Stephen F. Rosenthal

Notable Achievements

• Achieved a $7.5 million federal jury verdict as lead trial counsel in a high-stakes breach-of-contract counterclaim against a Chinese manufacturer, resulting in a $20 million net victory for the client (2023).

• Successfully reversed a $51 million bad-faith summary judgment in the Eleventh Circuit involving catastrophic tort victims (2020).

• Defended major Spanish-language broadcasters in defamation cases at both trial and appellate levels.

• Represented former NFL players in complex career-ending injury claims navigating collective bargaining agreement preemption.

• Argued critical appeals involving Section 230 exceptions and consumer class actions against national banks.

• Handled trial and appellate representation for families of plane crash victims.

An appellate specialist, Stephen is sought-after for critical appeals.  He prides himself on clear, impactful writing and relishes oral advocacy.  Board-certified in appellate practice, he has authored hundreds of briefs and has argued some 60 appeals.  Chambers U.S.A. has praised his “extremely creative legal analysis skills” and “sharp intellect,” ranking him among the top appellate lawyers in Florida.

While Stephen most frequently appears in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, based in Atlanta (and covering Florida), and in Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal, in Miami, he has handled appeals in every other Florida appellate district, including the Florida Supreme Court, where he has argued three cases.  In federal court, he has also handled appeals in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, and New Orleans.  In the U.S. Supreme Court, he has litigated petitions for writs of certiorari but still awaits the rare opportunity to argue a case before that tribunal.

Equally comfortable in trial court, Stephen has been hired to lead cases from start to finish, or to parachute in before trial to handle critical issues with an eye to appeal.  Skills he learned in college as an improv-comedy actor (of questionable talent) and in high-school debate as an extemporaneous speaker continue to serve him well before trial judges and juries.  He has tried multiple cases to verdict in state and federal court.