Michael E. Bonner

In the past few years alone, Michael has obtained successful outcomes for clients in highly-contested matters, including:

• Secured dismissal with prejudice of claims alleging race, color, and disability discrimination and retaliation under the Florida Civil Rights Act within 24 hours following the plaintiff’s deposition resulting from admissions he obtained during the deposition.
• Won at arbitration following a final hearing that involved claims of disability discrimination and retaliation.
• Obtained dismissal with prejudice on behalf of a large retail company and its Chief Executive Officer against a plaintiff’s overtime and retaliation claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• Successfully defended a university client in a matter before the Florida Commission on Human Relations and a subsequent administrative appeal involving claims of race, color, and age discrimination in addition to retaliation.
• Crafted legal arguments and advocated in open court to defeat various claims at the pleadings stage before needing to engage in discovery.

Michael’s experience also includes serving as second chair in multiple trials, including a three-day bench trial concerning enforcement of a non-compete agreement. He has successfully argued summary judgment motions and has obtained summary judgment in favor of employers against claims of discrimination and retaliation. Michael has also counseled schools, universities, and businesses concerning the constantly evolving area of collegiate and high school athlete compensation, authoring multiple articles and insights relating to name, image, and likeness issues.

Beyond his practice, Michael is an avid sports fan, engages in various outdoor activities, and coaches youth sports.