Chris M. Ballentine

Year Joined Firm

• 1984

Areas of Practice

• Insurance Coverage Litigation
• Liability Policies
• Insurance Defense and Commercial Litigation
• Professional Liability Litigation
• Insurance and Bad Faith Litigation

Litigation Percentage

• 90% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions

• Florida, 1984
• U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1985
• U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, 1985

Education

1. University of Florida College of Law, Gainesville, Florida
   • J.D. - 1984
   • Honors: With High Honors
   • Law Review: University of Florida Law Review, Member, Senior Research Editor, 1983 - 1984
2. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
   • B.S. summa cum laude - 1981
   • Major: Government
3. Gulf Coast Community College, Panama City, FL, USA
   • A.B. summa cum laude

Published Works

• "Who is a Negro? Revisited: Determining Individual Racial Status for Purposes of Affirmative Action", University of Florida Law Review, Volume XXXV, Fall, 1983
• "Legal Malpractice Insurance, Chapter 6", Professional Liability of Lawyers in Florida (Co-Author), The Florida Bar, CLE, 1989, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2006

Representative Cases

• Allstate Ins. Co. v. Conde, 595 So. 2d 1005 (Fla. 5th DCA 1992)
• American Casualty Co. of Reading, PA v. FDIC, 958 F. 2d 324 (10th Cir. 1992)
• Transcontinental Ins. Co. v. Ice Systems of America, Inc., 847 F. Supp. 947 (M.D. Fla. 1994)
• Allstate Ins. Co. v. Furo, 588 So. 2d 61 (Fla. 5th DCA 1991)
• Northern Ins. Co. of N.Y. v. Hampton, 510 So. 2d 649 (Fla. 5th DCA 1987)
• Continental Casualty Co. v. Black & Black, P.A., 674 So. 2d 163 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996)
• Continental Casualty Co. v. Wendt, 205 F. 3d 1258 (11th Cir. 2000)
• American Casualty Co. of Reading, PA. v. Wilkinson, 1990 WL 302175 (W.D. Okla 1990)
• Haynes v. L.F. Lloyd, 533 So. 2d 944 (Fla. 5th DCA 1988)
• Transcontinental Ins. Co. v. Jim Black & Associates, Inc., 888 So. 2d 671 (Fla. 2nd DCA 2004)
• FCCI v. Horne, 890 So. 2d 1141 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004)
• Westport v. VN,, 513 Fed, Appx 927 (11th Cir 2013)
• Columbia Ca. v. Ker, 404 Fed. Appx. 342 (11th Cir. 2010)
• Cincinnati Insurance Co. V. Quorum, 2016 WL 2937461 (M.D. Fla.)
• Reuter v. Physicians Casualty, 262 F. Supp. 3d 1341 (S.D. Fla.) 2017 WL 395242 (S.D. Fla.)
• Roberson v. USAA, 2016 WL 5864431 (M.D. Fla.)
• Volusia Co. Cattlemen's Assn. v. Western World Insurance, 218 F. Supp. 3d 1343 (M.D. Fla. 2016)
• St. Paul v. Llorente, 156 So. 3d 511 (Fla. 3rd DCA 2014)

Representative Clients

• Clarendon Group of Companies
• Western World Insurance Company
• Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company
• USAA
• QBE Insurance / North Pointe Insurance
• QEO / State National Insurance Company
• Physicians Casualty Insurance Company
• The Cincinnati Insurance Company

References

• Les Armstrong, Western World Insurance Company
• David Wilder, Florida. Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company
• Steve Ranalli, QBE Insurance Group
• Jody Schwahn, Physicians Casualty Insurance Company

Classes/Seminars

• Insurance Law in Florida Seminar, Lorman Education Services, 1999 - 2000
• Guardian ad Litem, Orange County Legal Aid Society
• Insurance Bad Faith Claims in Florida Seminar, Lorman Education Services, 2003
• Understanding the Current CGL Policy, Lorman Education Services, 2007
• Insurance Litigation, Law Review CLE, 2012
• Reservations of Rights, Council on Litigation Management, 2011
• Understanding the Current C6L Policy in Florida, RIMS, 2009

Honors and Awards

• Florida Super Lawyer in Insurance Law, 2016 - 2019
• New Attorney Award of Merit, Legal Aid Society, Orange County Bar Association, 1989
• Award of Excellence, Legal Aid Society, Orange County Bar Association, 1993
• Awarded Martindale-Hubbell's "AV" Rating, 2000 - 2019
• Judge J. C. "Jake" Stone Distinguished Service Award, Orange County Legal Aid Society, 2003
• President's Pro Bono Service Award, Florida Bar, 2004

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Orange County Bar Association, Member
• The Florida Bar, Member