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Blake Hunter’s proactive approach to law creates a deeply rooted attorney-client synergy that cannot be denied. A Partner in the Tallahassee office, Blake focuses his practice on casualty defense litigation, extra-contractual claims, employment law, and third-party coverage.

Blake has experience mediating injury liability cases and obtained a recent summary judgment on a trip and fall case that occurred at a church. Additionally, he’s represented an insurance company that sued a subcontractor’s insurance carrier as an additional insured for subrogation and obtained defense costs along with fees. Blake also handles construction defect claims, including mold remediation repairs, and has favorably settled several of these case types at mediation. Quick thinking and commitment to his clients help Blake stay balanced and achieve his clients’ desired results.

Blake has a wide variety of interests outside of work. From traveling the world, playing with his rescue dog, and enjoying concerts, his healthy work-life balance enables him to connect with his clients, concentrate on their goals, and counter the opposition seamlessly. Clients often comment on Blake’s dedication to arguing their position and his readiness to jump on any new developments that come their way.

A published author, Blake, contributed to the Lexis Nexis Practice Guide on Florida Insurance Litigation and Mealey’s Litigation Report regarding Insurance Bad Faith. He enjoys doing research on behalf of the clients, and his proactive research helps keep them up–to–date at every turn of their case.

It’s no secret that Blake enjoys rolling up his sleeves to better the lives around him. He can be found building houses for Habitat for Humanity and bringing donations for the Humane Society on his days off. During the holiday season, he especially loves ringing jingle bells outside stores to raise money for his local Salvation Army. He’s also known to spread some holiday cheer to children in the area by providing them with gifts and necessities via the Salvation Army Angel Tree. Blake knows the true meaning of Service at Butler and lives by example daily.

Admissions

  • Florida

Education

  • Furman University
    Bachelor of Arts in History
  • Florida State University College of Law
    Doctor of Jurisprudence

Memberships

  • Defense Research Institute (DRI)
  • Tallahassee Bar Association

Media

One or More Accidents or Occurrences – That is The Question – Redux

Several years ago, I published a blog regarding the number of occurrences triggered under a liability policy for a motor vehicle accident in Florida. Other states also addressed this issue. Recently, the Federal District Court for the Western District of Washington, in Schuessler v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co., 2024 WL 580961 (W.D. Wash. Feb. 13, 2024) addressed this issue. Ms. Schuess...

New Appleman Florida Insurance Law (2024 Edition)

Butler congratulates its Partners on the 2024 New Appleman Florida Insurance Law Edition. This book was edited by Partner John Garaffa and co-authored by Partners Sarah Burke, Ryan Hilton, Julius “Rick” Parker III, Carol Rooney, Jason Seitz, James Michael Shaw, Jr., and J. Blake Hunter. LexisNexis Practice Guide: New Appleman Florida Insurance Law provides the practitioner with immediate ac...

TO FEE OR NOT TO FEE, THAT IS THE QUESTION (PART II)

An issue that remains contentious is whether the Supplementary Payments provisions in the general liability policy provide coverage for attorney’s fees, which the insured is ordered to pay at the conclusion of litigation.  Recently, the Federal Court for the Middle District of Florida in Prime Property & Casualty Insurance, Inc. v. O Mendoza Trucking, Inc., 2023 WL 2162196 (M.D. Fla. Feb. 2...

Sweeping Changes to “Bad Faith” in Florida

After twelve (12) years of effort, and in what now seems like a blink of an eye during this legislative session, Governor DeSantis signed HB 837/SB 236 into law.  This new legislation makes sweeping changes to “bad faith” law in Florida.  This blog will summarize these changes and the issues that the bill addresses. The first significant change is a safe harbor from a bad faith claim where ...

To Remand or Not to Remand, That Is the Question

Generally, a case is not removable to federal court “more than one year after commencement of [an] action.” However, a defendant may remove a case to federal court after the one-year deadline if it can demonstrate the plaintiff acted in bad faith to prevent the defendant from removing the action. Essentially, the “bad faith” exception acts as a safeguard to prevent plaintiffs from deployin...

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Sexual Assault Is Not A Professional Service

Not many cases in Florida analyze Professional Services Exclusions in general liability policies.  However, on September 16, 2022, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals released an order providing some clarification about the application of the Exclusion.  In Winchester General Hospital, Inc. v. Evanston Insurance Company, Evanston appealed the decision of a federal district court, which held th...

New Appleman Florida Insurance Law (2022 Edition)

JOHN V. GARAFFA, SARAH R. BURKE, RYAN K. HILTON, JULIUS F. "RICK" PARKER III, JASON M. SEITZ, J. BLAKE HUNTER, CAROL M. ROONEY, JAMES MICHAEL SHAW, JR. Butler congratulates its Partners on the 2022 Edition of the New Appleman Florida Insurance Law. This book was edited by Partner John Garaffa and co-authored by Partners Sarah Burke, Ryan Hilton, Julius "Rick" Parker III, Carol Rooney, Jason Seitz...

PERSONAL INJURY PROTECTION COVERAGE: A THING OF THE PAST IN FLORIDA?

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage was first enacted in Florida in 1971.  PIP is also known as no-fault insurance, and it allows drivers and passengers to obtain insurance benefits for medical treatment and wage loss, regardless of negligence, without going to court.  Currently, Florida motorists are required to maintain auto insurance with at least $10,000 in PIP coverage.  In addition,...

Critical Analysis in the Claims Handling Process – One or Multiple Occurrences?

An issue that often arises when an insurer is determining whether a policy provides coverage for bodily injury or property damage under a liability policy is the number of occurrences that may be triggered under the policy.  Occurrence-based liability policies usually contain a “per occurrence” limit.  While some policies also contain a general aggregate limit, others do not.  Typically, li...

Butler Presents the IMPACT Award for 2020

The production and distribution of scholarly content for the legal and insurance industry has been a critical component of Butler’s growth and success over the past 40 years, and also distinguishes our attorneys in an extremely competitive marketplace. The Firm produces a diverse array of content that is distributed through various channels, such as blogs and articles on the Firm’s website; ar...

Congratulations to our Newest Partners!

As we move into the new year, please join us in congratulating our firm’s newest Partners! You can learn more about them by clicking on their individual photos....

If I Wanted Your Opinion, I’d Give It To You

One developing area of Florida law is whether a public official can be held liable for defamation for statements written by an official on Facebook, Instagram, other social media sites, or a blog. This developing area is important because our sociopolitical climate sees many who like to “play fast and loose” with the truth on Twitter and “call-out” individuals who do not agree with their s...

The Changing Fact of Additional Insured Coverage

  [caption id="attachment_8383" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] Jan 9, 2020 Mountain View / CA/ USA - People shopping at a Walmart store in south San Francisco bay area[/caption] As a coverage attorney, I often find myself representing the liability insurers of both general contractors and subcontractors.  When representing a carrier for a general contractor, one of the first questions t...

Can You Get Stuck with Stucco? Coverage Under an EIFS Exclusion for Property Damage Caused by Construction Defects

This article was originally published in the Florida Bar Journal November/December 2020 publication. Legal opinions may vary when based on subtle factual differences. All rights reserved. Many commercial general liability policies contain an exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS) exclusion, which bars coverage under specific circumstances when EIFS is used in construction. EIFS is also kno...

It’s A Policy, Not A Payday Loan: The Voluntary Payments Provision Deconstructed

From time to time, the issue of whether an insurer has a duty to reimburse a payment made by an insured without the permission of the insurer is analyzed by a court. A standard ISO form in a Commercial General Liability policy contains the following, or similar provision, “No insured will, except at the insured’s own cost, voluntarily make a payment, assume any obligation, or incur any expense...

New Appleman Florida Insurance Law (2020 Edition)

JOHN V. GARAFFA, SARAH R. BURKE, RYAN K. HILTON, JULIUS F. "RICK" PARKER III, JASON M. SEITZ, J. BLAKE HUNTER, CAROL M. ROONEY, JAMES MICHAEL SHAW, JR. The 2020 Edition of the New Appleman Florida Insurance Law is now available. This book was edited by Partner John Garaffa and co-authored by Partners Sarah Burke, Ryan Hilton, Julius "Rick" Parker III, Carol Rooney, Jason Seitz, James Michael Sh...

The Final Word? The Florida Supreme Court Adopts the Daubert Standard for Evidence

Prior to 1993, federal and state courts used the standard enunciated in Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1013 (D.C. Cir. 1923), to determine whether scientific evidence should be admitted at a trial. The Frye standard requires the offeror of the evidence to establish that the expert opinion is based on principles and testing procedures that are generally accepted by the scientific community. The s...

Unsuccessfully Using Requests for Admissions as a Sword for Attorney’s Fees

As a defense attorney practicing in the areas of auto accidents, premises liability, and products liability cases, I observe plaintiff’s counsel serving my clients with requests for admission, asking for improbable admissions. The requests often ask my clients to admit that they were negligent in causing the accident, failed to provide sufficient security or training to prevent a criminal act ag...

Florida Insurance Litigation (2017 Edition)

LexisNexis Practice Guide: Florida Insurance Litigation provides the practitioner with immediate access to knowledge and strategy on every aspect of insurance practice in Florida. The publication concisely presents the terms, conditions and exclusions that govern coverage offered against the risks under each line of insurance. This approach provides a comprehensive exploration of key concepts, pol...

To Fee or Not to Fee, That is the Question: The Florida Supreme Court Finds Coverage for Proposal for Settlement Sanctions in Favor of the Plaintiff Under an Automobile Liability Policy in Macedo II

To understand the implications of Macedo II, it is important to understand what brought us here. It’s a long and bumpy road, but understanding what brought us here will be critical in order to understand how to go forward. Prior to the recent Florida Supreme Court’s decision in Government Employees Insurance Company v. Macedo, 2017 WL 2981812 (Fla. July 13, 2017) (Macedo II), a conflict exi...

Keep The Faith: Whether The Attorney-Client Privilege Applies In Third-Party Bad Faith Actions

One of the most rapidly developing issues in Florida and in courts around the country is whether the attorney-client privilege can be relied on by an insurer in a third-party bad faith action. The attorney-client privilege is one of the oldest confidential communication privileges in Florida. In common law, it is known as, ‘‘the most sacred of all legally recognized privileges, and its preserv...

J. Blake Hunter