Overview
John P. Joy is a senior partner in the firm and is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubble. He joined the firm upon graduation from law school. Mr. Joy serves as coverage counsel for several national insurers on matters relating to commercial general liability and personal lines insurance. He has provided hundreds of coverage opinions to insurers and has regularly handled insurance coverage declaratory judgment actions in state and federal courts over the course of his career. Mr. Joy is also the senior appellate attorney in the firm. He has handled in excess of 250 appellate matters and has numerous published opinions in state and federal courts in the areas of tort and insurance law.
Practice Areas:
- Insurance Coverage Law
- Appellate Law
- Insurance Defense
Admitted to Practice:
- All Florida trial courts
- All Florida District Courts of Appeal
- Florida Supreme Court
- United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
- United States District Court, Middle District of Florida
- United States District Court, Northern District of Florida
- United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- United States Supreme Court
Education:
- Mr. Joy attended undergraduate and law school at the University of Florida.
- While in law school, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Justice Campbell Thornal National Moot Court Board and was inducted into the Order of the Barristers for outstanding achievement in the area of oral and written advocacy.
Professional or Trade Affiliations:
- Florida Bar, Appellate Practice Section
- Broward County Bar Association, Appellate Practice Section
- Defense Research Institute (DRI), Insurance Law Committee
Honors & Awards:
- Mr. Joy is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale Hubble
- Member of Florida Super Lawyers
Representative Experience:
Below is a representative sample of appellate cases handled by Mr. Joy during his legal career:
- Valcin v. Public Health Trust of Dade County (Fla. Supr. Ct. 1987) (Establishing law in Florida regarding evidentiary presumptions and jury instructions for loss or destruction of evidence in civil litigation)
- Hollar v. International Bankers Ins. Co.(Fla. 3d DCA 1990) (Establishing scope of damages recoverable under Sec. 624.155 Fla. Stat.)
- Dosdourian v. Carsten (Fla. Supr. Ct. 1993) (Reversing multi-million dollar personal injury verdict and ruling that Mary Carter settlement agreements were void as against public policy in Florida)
- FIGA v. Revoredo (Fla. 3d DCA 1997) (Establishing law in Florida that there is no coverage under a CGL policy for claims by statutory employees against construction contractors)
- Dade County School Board v. Radio Station WQBA (Fla. Supr. Ct. 1999) (Establishing law in Florida for post-settlement claims by defendants based on equitable subrogation)
- Koikos v. Travelers Ins. Co. (Fla. Supr. Ct. 2003)(Establishing law in Florida for determining number of occurrences under liability insurance policies)
- Morris v. Rayman (Fla. 4th DCA 2009) (Limiting application of law subjecting defendant to liability for Wrongful Death based on alleged failure to render aid)
- Arango v. Universal Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co. (Fla. 3d DCA 2012) (Finding no coverage under homeowners policy for Wrongful Death claim based on business pursuits and employer’s liability exclusions)
- Claudio v. Regalado (Fla. 2d DCA 2013) (Allowing reduction of judgment against defendants via claim for contribution against joint tortfeasor following modification of joint and several tort liability under Sec. 768.81 Fla. Stat.)
- Theiss v. Universal Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co. (Fla. 4th DCA 2013) (Affirming trial court’s finding no coverage under homeowners policy for an assault and battery claim based on physical abuse exclusion)
- Stephens v. Mid-Continent (Eleventh Cir. Ct. App. 2014) (Federal appellate court adopted Revoredo decision finding no coverage under a CGL policy for a $4.5M excess consent judgment entered in favor of a statutory employee of the defendant construction contractor)
- Miglino v. Universal Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co. (Fla. 4th DCA 2015)(Ruling that claim against insured based on act of third party who shot claimant was an excluded claim for bodily injury arising out of physical abuse)
- Llano Financing Group LLC v. Sierra (Fla. 2nd DCA 2017)(Applying immediate accrual statute of limitations rule to professional liability claims alleging negligent appraisal of property to be financed)
- JD Restoration v. Universal Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co. (Fla. 4th DCA 2018)(Holding that non-secured assignments of benefits contracts of water extraction company performing services on homestead property were unenforceable)
- Lee Memorial Hospital v. Progressive (Florida Supreme Court 2020)(Declaring Lee County Hospital Lien Law unconstitutional) (counsel for amicus curiae Allstate Ins. Co.)
- Lee Memorial Hospital v. Allstate (Fla. 2d DCA 2020)(Declaring Lee County Hospital Lien Law unconstitutional based on LMH v. Progressive)