoler and Catherine Verona obtained a defense verdict after a week-long jury trial. The accident giving rise to the lawsuit occurred when the plaintiff was struck by a commercial vehicle on a rural road, resulting in serious, permanent injuries. The jury returned a complete defense verdict, finding no negligence on the part of the truck driver.

• November 2021

Stoler Russell Keener Verona was once again included in the Best Law Firms in America listing.

• July 2021

Bob Stoler has been recertified as a Circuit Court Mediator by the Florida Supreme Court. Bob has been a certified mediator since 2001. The Florida Bar has recertified Bob Stoler as a civil trial lawyer. Bob has been board certified since 1995. In addition to his inclusion in the "Best Lawyers in America" list, Managing Partner John Russell was voted "Lawyer of the Year" for the category of insurance coverage; defense.

• December 2020

Stoler Russell Keener Verona was once again included in the Best Law Firms in America listing. Founding partner Bob Stoler was included in the Best Lawyers in America listing in the categories of personal injury; defense and plaintiff. Additionally, Bob was voted "Lawyer of the Year" for the category of personal injury; defense. Founding partner John Russell was included in the Best Lawyers in America listing in the categories of insurance coverage; defense. Founding partner Robin Keener was included in the Best Lawyers in America listing in the categories of insurance coverage; defense. Founding partner Catherine Verona obtained summary judgment on behalf of a long-standing SRKV client in a Federal Court premises liability claim. The plaintiff was allegedly injured after she fell in the client's retail establishment, but admitted at deposition that she entered the store for the sole purpose of using the restroom. The Court agreed that the plaintiff was not a "business invitee", and as a result, no duties were breached and summary judgment was warranted.

• December 2019

Founding partners Bob Stoler, John Russell and Robin Keener were once again included in the list of “Best Lawyers in America”. John and Robin were recognized in the field of insurance law, and Bob was included in the specialty of personal injury law, in both the plaintiff and defense category.

• August 2019

The Florida Supreme Court Dispute Resolution Center renewed founding partner Bob Stoler’s Circuit Court Mediator Certification. Bob has been consistently certified as a Circuit Court Mediator since 2001. Joel Mohorter obtained summary judgment on behalf of a national retail business which had been sued in a state court false arrest action. The court agreed with Joel’s assertion that there was probable cause for the plaintiff to be arrested, warranting the entry of summary judgment and dismissal of the lawsuit with prejudice.

• July 2019

Bob Stoler and Joel Mohorter successfully defended a local Sheriff's Office in an automobile negligence claim in which the Plaintiff alleged she suffered permanent injuries and incurred over $143,000 in medical bills for treatment and surgery. Plaintiff also alleged that she required a least two future surgeries that were purportedly related to the accident. After four days of trial, the jury rejected Plaintiff’s claims and returned a verdict for the Defense.

• May 2019

Bob Stoler and Joel Mohorter spoke to a national audience of attorneys who specialize in the defense of claims against correctional facilities in early May at a conference in Nashville. Bob and Joel spoke on strategies and ideas for trial preparation in lawsuits against correctional facilities and individual correctional officers.

• August 2018

Shareholders Bob Stoler and John Russell were recognized in the 2018 edition of Super Lawyers and in the 2019 edition of Best Lawyers in America. The 2019 edition of Best Lawyers in America also recognized Shareholder Robin Keener.

• June 2018

Trial attorney Joel Mohorter obtained a Summary Judgment in a Federal Civil Rights case on behalf of a lieutenant with a local Sheriff’s Office. The claim arose after the Plaintiff, an inmate in the jail, was shot with a crowd dispersion weapon during a violent cell extraction. The 15-page Federal Court opinion concluded that the lieutenant was entitled to qualified immunity resulting in dismissal of the claims.

• February 2018

Founding partner Catherine Verona recently obtained a victory on behalf of a national retailer who is a long-standing SRKV client. Catherine removed the case to Federal Court and Plaintiff filed a Motion to Remand the matter to State Court. In a thorough written opinion, the Federal Court denied the motion, agreeing with Catherine’s argument that the proper venue for the matter is The United States District Court, Middle District of Florida.

• December 2017

Bob Stoler was named by Best Lawyers as a 2018 "Lawyer of the Year" for Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants.

• November 2017

Founding partners John Russell, Bob Stoler and Robin P. Keener are listed in the Best Lawyers in America-2018. Bob, John and Robin have been consistently recognized in the list for the past several years.

• June 2017

Managing Shareholder John Russell recently obtained a victory in the Fourth District Court of Appeal on behalf of a long-standing SRKV client which operates as a self-insurance pool for various law enforcement agencies. The plaintiff appealed the Summary Judgment which the firm obtained on behalf of the client in 2016. The Appellate Court affirmed that summary judgment and dismissal of the claim was proper. The Florida Supreme Court Dispute Resolution Center renewed founding partner Bob Stoler’s Circuit Court Mediator Certification. Bob has been certified as a Circuit Court Mediator since 2001. Bob Stoler gave a presentation at a claims conference in Daytona Beach titled “Help and Hints in the Investigation of Claims”. The presentation was attended by 130 claims professionals.

• April 2017

Stoler Russell Keener Verona P.A. attorney Joel Mohorter recently obtained a victory in an appeal before Florida's Second District Court of Appeals. Joel appeared before the Court after the Plaintiff filed an appeal of the Trial Court's Order which granted summary judgment in a negligent security claim that was brought after the Plaintiff was allegedly assaulted at our client's retail business. The Appellate Court affirmed the Order which granted summary judgment within ten days of the oral argument, concluding that the case was properly dismissed when the summary judgment was entered.

• November 2016

Bob Stoler and Joel Mohorter obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a convenience store business which had been sued for “negligent security” after a shooting in the parking lot. The Plaintiff suffered four gunshot wounds, and brought suit against the business in which he alleged that there was insufficient security which would have prevented the incident. After a week-long trial, the Orlando jury returned a defense verdict following thirty-five minutes of deliberations. Bob Stoler was a guest lecturer at the Florida Sheriff’s Association Fleet Administration and Vehicle Exposition Conference on November 2, 2016. Bob spoke on the topic of spoliation of evidence and miscellaneous issues faced by governmental entities when responding to requests under Florida’s Public Records Act.

• August 2016

Joel Mohorter obtained Summary Judgment in favor of a Gadsden County Sheriff’s Deputy who was sued for false arrest, conspiracy, intentional infliction of an emotional distress and violation of the Federal Civil Rights Act. In its seventeen-page order, the United States District Court, Northern District of Florida dismissed all claims with prejudice, finding that there was probable cause for the Plaintiff to be arrested despite the fact he was acquitted of any criminal wrong doing.

• July 2016

Greg Gidus obtained summary judgment in favor of a long-standing Stoler Russell client, a self-insurance pool which provides liability coverage to various law enforcement agencies. The claim arose after an arrestee tried to compel the self-insurance fund to pay a default judgment which the arrestee obtained in prior litigation. The Court rejected the plaintiff’s claim that the judgment should be covered, and summarily dismissed the entire action with prejudice.

• June 2016

Joel Mohorter obtained a Summary Judgment in a "negligent security" claim which was brought against a national convenience store business. In that case, the Plaintiff was allegedly battered by unknown assailants, and Plaintiff brought suit alleging that the retail business failed to provide adequate protection from the event. The trial court agreed there were no material issues of fact and granted Summary Judgment for the Defendant and the entire case was dismissed with prejudice.

• March 2016

Catherine Verona obtained dismissal of a premises liability claim against a national retailer which is a long standing Stoler Russell client. The Court had previously reserved ruling on Catherine’s motion for summary judgment, but allowed the plaintiff to take additional depositions before another hearing would be held. Catherine renewed the motion and the plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the case shortly before the hearing, conceding that the motion was well-founded and the case warranted dismissal.

• February 2016

Joel Mohorter recently obtained summary judgment in a premises liability claim on behalf of a long-standing Stoler Russell client which owns and operates over 350 retail stores throughout the country. Although the plaintiff alleged she fell on the curb outside the store, resulting in alleged permanent injuries, the Court accepted Joel’s argument that there was absolutely no evidence of negligence on the part of the retailer, warranting dismissal of the suit.

• December 2015

The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education has recertified Bob Stoler in Civil Trial effective June 1, 2015. The Florida Bar has recognized Bob as a Board Certified Civil Trial lawyer on a continuous basis since June 1st, 1995.

• October 2015

The trial team of Bob Stoler, Catherine Verona and Joel Mohorter successfully defended the Pasco County Sheriff's Office in an automobile negligence claim during the last week of October, 2015. The plaintiff claimed that she suffered permanent injuries and incurred medical bills in excess of $350,000 following a collision with a Deputy Sheriff. The jury rejected the claim and returned a defense verdict, finding that there was no negligence on the part of the Deputy.

• June 2015

Robert M. Stoler and John D. Russell were named to the list of Florida Super Lawyers 2015. Bob and John are founding partners of the Insurance firm Stoler Russell Keener Verona, P.A. Both have been listed in Florida Super Lawyers consecutively since 2011. Bob in the category of Personal Injury General: Defense and John in the category of Insurance Coverage.

The attorneys featured in Super Lawyers were selected by their peers in an extensive nomination and polling process. Each year only 5% of the attorneys in the State are named Super Lawyers.

• April 2015

Bob Stoler and Catherine Verona successfully defended an automobile negligence claim in which the plaintiff alleged permanent injuries to her jaw, neck, back, and wrist. The plaintiff also claimed that she suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder as a result of the crash, and her attorney sought damages from the jury in excess of 18 million dollars. After eight days of trial, the jury agreed with the defense and concluded that plaintiff did not suffer any permanent injuries.

• March 2015

In March, 2015, Catherine Verona obtained a summary judgment on behalf of a convenience business in a claim arising from a trip on the alleged uneven pavement in the parking lot. Catherine successfully convinced the court that the case should be summarily dismissed due to a lack of evidence. The motion and memo of law were drafted by Joel Mohorter.

• February 2015

In February, 2015, managing partner John Russell successfully argued our client's case in front of the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeals. The appellate court sided with John and rendered an opinion in favor of the client thirty days after the oral argument which was live-streamed throughout the country.

• November 2014

In November, 2014, Bob Stoler and Catherine Verona successfully defended a Florida agricultural business which was sued for alleged failure to maintain fences after the plaintiff collided with a cow. The jury rejected the plaintiff's claims and returned a defense verdict at the close of the case.

Earlier last year Bob Stoler and Joel Mohorter successfully defended a large convenience business which had been sued for "negligent security" following a shooting at a gas station. The plaintiff sought a figure in excess of $2.6 million, and the Federal Court jury returned a complete defense verdict, agreeing that there was no negligence on the part of the convenience business which caused or contributed to the shooting.