Ray was born on August 18, 1976, in Miami, Florida. He earned his undergraduate degree with a concentration in Government from Harvard College (A.B. magna cum laude 1999) and his Juris Doctorate degree from Columbia University School of Law (J.D. 2002). Following law school, Ray worked for three years in the corporate, securities and financial institutions department of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. Ray joined the firm in November 2005 and has primarily focused his practice on personal injury/wrongful death litigation, complex commercial litigation, products liability, aviation litigation, class actions and white collar criminal defense. Over the past five years, Ray has tried 11 cases, nine of which were successfully tried to verdict. Those include:
Six wrongful death cases brought under the US Anti-Terrorism Act on behalf of the families of the victims, six US citizens who were kidnapped and killed in Colombia by the FARC. The cases were brought against Chiquita Brands International for its admitted support of the FARC, a terrorist organization, and were consolidated in a large MDL (In re Chiquita Brands International, Anti-terrorism Litigation, No. 08-md-01916). Trial was scheduled for February 5, 2018. All six cases were settled on the first day of trial, just before jury selection, pursuant to confidential settlements.
Commercial real estate dispute in defense of a large commercial unit owner, resulting in a favorable final judgment and an award on November 26, 2018, of $237,000 in fees and costs. See Waverly at Las Olas v. Waverly 1 and 2, LLC, No.15-5333-CA-21 (17th Jud. Cir., Broward Cty.).
A $464,364.85 final judgment, based upon a $257,540.25 verdict, in June 2016, against Banif Financial for breach of fiduciary duty with respect to investment advisory services provided to an investor. See Teva Trading LTD v. Banif Financial Services, Inc., No. 11-13497-CA-22 (11th Jud. Cir., Miami-Dade Cty.).
A $60 million verdict in April 2015 against a sports bar for knowingly and illegally serving alcohol to a minor, resulting in a tragic car accident which permanently disabled the minor. See Crowe v. Spectators 3, LLC, No. 07-0858 (20th Jud. Cir., Collier Cty.).
Three trials against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. for failure to warn about the risks associated with its drugs Aredia and Zometa, specifically the risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaws (ONJ). See Guenther v. Novartis (M.D. Fla. 2013), resulting in a $1.3 million verdict for the plaintiff, and Chiles v. Novartis (M.D. Fla. 2013), resulting in a $250,000 verdict for plaintiff. These cases were part of a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) (In re: Aredia and Zometa Products Liability Litigation; Case No. 3:06-md-1760) (M.D. Ten.). An additional 12 of these cases were handled by Ray throughout Florida and successfully settled pursuant to a confidential, global settlement.
A $210,300 verdict in November 2014 on behalf of a plaintiff for negligent misrepresentations made to her involving an investment in promissory notes. See Conrad Family Trust v. Edgar B. Pearce, III, Case No. 13-19977 CA 02 (11th Jud. Cir., Miami-Dade Cty.).
A successful verdict in September 2015 against Yellow Cab Co. for injuring a pedestrian. See Jimenez v. Yellow Cab Co., No. 13-20919 CA 15 (11th Jud. Cir., Miami-Dade Cty.).
Additional representative cases include:
• A successful, seven-figure confidential settlement in 2016 on behalf of an individual claiming various interests in a large probate estate.
• A successful verdict against the FAA for the negligence of an air traffic controller, resulting in a final judgment of $4.37 million. See Zinn v. USA, Case No. 1:08-cv-22056 (S.D. Fla. 2011).
• Representation of former, professional football players in a lawsuit against the NFL for intentionally and fraudulently misleading players about the risks posed by concussions and head trauma, resulting in a settlement valued at over $1 billion. See NFL Players’ Concussion Injury Litigation, Case No. 2:12-md-02323 (E.D. Pa.).
• A settlement of $175,000 in May 2015 against Miami-Dade County for the wrongful death of an elderly woman caused by the negligence of a Miami-Dade County bus driver.
• Representing the fund manager of the largest private equity investor in the $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme orchestrated by Scott Rothstein in several, related commercial litigation matters, SEC litigation and federal criminal prosecution.
• Representing the families of several US citizens who were kidnapped and killed in Colombia by the FARC in a large MDL brought under the Anti-Terrorism Act against Chiquita Brands International for its admitted support of the FARC. Trial is scheduled for February 2018.
• Representation of community banks, including Gibraltar Private Bank and US Century Bank, in various commercial litigation matters.
• Representation of victims in numerous wrongful death and personal injury actions arising from commercial and general aviation accidents, including fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. Representation of the victims of the TAM Airlines crash, Flight 3054, Congonhas Airport, Sao Paolo, Brazil, 2007.
Ray has been actively involved in various community and civic activities throughout his career. Ray serves on the board of the Chapman Partnership, the private sector partner of the Miami Dade County Homeless Trust, where he was a founder and chair of their junior board, the NextGen Council, and where he chaired the organization’s second-largest fundraiser from 2008 – 2010. Ray was elected to the Orange Bowl Committee in 2009 as the organization’s youngest member and served on the OBC until 2013. From 2006 – 2014, Ray also served on the board of DFYIT, an organization focused on the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse among adolescents. He was profiled on the cover of Miami Today, September 11, 2008, for his professional and civic accomplishments.
Ray has received three Top 40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers Awards – in 2010 by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in 2013 by the South Florida Business Journal and in 2015 by the Daily Business Review.
Ray was selected in Florida Trend’s Legal Elite in 2011 in the area of business litigation and has been recognized by Florida Trend’s Legal Elite every year since then. Ray was profiled in SuperLawyers in 2009 as a Rising Star and in a 2009 article on his work for the homeless. He has been in Super Lawyers every year since 2011. Most recently, Ray was awarded the 2015 “On the Rise” award, a selection of South Florida lawyers under the age of 40 who are making a difference in the community and will continue to do so in the future. In addition, Ray was recognized by the South Florida Legal Guide as one of its 33 Top Lawyers, Class of 2016.
Ray’s professional memberships include the Cuban American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the Florida Justice Association, The Florida Bar and the Dade County Bar Association.
He is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese.