Peter M. Hoogerwoerd, Esq.
Bio
Peter Michael Hoogerwoerd is an accomplished litigator in both state and federal courts with over twenty (20) years of experience in a broad array of civil litigation, criminal defense, transactional, and appellate matters. Mr. Hoogerwoerd has focused his practice on employment matters during the seven most recent years of his practice and is an active member of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA).
Education
Mr. Hoogerwoerd graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and a Minor in Economics in 1993. During his undergraduate coursework, Mr. Hoogerwoerd was a member of a national championship intercollegiate debate team, for which he was awarded an academic scholarship.
He earned his Juris Doctor in 1997 and his Master of Business Administration degree in 1998 from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida where he received The University of Miami Alumni Association Award for Student Leadership.
Background & Interests
Mr. Hoogerwoerd was born in Redondo Beach, California, and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Chicago, Illinois. He is fluent in Spanish and is a member of the National Association of Underwater Instructors for scuba-diving. Mr. Hoogerwoerd is an avid fan of ‘house’ music and enjoys mixing and producing music on the weekends as his avocation.
Career Highlights
Mr. Hoogerwoerd has represented clients as lead counsel in over 300 federal cases and presently has ninety-three (93) reported decisions on Westlaw. Mr. Hoogerwoerd has had two class actions conditionally certified in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
- Labor and employment litigation: In addition to successfully representing both plaintiffs and defendants in his core areas of commercial, insurance, and labor and employment related claims, (see Giakoumakis et al. v. Maronda Homes, Inc., 2010 WL 557750 (M.D.Fla.) and Kozma v. Hunter Scott Financial, LLC, 2010 WL 724498 (S.D.Fla.), Mr. Hoogerwoerd has a proven record of success in a wide variety of litigated matters.
- Civil RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act): Mr. Hoogerwoerd co-chaired a federal jury trial in a Civil RICO case in the United States Court for the Southern District of Florida winning a $13.8 million jury verdict for a business owner against former business partners alleging bankruptcy fraud, conspiracy, and theft of business profits. See, Farese v. Scherer, Case No. 9:00-cv-08950-DMM (S.D. Fla.)(D.E. 995). See also, "Reputed Mobster Wins $13.8 Million Jury Verdict," Miami Daily Business Review, Page 1, June 2, 2005.
- Appellate litigation: Mr. Hoogerwoerd has appeared as appellate counsel in a variety of matters and is the Attorney of Record for two reported appellate decisions, Elite Protection v. Florida Insurance Guaranty Association, 874 So. 2d 615 (Fla. 4th DCA 2004), and Cartan Tours v. ESA Services, Inc., 833 So. 2d 873 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003).
- Professional malpractice, securities, and financial services litigation: Mr. Hoogerwoerd successfully defended an accounting firm in shareholders' federal class action lawsuit in the United States Court for the Southern District of Florida alleging violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act, 15 U.S.C. §78j(b) and Rule 10b-5 17 C.F.R., §240.10b-5, and section 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act, 15 U.S.C., §78t(a), obtaining a dismissal with prejudice on all fraud counts alleged against the accounting firm. Chiarenza, et al. v. IBSG International, Inc. et al., Case No. 1:09-cv-22736-PAS (S.D. Fla.)(D.E. 82).
- Insurance coverage: Mr. Hoogerwoerd has successfully prosecuted actions for declaratory relief against insurance carriers where the insurance carriers failed to meet their obligations under the insurance policies. Through vigorous litigation, Mr. Hoogerwoerd has obtained attorneys' fees for defending the underlying actions, as well as for the actions for declaratory relief. Mid-Continent Casualty Company v. Florida Contracting Construction Services, Donald Pliner and Lisa Pliner, Case No. 07-cv-21168-JLK, consolidated withFlorida Contracting Construction Services v. Colony Ins. Co., General Security Indemnity Co. of Arizona and Mid-Continent Casualty Company, Case No. 07-cv-22821-JLK (S.D. Fla.)(D.E. 32).
- Construction defect litigation: Mr. Hoogerwoerd has authored several briefs in federal court on significant issues related to the ever-developing specialty of construction defect litigation, which have led to several important decisions related to surety bond issues and the indemnification of the parties to a construction contract. See, CC Aventura, Inc. v. The Weitz Company, LLC, et al., Case No. 1:06-cv-21598-PCH (2008 WL 1994807, 2008 WL 2699506, and 2008 WL 2699577 (S.D. Fla.)).
Areas of Practice
In addition to his corporate practice, Mr. Hoogerwoerd is a member of the following sections of the Florida Bar:
- Labor and Employment
- Sports and Entertainment Law
- Criminal Defense
- Appellate Law
- Trial Lawyers Section
Court Admissions
- The Florida Bar
- United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States District Court Southern District of Florida
- United States District Court Middle District of Florida
- United States District Court Northern District of Florida
Education
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Arts
- University of Miami School of Law, Juris Doctorate
- University of Miami School of Business, Master of Business Administration
We Care About Your Results
-
His firm is exceptional, they facilitate the process with proper communication, immediate response and was treated with the utmost respect. Truly a man of character, integrity and has earned my deepest trust.- Former Client
-
Best lawyers in Miami , they helped me with two separate cases and the outcome was lovely . Definitely recommend them for anyone.- Tariq Z.
-
I couldn't be happier with Anthony M. Georges-Pierre and his performance during our mitigation. I feel confident recommending his legal services to anyone who needs a pit bull in their corner.- Juan Mederos
-
Anthony Georges-Pierre is someone that will listen to you and help you when others say no. I highly recommend him.- Former Client