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Candy L. Messersmith

Partner
Orlando Office
407.839.4571
Email

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Practices

  • Appellate
  • Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith
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    Profile

    Candy Messersmith focuses her practice in the areas of insurance coverage and bad faith and appellate law. She represents clients in class action litigation and insurance claims involving automobile (personal and commercial), homeowners, excess/umbrella, commercial general liability, marine, and life insurance.  Candy also has an appellate practice with appeals to all Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

    Prior to joining RumbergerKirk, she clerked for Chief Justice Charles Wells of the Florida Supreme Court.

    Details

    On July 14, 2023, the Second District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s granting of Busch Gardens’ Motion for Final Summary Judgment. Busch Gardens allowed local fire departments to use its premises for training classes.  Plaintiff claimed she was injured during a rescue training class on Congo River Rapids.  The trial court entered Final Summary Judgment, finding Busch Gardens is entitled to enforce the rescue company’s liability waiver as both an agent and volunteer of the rescue company conducting the class, and also finding Busch Gardens did not breach any duty owed to Plaintiff.  Plaintiff argued several different grounds to attempt to convince the appellate court to reverse the trial court’s decision, but the Second District rejected all of them, issuing a per curiam affirmance without an opinion.

    The Sixth District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s denial of Plaintiff’s Motion for New Trial on July 3, 2023. Plaintiff’s counsel argued several different grounds to attempt to convince the appellate court to reverse the trial court’s decision, but the Sixth District rejected all of them, issuing a per curiam affirmance without an opinion.

    • Insurance

    • Orange County Bar Association

    University of Florida College of Law — J.D., high honors, 1999

    Order of the Coif

    Florida International University — B.A., Business Administration, magna cum laude, 1996

    • Florida — 1999

    • U.S. District Courts of Florida (Northern, Middle, Southern)
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
    • U.S. Supreme Court

    • Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2009

    • Co-Host, "Breaking Down Bad Faith: Insurers’ Good Faith Duties and Defending Bad Faith Claims," Legally Qualified Podcast, February 2023

    Candy's News and Insights

    See All News See All Insights Read Beyond the Bio
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    08.22.2023
    Firm News

    Second DCA Affirms Busch Gardens Summary Judgment in Heather Bennett v. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment LLC

    RumbergerKirk attorneys Candy Messersmith, Carie Hall and Rob Blank won...

    07.10.2023
    Firm News

    Sixth DCA Affirms Sea World Defense Verdict

    RumbergerKirk attorneys Candy Messersmith, Rob Blank and Carie Hall won...

    02.15.2023
    Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith

    Breaking Down Bad Faith: Insurers’ Good Faith Duties and Defending Bad Faith Claims

    Insurance companies facing a bad faith claim are at risk...

    03.25.2019
    Beyond the Bio

    Celebrating Women’s History Month

    Women’s History Month commemorates and encourages the study, observance and...

    01.16.2017
    Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith

    Florida 4th DCA Reiterates Insurer’s Negligence Not Enough to Sustain Bad Faith Claim

    Directs Judgment to be Entered in Favor of Insurer In...

    06.19.2015
    Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith

    Court Imposes Unlimited Exposure on PIP Insurer

    In Spaid v. Integon Indemnity Corp., Case No. 1D13-2343 (Fla....

    02.05.2015
    Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith

    In Coverage Case, Florida Court Expansively Construes "Costs" to Include "Attorneys Fees"

    In GEICO General Ins. Co. v. Hollingsworth, 2015 WL 376406...

    01.27.2015
    Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith

    First DCA Denies Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Immunity From Bad Faith Claims

    In Perdido Sun Condominium Association, Inc. v. Citizens Property Ins....

    10.09.2013
    Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith

    The Fifth District Court of Appeal Addresses Number of Occurrences in Dog Bite Case

    Maddox v. Florida Farm Bureau General, Case No. 5D12-3577; 2013...

    08.30.2013
    Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith

    Second District Upholds Exclusion For Bodily Injury To Non-Resident Relative Insured

     In Motzenbecker v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., the...

    See All News See All Insights Read Beyond the Bio

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