Christopher A. Cazin - Wicker, Smith, O'Hara, McCoy & Ford, P.A.

Profile

Christopher A. Cazin joined Wicker Smith in 2010 and is a partner in the Tampa office. He graduated from the University of Florida in 2002, where he earned a BA in Business Administration with a specialization in Statistics and a minor in Economics. He went on to earn his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 2007. He served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Richard Nielsen and William Levens, and worked as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable William Fuente, in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.

Prior to joining Wicker Smith, Mr. Cazin worked for several years as a litigation attorney at a national plaintiff’s firm specializing in long-term care litigation and also handling a variety of cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice.

Mr. Cazin’s practice focuses on the defense of premises liability, products liability, wrongful death, transportation and auto-accident, defamation, medical malpractice, and long-term care cases. Notably, Mr. Cazin’s published analysis of Florida’s nursing home statute and Florida’s “Business Judgment Rule” has been cited by multiple committee of the Florida Legislature in support of proposed nursing home legislation.

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Credentials

Education

Stetson University (J.D., 2007)
University of Florida (B.A., 2002)

Representative Matters

Favorable Outcome in a Case Involving an Exploded Blender

We represented the manufacturer of a popular type of blender in a case where Plaintiff alleged that her blender exploded during use, causing burns to her hands and arms. Plaintiff’s medicals were less than $200, and evidence showed that she was blending warm ingredients, which is contraindicated for that particular device. Despite these facts, Plaintiff’s opening demand was $75,000. The case was resolved in under a year for $9,000.

Summary Judgment: Polk County, Florida (General Liability)

We represented a logistics and warehousing corporation in this claim brought by the Plaintiff, its employee, following a clamp lift truck collision which caused a catastrophic injury and leg amputation. Plaintiff and his spouse filed their lawsuit in 2019. From the beginning of the case, we argued that our client was immune from tort liability under Florida Statutes section 440.11 because Plaintiffs could not demonstrate that our client committed an intentional tort under Section 440.11(b). Specifically, we argued that Plaintiffs could not show that our client engaged in conduct it knew was “virtually certain” to result in an injury or that the Plaintiff, as an employee, was unaware of the risk of danger because it was hidden. We filed a Motion for Summary Judgment and argued that Plaintiffs could not prove the necessary elements under Section 440.11(b) to overcome our client’s immunity. The Court agreed and granted our Motion, disposing of a case nearly five-years-old. Additionally, Plaintiffs rejected proposals for settlement allowing our client to pursue both attorneys’ fees and costs.

Defense Verdict: Orange County, Florida (Trucking)

Tampa Partners, Mike Reed and Chris Cazin, and Tampa Associates, Sara J. Thompson and Jocelyn Nance, Esq., obtained a defense verdict in a trucking negligence case in Orange County, Florida. This case arose from a trucking accident that occurred on July 28, 2015. Our defendant driver was stopped in front of a car dealership in Orlando, driving a tractor trailer loaded with vehicles for delivery. Plaintiff was the passenger in a car stopped directly behind our vehicle. While backing up in an attempt to maneuver into the dealership, one of the vehicles on the tractor trailer impacted the Plaintiff’s vehicle. Our driver was issued a citation for improper backing. Despite evidence that showed the only damage to both vehicles were minor scrapes, Plaintiff claimed that the tractor-trailer pushed his vehicle back 30 feet and caused major damage to his vehicle. Plaintiff further claimed widespread disk herniations in his neck and lower back, necessitating two surgeries, and over $275k in past medical bills and $800k in future medical expenses and treatment. Throughout seven years of litigation, multiple good faith attempts to settle the case were rejected. Plaintiff’s counsel asked the jury for $4 million in closing arguments, but the jury found no negligence on the part of our driver that caused injury and returned a complete defense verdict in under two hours.

Christopher Cazin

Christopher Cazin - Partner

Christopher Cazin

Partner

Profile

Education

Representative Matters

Favorable Outcome in a Case Involving an Exploded Blender

Summary Judgment: Polk County, Florida (General Liability)

Defense Verdict: Orange County, Florida (Trucking)

Practices

Education

Honors

Credentials

Admitted to Bar

Professional Affiliations