Kevin Kaplan is the Firm’s President and Chair of Coffey Burlington’s Complex Commercial Litigation Practice.
Kevin has served as first chair in multiple federal and state court trials, appeals, and evidentiary hearings, developing a wide-range of substantive experience in breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, commercial insurance, and intellectual property cases. He has served as lead counsel in matters litigated in Florida and elsewhere in the United States. He is described by clients as “the kind of tenacious representative we need to set the tone and pace of the litigation. He knows how and when to push appropriately. We could not be in better hands.” Kevin also serves on the firm’s Executive Committee.
Representative Experiences
Though all cases vary and none is predictive, Kevin’s recent experience includes:
- Lead counsel on behalf of a Canadian engineering firm in multiple, cross-border disputes involving trade secrets, trademark, and unfair competition claims, through trial and appeal, including obtaining a favorable jury verdict on counterclaims, with judgments for damages and fees, in Marjam v. Pliteq, reported at 812 Fed. Appx. 803 (11th 2020).
- Successfully resolving claims for malicious prosecution in subsequent lawsuit, following favorable jury verdict in Southern District of Florida.
- Winning a seven-figure verdict following a three-week jury trial in the Northern District of Georgia on behalf of a US industrial flooring company against a German manufacturing firm.
- Lead counsel pursuing claims for breach of contract against DJ Khaled for the purchase of a home on Paradise Island in The Bahamas.
- Favorably resolving breach of contract claims on behalf of an Australian distributor of air filtration systems against a US supplier, through a serious of Federal Court actions.
- Successfully handling a portfolio of Covid-19 related lease disputes for a major national retail mall operator, including obtaining precedent-setting decisions rejecting tenant Force Majure defenses.
- Lead trial counsel defending Lloyds of London insurance syndicate in breach of contract claims involving commercial aircraft following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Obtaining damages judgment, through trial and appeal, on behalf of a luxury homeowner against design professionals related to defective HVAC systems.
- Representing cosmetic brand in multiple trademark infringement actions, including through trial and appeal.
Professional and Community Involvement
- Past board member of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
- AIPAC, Miami-Dade Executive Committee, past member.
Awards and Recognition
- Best Lawyers
- Super Lawyers
Personal
- Born in Buffalo, NY
- Married with 4 kids
- Plays competitive squash
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Education
- Duke University School of Law, high honors, 1989
- Executive Editor, Duke Law Journal
- Duke University, M.A. (English), 1989
- University of Pennsylvania, B.A., cum laude, 1986
Admitted to Practice
- The Florida Bar
- State Bar of California
Clerkships
Clerk, Chief Judge Gerald B. Tjoflat, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
Practice Focus
- Complex Business Litigation
- Real Estate Litigation
- Aircraft Transaction Litigation
- Intellectual Property Litigation
- Unfair Competition and Trade Secret Litigation