Profile
Kayli D. Smendec is a member of the Litigation Practice in Greenberg Traurig's Tampa office. She concentrates her practice on complex commercial litigation, environmental, and white collar matters in both federal and state courts, representing clients in matters including business tort and contract claims.
업무 분야]
주요 경력
- Represented the plaintiff, a commercial lawncare company, in a breach of contract, trade secrets, and business tort lawsuit against a private equity firm and competing lawncare company. The plaintiff alleged that the defendants misappropriated trade secrets acquired in due diligence for a potential acquisition then misused that information to unfairly compete for the plaintiff’s most significant clients. The matter resolved on confidential terms.
- Defended a provider of contract-manufacturing services against manufacturing-defect claims asserted by an industrial battery company. The case resolved at mediation on confidential terms.
- Representing an international exporter in actions seeking payment of more than $75 million owed to it for goods delivered.
- Defending a real estate developer in a multimillion-dollar dispute against claims of a breached promissory note, breach of implied duty of good faith and fair dealing, and fraudulent transfer of assets pursuant to Florida’s Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (FUFTA).
- Defended a financial institution’s directors and officers in three actions alleging they engaged in a plan to improve their equity position at the expense of the plaintiffs and to sell the institution for a large profit.
- Representing an international aerospace company in mass-tort litigation involving allegations that emissions from a manufacturing facility caused plaintiffs to develop various cancers, central nervous system disorders, and congenital anomalies. Thus far, GT has secured dismissal with prejudice of a putative class action seeking medical monitoring and damages for alleged diminution in regional property values. GT has also won summary judgment on dozens of individual claims, including wrongful death claims, based on successful motions to exclude expert causation opinions as unreliable.
- Represented manufacturer in toxic tort claims in multidistrict litigation relating to PFAS liabilities.
- Member of the trial team that represented the plaintiff, a prominent real estate developer, in a malicious-prosecution and abuse-of-process lawsuit filed against a competitor who had attempted to have our client’s $130 million condominium building demolished in prior lawsuits. After years of litigation, including a successful interlocutory appeal vindicating our client’s rights to demand punitive damages and a multi-week jury trial, GT won verdicts of $1.8 million in compensatory damages (the full amount sought) and approximately $6 million in total punitive damages, including $1 million against the competitor’s CEO personally. GT also secured prejudgment interest and attorneys’ fee awards.
- Defended a development group against a neighboring condominium association’s lawsuit seeking demolition of their project, a 60-story luxury condominium building worth approximately $1 billion. The neighboring condominium association claimed that development impeded an alleged vehicular access easement. GT was retained as trial counsel after years of litigation by other firms and successfully obtained dismissal with prejudice or summary judgment on all claims. Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment and entered a mandate in favor of our client, finalizing a complete win and preserving the landmark development.
- Defended a development group in federal litigation in which a neighboring condominium association attempted to block development of a planned luxury condominium due to alleged noncompliance with the National Flood Insurance Program. GT intervened and obtained final judgment in favor of our client and a municipal codefendant.
- Defended three real estate development companies in litigation arising out of the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Sunny Isles, Florida. GT spearheaded multi-party defense efforts that resulted in the second-largest class action settlement in Florida history at the time. The settlement resolved all claims against GT’s clients with no monetary contribution from them and with their insurers contributing less than 2.75% of the total settlement fund.
- Defended a real estate developer in multiple related lawsuits in which a neighboring commercial property owner sought to have the client’s $100+ million luxury residential building demolished. GT secured dismissal or summary judgment on all claims as well as an appellate affirmance.
- Represented homeowners in a dispute regarding the validity of an amendment to a private waterfront subdivision’s declaration of restrictions. GT obtained summary judgment, which was affirmed on appeal, and entitlement to recovery of clients’ attorneys’ fees and costs.
- Representing an institution in a civil action to obtain repayment from the defendants for $13 million embezzlement.
- Assisted with an international war crimes and crimes against humanity case before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers at The Hague.
- Represented an international real estate firm in a class action lawsuit regarding the alleged embezzlement of tenant funds from a tenant-in-common structure.
- Represented an international real estate firm in a class action lawsuit regarding the embezzlement of tenant funds from a tenant-in-common structure by the executives who owned the properties. Our client was hired for property management and demonstrated and presented documentary support that they neither participated nor knew about the owner’s criminal actions.
- Assisted a 501-(c) (3) national organization in advising on legal matters, including corporate governance, transactional, and intellectual property matters.
- Represented the plaintiff, an engineering and manufacturing company, in litigation involving the alleged misappropriation of 3D-printing trade secrets and related misconduct by former employees and a competing company.
- Assisted legal team in patent enforcement action involving an array of patents relating to some of its most high-margin energy-related products against multiple foreign copycat manufacturers who have engaged in repeated acts of infringement and are selling their aftermarket infringing products to some of the client’s own customers, resulting in potential passing off and trademark infringement.
- Represented a software development company in a Declaratory Judgment action filed by a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools entity in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The matter relates to the unauthorized over-deployment and infringement of our client’s copyrighted software in light of a license agreement between the parties limiting the deployment. Given the strength of our case, defendant pushed for settlement after the summary judgment phase of the case and right before trial, and the case was settled.
- Represented an Afghan refugee family in humanitarian parole application process.
- Honors Program Legal Intern, Department of Defense, Office of General Counsel, 2017
수상 및 주요 활동
- Team Member, a Law360 “Environmental Practice Group of the Year,” 2022
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, “Ones to Watch,” Commercial Litigation, 2024-2026
- Hillsborough County Bar Association
- Member, Young Lawyers Division Long Range Planning Committee, 2020-2021
- Member, Young Lawyers Division Social Events Committee, 2023-2024
- Co-Chair, Young Lawyers Division Member Services Committee, 2021-2025
- Liaison to Bar Foundation, Young Lawyers Division Board of Directors & Officers, 2025-2026
- Member, Tampa Connection
- Member, Class of 2021-2022
- Member, Alumni Committee, 2022-2023
- Member, J. Clifford Cheatwood American Inn of Court
- Barrister, 2025-2026
- Member, National Association of Women Lawyers
- Member, Florida Association for Women Lawyers
- Member, Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, School-to-Work Mentor, 2022-2023
학력 및 자격사항
학력
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J.D., Vanderbilt University Law School
- Articles Editor, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law
- B.A., summa cum laude, University of Florida
법원재판연구원
- Hon. Mary S. Scriven, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, 2023
자격
- Florida
- District of Columbia