Joshua R. Levenson
Partner
Joshua R. Levenson
+1.954.468.7852
Overview
Joshua R. Levenson is a litigation attorney in Holland & Knight's Fort Lauderdale office. Mr. Levenson's practice focuses on the following four areas: aviation litigation, commercial litigation, estates and trusts litigation and landlord-tenant litigation.
Mr. Levenson litigates cases in state and federal court, where he oversees matters from the pre-suit phase through trial. He has experience handling jury trials, bench trials, arbitration proceedings, mediations and other alternative dispute resolutions. Mr. Levenson also serves as an instructor for Holland & Knight’s John Hogan Trial Academy, where he teaches associates various trial skills and techniques.
Mr. Levenson serves as the chair of the firm's Public and Charitable Services Committee in the Fort Lauderdale office. In that role, he oversees the office's community service projects and the intake of pro bono matters. He also maintains an active pro bono practice and has recorded more than 750 hours of pro bono service during his career, including matters involving financial elder abuse, child abduction cases pursuant to the Hague Convention, as well as representing military veterans through the United Way's MISSION UNITED program.
Mr. Levenson is a leader in the South Florida community, where he is a member of the board of directors for several nonprofit organizations. He is also an adjunct professor for the Department of Business Law at the University of Miami, Herbert School of Business.
Representative Experience
- Defended multiple major airline clients in lawsuits relating to personal injury claims in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida; representations included defending theories of liability under the Montreal Convention, the federal standard of care under the Federal Aviation Act, and state law negligence
- Obtained dismissal of a lawsuit seeking personal injuries under the Montreal Convention, where the issue was, in part, whether a flight from the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida, was international carriage between the territories of two state parties
- Defended international airline in personal injury lawsuit pending in Miami, Florida, and secured dismissal based on forum non conveniens
- Defended major airline in connection with premises liability claims at airport in Broward County, Florida
- Represented major airline in connection with property damage claim resulting from the destruction of wide-body airliner
- Obtained prejudgment writ of replevin for client and seizure of aircraft technical documents
- Represented a large franchisor and its chief executive involving claims of fraud, civil theft and breach of contract in a five-week jury trial; obtained favorable jury verdict for client
- Represented a homeowner in a breach of contract dispute involving the failed renovation of a million-dollar home that burned down during renovations in an 11-day jury trial; obtained favorable jury verdict for client
- Defended a contract manufacturer of health supplements in an eight-day non-jury trial in Miami against allegations of breach of contract relating to the production of dietary health supplements
- Defended a manufacturer that sells and distributes medical and industrial gloves in various industries, including the medical industry, throughout the United States in a lawsuit that accused the client of violating various antitrust laws, including the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Florida Antitrust Act; secured favorable order granting client's motion to dismiss based on lack of personal jurisdiction
- Defended a national restaurant and entertainment company in a lawsuit that sought an injunction to shut it down based on the allegation that its video games were tantamount to impermissible slot machines; obtained favorable orders denying the injunction and dismissing all of the claims with prejudice pursuant to Florida's Family Amusement Games Act
- Defended a major financial institution against numerous claims of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty asserted by several investors related to Ponzi scheme based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Defended a trucking logistics company in lawsuit seeking replevin of its fleet of trucks; obtained order in client's favor that rejected replevin claims
- Defended a trucking logistics company in lawsuit over unpaid rent of semi-trailer trucks; obtained settlement
- Represented luxury resort in breach of contract dispute with company that installed new flooring in the resort's kitchen
- Defended surplus lines insurer in property damages dispute seeking more than $1 million in damage to commercial property due to Hurricane Frances
- Represented real estate developer in week-long jury trial against its insurance company relating to unpaid benefits in connection with property damage arising from Hurricane Wilma
- Defended major financial services company in lawsuit alleging violations of Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Florida Consumer Protection Act; obtained order of dismissal
- Represented patient in dispute with physician over allegations of unauthorized use of patient's before-and-after surgery photos
- Defended luxury hotel in claim brought under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act stemming from the number of credit card numbers and expiration dates printed on receipt
- Defended church in lawsuit alleging negligent supervision
- Represented city located in Miami-Dade County in its dispute with luxury hotel to ensure that long-standing, prestigious and world-renowned golf tournament would proceed as scheduled
- Represented a charitable foundation in a 12-day bench trial in Delray Beach, Florida, relating to a multimillion-dollar estate; obtained final judgment upholding the decedent's last will and testament that included the foundation as a residual beneficiary, and overcoming challenges to those documents on the basis of undue influence and lack of capacity
- Represented an international law firm in a contested creditor-claim dispute with the estate of the law firm's former client; obtained order in West Palm Beach, Florida, holding the claim that sought more than $1 million from the estate was timely and subject to arbitration pursuant to the parties' agreement
- Represented a trustee and personal representative in litigation to reform the decedent's testamentary documentation resulting from alleged scrivener's error relating to a multimillion-dollar estate
- Defended a luxury retirement community accused of undue influence by a decedent's nephew relating to formation of decedent's last will and testament
- Defended a children's hospital accused of undue influence in connection with quit-claim deed prepared by a decedent
- Represented a trustee in six-day bench trial in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, regarding claims of maladministration and dispute over final distribution of trust assets
- Defended a national humanitarian organization to protect its status as a beneficiary in a lawsuit seeking to invalidate will based on lack of capacity, undue influence and tortious interference
- Represented a trustee in multiple actions claiming breach of fiduciary duty in connection with valuation of a closely held corporation
- Defended a trustee in multiple actions regarding objections to interim trust accountings and use of trust assets
- Represented a surviving spouse in a lawsuit seeking to invalidate postnuptial agreement
- Defended a religious day school in will contest dispute brought by members of a decedent's family seeking to invalidate gifts to multiple charities
- Represented a beneficiary in a lawsuit seeking disqualification of fiduciaries because of an alleged conflict of interest
- Represented beneficiaries in a lawsuit seeking competing claims in the determination of heirs of an intestate estate
- Represented a national asset management services company in a lawsuit seeking declaratory judgment in connection with the qualified terminable interest trust and refund of tax benefits
- Represented shopping malls and shopping centers in hundreds of claims relating to unpaid rent and eviction, from presuit through trial
- Represented commercial landlord in bench trial in dispute with guarantor over unpaid rent and validity of guaranty; obtained verdict for landlord
- Represented commercial landlords and tenants in disputes arising from COVID-19, and associated government shut downs of commercial property
- Represented commercial landlord in dispute with tenant involving interpretation of code ordinances, and tenant's use of the premises in violation of the code ordinances
- Represented commercial landlord in arbitration proceedings against tenant and guarantors over unpaid rent; obtained decision for landlord
- Represented shopping malls and shopping centers in connection with post-judgment collection efforts, including obtaining writs of garnishment, continuing writs of garnishment and writs of bodily attachment
- Represented roofing subcontractor in lawsuit brought by homeowners association alleging faulty construction of hundreds of homes of planned luxury community
- Represented property owner in dispute with adjacent property owner over claims of nuisance, trespass and property damage
- Participated in multi-week secondment with national title insurance company and assisted with ongoing litigation matters
- Defended title insurance company in lawsuit accusing multiple defendants of committing a conspiracy to defraud in connection with loan documents prepared and secured by multimillion-dollar parcel of land
- Represented client in real estate litigation dispute against seller who failed to disclose a lis pendens encumbering the real property being sold
- Represented major financial institution in action seeking to vacate final judgment entered against it by junior lienholder; obtained order vacating final judgment and additional order dismissing all claims against client
- Represented major banks in multiple commercial foreclosure matters
- Defended dialysis company in multiple lawsuits alleging medical malpractice, including claims for negligence, wrongful death and product liability
- Defended a Medicare advantage health maintenance organization in multiple lawsuits pending simultaneously from numerous parties seeking damages arising from the same batch of medication used in the treatment of macular degeneration
- Defended a Medicare advantage health maintenance organization in a lawsuit where plaintiff suffered a stroke from an alleged delay in the approval of a transfer between hospitals
- Represented the victim of real estate fraud and financial elder exploitation; obtained final judgment restoring title to real property in client's name and writ of possession ordering the removal of the family member that committed the fraud from the real property
- Assisted multiple clients through the Holland & Knight Mickey Rooney Financial Elder Abuse Pro Bono Project, which assists elderly and infirmed clients who have had assets misdirected and/or taken by fiduciaries or others in positions of trust against their will and intentions
- Represented multiple clients seeking the return of their children under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction in both the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- Represented military veteran in dispute with his condominium association over assessments
- Represented multiple children with autism in their disputes with the Agency for Persons with Disability (APD) regarding the levels of benefits being received
Credentials
Education
- University of Florida Levin College of Law, J.D., cum laude
- University of Miami, B.B.A., cum laude and General Honors
Bar Admissions/Licenses
- Florida
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- All State Courts in Florida
Memberships
- Leadership Broward Foundation Inc., Board of Directors Member, 2020-Present; Executive Committee Member, 2021-Present; Secretary, 2021-2023; General Counsel, 2023-Present; Youth Leadership Broward, Chair of Class XXXVI, 2022-2023; Leadership Broward, Chair of Class XLIII, 2024-2025
- Boy Scouts of America n/k/a Scouting America, South Florida Council Executive Board Member, 2009-Present; Executive Committee Member, 2020-Present; President-Elect, 2024-Present
- BSA Alumni Association, Chair of Legal Affinity Group, 2020-Present
- Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, Board of Directors, 2020-Present
- Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida, Board of Directors, 2020-2022
- Legal Aid Service of Broward County, Board of Directors, 2020-2022
- Leadership Broward, Class XXXVII, 2018-2019
- Leadership Fort Lauderdale, Class XXI, 2014-2015
Honors & Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Commercial Litigation, 2022-2025
- BBX Capital Men of Style, Honoree (most tickets sold), Representing Leadership Broward Foundation, 2023
- 40 Under 40, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 2022
- 40 Under 40, South Florida Business Journal, 2021
- Up & Comer, South Florida Business & Wealth, 2020
- Holland & Knight Community Service All-Star, 2019
- Commitment to Justice Award, Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida, 2018
- On the Rise Honoree, Daily Business Review Professional Excellence Award, 2017
- Holland & Knight PCS Pro Bono All-Star, 2017-2021
- Rising Star, Florida Super Lawyers; magazine, 2013-2018, 2020-2022
- Florida Legal Elite Up & Comer, Florida Trend magazine, 2012
- University of Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy, Editor-In-Chief, 2007-2008
- University of Florida, Book Award, Contracts, 2006
- University of Florida, Book Award, Appellate Advocacy, 2006
- University of Miami School of Business, Departmental Honoree (Business Law), Honors Day, 2005
- University of Miami School of Business, Beta Gamma Sigma, inducted 2004; Academic Honoree at Honors Day, 2005
- Golden Key International Honour Society, Southeast Region Student Leader of the Year, 2004
- Boy Scouts of America, NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award, 2018
- Boy Scouts of America, Silver Beaver Award, 2015
- Boy Scouts of America (Order of the Arrow), The Centurion Award, 2015
- Boy Scouts of America (Order of the Arrow), The Founder's Award, 2002
- Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout, 2000
