Eric Lowell Ray

Eric L. Ray is an attorney in Holland and & Knight's West Palm Beach office and works in the firm's Litigation Section.

Mr. Ray has successfully represented both domestic and foreign clients in complex federal and state cases, as well as in arbitrations administered by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) and the American Arbitration Association (AAA). He has a national practice, and is well versed in advising diverse clients in commercial matters and business controversies. These matters include contract disputes, real estate and title insurance litigation; fraud and other business tort actions; trade secret and restrictive covenant disputes; banking litigation; corporate and partnership disputes; trust and estate litigation, insurance litigation, including defending insurance carriers in fraud-related claims; breach of employment contract disputes; commercial and residential mortgage foreclosures and commercial landlord/tenant disputes; and force majeure and other contract-related issues. Mr. Ray has presented on business and litigation issues related to the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine. Mr. Ray also serves on Holland & Knight's COVID-19 Response Team advising clients on issues related to force majeure and other contract-related matters.

Mr. Ray's representative engagements include:

• representing real estate developers and individual property owners in easement, land use, condominium association and title disputes
• representing national pharmacy chain in defending against several tort claims arising from the renewal of leasehold interests at properties throughout the United States.
• representing national bank in numerous consolidated lawsuits arising from a real estate development abroad
• advising daily fantasy sports operator in all stages of the company’s development, including assistance with terms of use and privacy policy, seed round fundraising and Series A offering documents, corporate formation, regulatory concerns, NIL issues for website content, data privacy, security, advertising, consumer protection, trademarks, corporate sponsorships and banking regulations
• representing private equity firm in the enforcement of restrictive covenants
• representing independent board director in defense of lawsuit alleging breach of fiduciary duties in class action brought under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)
• representing individual in a dispute arising from a contested trust
• representing real estate investors in a declaratory judgment and breach of contract action against a national real estate developer
• successfully representing a homeowner in a trial against a title insurance company arising from a title dispute
• representing a homeowner in an investigation of a potential violation of a municipal ordinance
• representing a national insurance company in multiple lawsuits against premium finance companies arising from alleged fraud
• representing a Fortune 100 healthcare benefit management company in a breach of contract action against a hospitality company
• representing an international medical product distributor in a breach of contract action against an international medical product manufacturer
• representing an executive in an employment contract dispute against a former national company
• representing various foreign and domestic wine manufacturers and distributors in actions against a wine distributor
• representing a national bank in a matter relating to pursuit of suspicious activity reports (SAR)
• representing an international pharmaceutical manufacturer in a two-week arbitration proceeding against a software developer in a breach of contract action
• representing an international music manager/promotor in a dispute against a competing promotor
• representing multiple physicians in breach of contract actions against healthcare management companies
• representing a regional grocery chain in a hearing before the Florida Board of Health

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Ray worked as a public relations executive in New York.

In the community, Mr. Ray is active in numerous organizations, including Take Stock in Children, where he serves on the board, United Way and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) South Florida Real Estate Division. Mr. Ray has successfully represented a father seeking the return of his child abducted into the U.S. from abroad, using the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. He has also provided pro bono legal representation to children in foster care through Lawyers for Children America, to juveniles in immigration court proceedings and to multiple individuals seeking asylum in the United States. Mr. Ray previously assisted the Innocence Project in successfully exonerating a wrongfully convicted man after he spent 25 years in prison.

During law school, Mr. Ray served as an articles and comments editor for the University of Miami Inter-American Law Review. In addition, he served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Gerald B. Cope of the Florida Third District Court of Appeal.