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Pablo, a Partner, joined the firm in 1997. He primarily litigates complex first and third-party coverage matters in state and federal courts, including appeals. Pablo has successfully handled hundreds of hurricanes and other high-value property claims, totaling well into the hundreds of millions of dollars, and he has defended E&O claims asserted against multi-national insurance brokers. He also has significant litigation experience with first and third-party bad faith claims.

Pablo was raised in North Carolina and received his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is admitted to all Florida federal Courts and is a member of the bar in Florida. Pablo handles insurance matters in Florida (through his home Tampa office).

Before joining Butler, Pablo practiced in Virginia and Texas, handling various civil litigation matters. He is active in the DRI and is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He is fluent in Spanish. When he isn’t litigating, Pablo often gives presentations on insurance-related issues and spends time making authentic Neapolitan pizza in his backyard wood-fired oven.

Admissions

  • Florida

Recognitions

  • AV Peer Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

Education

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Bachelor of Arts
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law
    Doctor of Jurisprudence

Memberships

  • Defense Research Institute (DRI)
  • Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB)
  • State Bar of Texas
  • The Florida Bar
  • Virginia State Bar Association

Courts

  • United States District Court – Northern District of Florida
  • United States District Court – Middle District of Florida
  • United States District Court – Southern District of Florida

Experiences

REPRESENTATIVE CASES

Castle Beach Club Condominium, Inc. v. Citizens Property Ins. Corp. 96 So.3d 964 (Fla. 3d DCA 2012)

Citizens Property Ins. Corp. v. Admiralty House, Inc. 66 So. 3d 342 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011)

Citizens Property Ins. Corp. v. Cuban-Hebrew Congregation of Miami, Inc. 5 So.3d 709 (Fla. 3d DCA 2009)

Citizens Property Ins. v. La Mer Condominium Assoc., Inc. 37 So. 3d 988 (Fla. 5th DCA 2010)

DriRite of Cent. Florida Inc. v. Ironshore Ins., Ltd. 2009 WL 5171771 (M.D.Fla., Dec. 22, 2009)

In Re Sandell 2005 WL 1429746 (Bkrtcy.M.D.Fla., June 9, 2005)

Lane v. Westfield Ins. Co. 862 So. 2d 774 (Fla. 5th DCA 2003)

Langhorne v. Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co. 432 F.Supp.2d 1274 (N.D.Fla. 2006)

Palmer v. Westfield Ins. Co. 2006 WL 2612168 (M.D.Fla., June 30, 2006)

Terra-ADI Intern. Dadeland, LLC v. Zurich American Ins. Co. 2007 WL 2460744 (S.D.Fla., Aug. 24, 2007)

Terra-ADI Intern. Dadeland, LLC v. Zurich American Ins. Co. 2007 WL 675971 (S.D.Fla., March 1, 2007)

Terra-ADI Intern. Dadeland, LLC v. Zurich American Ins. Co. 2007 WL 778611 (S.D.Fla., March 7, 2007)

Tristar Lodging, Inc. v. Arch Speciality Ins. Co. 434 F.Supp.2d 1286 (M.D.Fla. 2006)

Media

The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly: Third Parties in Civil Litigation

Join Tampa Partner J. Pablo Cáceres and co-presenters Eleni Iacovides and Michael Goodin for the DRI's 2024 Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute on March 14, 2024 in Chicago, IL. This session will explore various ways third parties may become involved in civil litigation, from acquirers to public adjusters to litigation funders. They will discuss the potential impacts of these third parties' ...

Best Lawyers – 2024 Edition

Join us in congratulating our attorneys who were recognized in the 2024 Best Lawyers publication! Click on their icons to learn more. Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Their process is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal ...

Emerging Issues in Bad Faith Litigation

Join Partner Pablo Cáceres and co-presenters Mike Aylward (Morrison Mahoney) and Sarannah McMurtry (Acceptance Insurance) as they present for the 2023 DRI Insurance Bad Faith and Extra-Contractual Liability Seminar from June 14-16, 2023 in Charlotte, NC. The program description is below: From the ALI Restatement of Torts to new legislation in Florida, California, and Colorado, the contours of ba...

Profiting from a Peril: Business Interruption Valuation During Economic Instability

Introduction The pandemic and political turmoil are causing widespread and long-term economic volatility after many years of positive trends. But covered commercial property losses continue, whether caused by fire, wind, or other causes independent of the underlying bases for the current market turmoil. And Hurricane Ian, in light of its occurrence during volatile economic times, will trigger num...

Hurricane Ian Webinar Series Episode 5 – Profiting From A Peril – Business Interruption Valuation During Economic Instability

Our latest webinar series will inform you on issues that may arise during adjustment of Hurricane Ian claims. In the fifth part of this series, Partners J. Pablo Cáceres and Hudson Jones, along with MDD's Kristine Elkind, will analyze problems associated with the valuation of such business interruption claims in light of sudden economic factors, such as those caused by the pandemic and world eve...

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Butler Proudly Sponsors DRI 2022 Annual Meeting

We are proud to be a sponsor for the DRI 2022 Annual Meeting. This event takes place from October 25-28, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Partners Pablo Cáceres, Matthew Lavisky and Kathy Maus will be in attendance. We hope to see you there! Learn more about the event here....

Attorney Spotlights | Pablo Cáceres

Pablo Cáceres is a Partner at the firm who primarily litigates complex First and Third-Party Coverage matters in state and federal courts, including appeals. He has successfully handled hundreds of hurricanes and other high-value property claims, totaling well into the hundreds of millions of dollars and has significant litigation experience with first and third-party bad faith claims.    ...

Best Lawyers – 2023 Edition

Join us in congratulating our attorneys who were recognized in the 2023 Best Lawyers publication! Click on their icons to learn more. Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Their process is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal ...

The Latest Developments With Business Interruption Claims

Join Partner Pablo Cáceres as he presents at the 2022 Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute on March 23, 2022. This session is designed to provide a summary of the latest developments with business interruption claims and the challenges present when trying to determine the value of these claims under a variety of circumstances. Click here to learn more....

The Latest Developments With Business Interruption Claims

Join Partner Pablo Cáceres as he presents for the 2022 DRI Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute on March 21-23 in Houston, TX! This session is designed to provide a summary of the latest developments with business interruption claims and the challenges present when trying to determine the value of these claims under a variety of circumstances....

Recognizing the Best Lawyers in America 2022

Please join us in congratulating our Partners for being recognized on “The Best Lawyers in America” list for 2022. Recognition in Best Lawyers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers. For more than three decades, their publications have earned the respect of the profession, the media, and the public, as the m...

Appraisals in Hurricane Alley

Partners Pablo Cáceres and Nicholas Goanos presented "Appraisals in Hurricane Alley" for the LEA Webinar Series on June 21, 2021. The Insurance appraisal law and tactics on the Gulf Coast and S.E. U.S. states can, at times, mystify the experts who have worked on these claims. These large exposure property losses have been subjected to appraisal demands as a matter of standard practice by public ...

Insurance Coverage Issues Arising from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Webinar

Partner Pablo Cáceres and co-presenter Jay Jackter of Safeco Insurance Company will present a webinar titled "Insurance Coverage Issues Arising from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma" for the DRI on November 7. This presentation will address the insurance coverage issues that have arisen following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida, respectively. It will discuss the types of issues that in...

First-Party Property: Bad Faith Allegations In Catastrophic Claims

J. Pablo Cáceres presented "First-Party Property: Bad Faith Allegations in Catastrophic Claims" at the DRI Insurance Bad-Faith and Extra-Contractual Liability seminar on June 7, 2019 in Westin Washington, DC. This presentation identified common problems associated with “CAT” claims and discusses how to avoid or mitigate exposure....

Butler Wins Dismissal of a First-Party Bad Faith Claim Involving a Civil Remedy Notice That Listed a Different Household Policy

In Florida, an insured cannot bring a first-party bad faith claim based on a claim for UM coverage unless the insured first files a Civil Remedy Notice (CRN) with the Florida Department of Financial Services. In Mathurin v. State Farm, Butler recently vindicated the importance of this step by winning dismissal of a first-party bad faith action where the CRN did not match up with the Complaint. A...

Florida Insurance Appraisals: Don’t Get Me Started!

This article is originally a publication of Southern Loss Association, Newsletter December 2017. Legal opinions may vary when based on subtle factual differences. All rights reserved. Since the start of my insurance coverage career, I have had a legal-philosophical interest in insurance appraisals. It has been a frustrating and fascinating roller coaster ride of appellate and Florida Supreme Cou...

A Primer on Florida’s “25 Percent Rule” for Roof Repair/Replacement

The 2014 Florida Existing Building Code (the “Code”) contains what is conventionally called the “25 percent rule” (the “Rule”). The Rule applies to roof repair of any commercial or residential building. In a nutshell, the Rule states that if more than 25 percent of a roof or section of a roof is “repaired, replaced, or recovered” then the “entire roofing system” or “roof sec...

Hurricane Hindsight is 20/20

It took years of depositions and other discovery to realize that that most of my 2004-2005 hurricane condominium association claims were much simpler to defend than I thought. The center of gravity of these claims was the proper calculation of Actual Cash Value (ACV).  ACV is a concept used to describe an intangible and subjective value of physical damage. Compare that with Replacement Cost (RC...

Hurricane Harvey: Time Requirements

Butler stands ready to assist you with Hurricane Harvey's claims in Texas. Harvey’s CAT 4 winds devastated Rockport, TX, and the surrounding area. Flooding has been catastrophic. As the flooding and rains subside, insurers are receiving many thousands of property insurance claims. Throughout the next few months, Butler will send you information that may be useful to your handling of Harvey's c...

Florida Water Loss Claims: What’s Owed, And When?

This article is originally a publication of  Law360. Legal opinions may vary when based on subtle factual differences. All rights reserved. Water loss lawsuits have spiked dramatically in Florida during the past few years. Insurers simply cannot resolve the unusually large differences in water damage estimates. Scope of estimated matching work usually explains the disparity. And litigation ens...

87th Annual Meeting & Educational Conference

Kathy Maus and Pablo Caceres presented at the 87th Annual Meeting & Educational Conference on January 26, 2017 at the Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina. On the topic of "Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Faith? Spotting the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing". The program compared elements of Florida’s unique 1st party insurance bad faith law with those of other states and perhaps show how the fea...

A “Top Ten” List for Handling Condominium Association Claims

Condominium association property claims can be contentious and confusing. Large condominium buildings often are the subject of multi-million dollar insurance claims, lawsuits, and appraisals. The “cookie-cutter” nature of condominium unit construction dramatically increases damage claims and requires prudent consideration and allocation of resources for proper and expedient claims handling. W...

Ensuing Loss: Chicken Or The Egg 2.0

Pablo Cáceres presented "Ensuing Loss: Chicken or the Egg 2.0" to a national client on Thursday, May 12th. The presentation was a "wipe the slate clean" discussion of ensuing loss coverage. What exactly does the concept mean? When does it apply to afford coverage for all or part of a loss? How important are slight policy language differences? What are the important cases you should know? This pre...

2015 Dri Insurance Coverage And Claims Institute

Pablo Caceres spoke at the DRI Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute on March 25, 2015. Pablo's topic was, "Negotiating Skills for Coverage Attorneys." ...

Pablo Cáceres Featured in Hispanic Executive

The firm is pleased to announce that Pablo Cáceres is featured in the April/May/June 2014 edition of Hispanic Executive.  READ THE ARTICLE...

Adta Webinar

Pablo Cáceres presented an ATDA webinar on November 18, titled, "Preparing Insurance Company Executives, Adjusters & In-House Counsel for Deposition."  ...

Plrb Claims Conference

Pablo Cáceres spoke at PLRB's 2013 Claims Conference in Boston on March 17, 2013.  Pablo's topic was, "Ensuing Loss."...

Ripe For Campbell Review: A Florida Uninsured Motorist Claimant’s Statutory Right To Recover Excess Verdict Damages In A Bad Faith Action

This is one of a series of articles under the by line “Butler on Bad Faith” originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance Bad Faith, Vol. 21, #18, page 29 (January 22, 2008). [Editor's Note: J. Pablo Caceres is a partner with the law firm of Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP, with offices in Charlotte, Miami, Mobile, Tallahassee, and Tampa. He litigates a broad range of first a...

Recovery Of Damages For Emotional Distress In Tort, Contract And Statutory Bad Faith Actions

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Bad Faith, Vol. 12, #6, p. 22 (July 21, 1998). Copyright Butler 1998. Emotional distress damages may be the most significant aspect of any bad faith action in jurisdictions that allow them. This article outlines the several theories that justify the recovery of such dama...

J. Pablo Cáceres