Sergio I. Ruiz is an experienced litigator, focusing his practice in construction law. Sergio represents general contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, design professionals, sureties, commercial general liability carriers, and developers in all types of disputes. Including: breach of contract claims, construction defect and delay claims, construction lien foreclosures, fraudulent liens, contract drafting and disputes involving AIA Contract documents, payment and performance bond claims, design professional liability claims, insurance coverage disputes, property insurance claims, pre-suit notifications required by Chapter 558 of the Florida Statutes, settlement agreements, building permit issues, claims involving the Florida Building Code, construction warranty claims, and unlicensed contractor/architect claims. Prior to joining GRSM, Sergio worked as an Associate Attorney in the construction litigation department of a large U.S. law firm.

Sergio works closely with his clients during every step of a project, from contract drafting and negotiation prior to commencing work, through negotiating disputes mid-project and, when necessary, litigating to judgement after the job is complete. He understands how frustrating it can be for business owners and home owners, after another party fails to keep legally binding promises and has a superb ability to collect all the necessary data to properly asses each situation and give his clients a pragmatic analysis of all the options available in order to come up with a winning strategy.

Sergio grew up in Orlando, Florida, where prior to attending law school, he worked in the real estate finance industry, assisting buyers and builders of residential properties.

Admissions

• Florida
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida

Memberships

• The State Bar of Florida - Construction Law Committee – Liaison to ABA Forum on Construction Law.
• American Bar Association – Forum on Construction Law - Member of Division 1 (Litigation) and Division 8 (International).
• The Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.

Community Involvement

• Volunteer attorney for FEMA Disaster Legal Services Hotline.

Arbitration - AAA Construction: 

• Obtained favorable settlement in in the representation of an owner of a luxury townhome with claims against its general contractor for breach of contract, building code violations, and fraudulent lien, as well as defended counter claims for breach of contract and lien foreclosure, pursuant to the American Arbitration Association’s Construction Industry Arbitration Rules. See Mkenzie Construction, LLC v. Tomas Strulovic, AAA Case No. 01-19-0002-4849.

Claim against Material Supplier:

• Represented contractor in claims against its material supplier and obtained favorable settlement after pursuing claims including breach of common law warranty, breach of express warranty pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 672.313, breach of implied warranty of merchantability pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 672.314, and breach of implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose pursuant to Fla. Stat.  § 672.315. See Fine Line Construction Contractors, Inc. v. Excellence Tile & Stone Corp., Broward County Circuit Court, Case No. 20-006564 CACE 25.

Complex Business Litigation Discovery:

• Experience with voluminous discovery projects, such as Brickell City Centre Retail LLC v. Arquitectonica International Corp. et al., Miami-Dade County Circuit Court, Case No. 2021-001706-CA.  Here, we represent 19 subcontractors in their defense against construction defect claims from owner entities totaling a 9-figure sum and involving hundreds of gigabytes of electronically stored information.

Dispositive Motions:

• Experience drafting of dispositive motions which have attributed to fruitful mediations and settlement.  These include motions for summary judgment arguing against defendant subcontractor for failure to defend and indemnify contractor, against HOA for time-barred claims pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 95.11(3) “statute of repose”, and motions in limine to keep out expert and fact witness testimony from trial.  See J.O. Delotto & Sons, Inc. v. G.A. Porter Roofing Contractor Inc., Hillsborough County Circuit Court, Case No. 2017-CA-007785; also Isles of Oviedo Townhome Owners’ Association, Inc. v. Amick Construction, Inc., et al; and Nathan Collins v. Domani Development, LLC, et al, Palm Beach County Circuit Court Case No. 2020-CA-009714.