John M. Hamrick
Partner
John M. Hamrick
404.898.8111
Overview
John M. Hamrick is a litigation attorney in Holland & Knight's Atlanta office with more than 18 years of experience. Mr. Hamrick is a partner in the firm's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Section, and a member of the Real Estate and Hospitality Industry Sector Group as well as the Transportation & Infrastructure Industry Sector Group.
Mr. Hamrick has extensive litigation experience representing clients in matters across the country at the trial and appellate levels and has also appeared before the U.S. Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation.
Mr. Hamrick's litigation experience includes a diverse range of complex commercial litigation, franchise litigation, professional negligence defense and product liability litigation. In addition, he is highly skilled in the areas of class action litigation, premises liability, landlord-tenant disputes, construction litigation, insurance coverage, real estate litigation, copyright and trademark litigation, trade secret litigation and receivership of commercial properties.
Representative Experience
- Serve as national coordinating defense counsel for an international hospitality company in human trafficking litigation brought under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA)
- Represented an international hospitality company in a class action alleging improper assessment of cancellation fees
- Represented an international hospitality company in a class action alleging improper resort fee charges
- Obtained dismissal on behalf of an international hospitality company in a class action alleging violation of the Florida Security of Communications Act, the state's "wiretap" statute
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of an international hospitality company in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit related to a loyalty program extending over three continents
- Represented numerous lenders in obtaining judicially appointed receivers over distressed properties in various classes of assets, including a high-visibility office building in downtown Atlanta, multifamily apartment complexes, industrial sites and retail shopping centers and power centers
- Represented and advised commercial real estate receivers in stabilizing properties, reducing waste, promoting best-management practices and resolving potential liabilities and claims
- Represented title insurers in claims by insureds, including the investigation and defense of mortgage fraud schemes
- Obtained judgment on behalf of a real estate developer client in an adverse possession and quiet-title action tried before a federal Special Master
- Represented a globally known company in a successful trial against several of its former executives and employees who formed a competing business in a lawsuit alleging claims of breach of fiduciary duties, misappropriation of corporate opportunities, theft of trade secrets, tortious interference with contractual relations and breach of contract
- Represented a manufacturer in a lawsuit against a member of the board of directors and a company owned by that board member that alleged that corporate opportunities were being impermissibly diverted to and acquired by the board member's company; the complaint sought injunctive relief and brought claims of breach of fiduciary duties, tortious interference with contractual relations and prospective economic advantage, and misappropriation of trade secrets, concluding with judgment in favor of the client
- Obtained permanent injunction on behalf of a national security company against an exclusive affiliate that formed a new company in an attempt to partner with a competitor; the complaint asserted theft of trade secrets, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty
- Represented a manufacturer of hair-care products against a distributor of infringing and illicit hair-care products that posed a safety threat to consumers; the complaint alleged claims of trademark infringement, false designation and origin, and dilution of a famous mark; the court granted an ex parte temporary restraining order and ultimately granted a permanent injunction
- Represented a Fortune 100 software company in numerous trademark and copyright enforcement actions
- Represented a luxury car manufacturer in a trademark action against a local entertainment company that was using the mark in branding and promotion of its business
- Obtained a defense verdict in a representation of a national retailer in a premises liability matter
- Represented a national vehicle service retailer to a successful jury verdict in a wrongful-death action arising from claims of negligent inspection
- Obtained summary judgment, affirmed on appeal, in favor of an engineering company under contract with a county's transportation department in a wrongful-death lawsuit that alleged failure to properly supervise the prime contractor
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of an engineering company under program management contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) in a case where the plaintiff was rendered quadriplegic in an accident where it was alleged that the engineering company had a duty to design or supervise the implementation of traffic control plans
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of an engineering company under program management contract with GDOT in a case where the plaintiff was rendered an incomplete quadriplegic in a bicycle accident on a newly constructed bridge where it was claimed that the engineering company had certain design approval duties
- Obtained voluntary dismissal of companion wrongful-death lawsuits on behalf of an engineering company retained as a construction engineering and inspection (CEI) consultant for GDOT
- Represented a local governmental authority in a multimillion-dollar dispute related to the construction of a governmental facility; the complaint alleged numerous claims as a result of the contractor's nonconforming, deficient and incomplete work
- Represented the owner of an apartment tower against a general contractor that performed defective work that led to multipoint water-intrusion through the building envelope
- Extensive experience representing manufacturers of tires, motor vehicles, recreational vehicles, component parts, asbestos products, GPS devices and playground equipment in product liability matters
- Obtained summary judgment for a tire manufacturer following a successful Daubert motion that excluded the plaintiff's causation expert
- Obtained summary judgment, affirmed on appeal, on behalf of a manufacturer of playground equipment, in a matter alleging product liability claims
- Obtained a defense verdict in a bench trial on behalf of a tire manufacturer in a product liability matter brought as a result of a motor-vehicle accident that followed a tread separation
Credentials
Education
- Georgia State University College of Law, J.D., cum laude
- Samford University, B.A.
Bar Admissions/Licenses
- Georgia
Court Admissions
- All State Courts in Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Memberships
- State Bar of Georgia
- American Bar Association
- Atlanta Bar Association
- Georgia Defense Lawyers Association
- Lawyers Club of Atlanta
- Developmental Disability Ministries, Inc., Trustee; Executive Committee
- Simpsonwood United Methodist Church, Staff-Parish Relations Committee Member
- Fowler Family YMCA, Board of Directors
- Georgia Justice Project, Volunteer
- Norcross Youth Baseball and Softball Association, Volunteer Coach
Honors & Awards
- Stand-out Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, 2024
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, 2023, 2024; Commercial Litigation, 2024; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, 2024
- Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2021
- Holland & Knight Public and Charitable Service All-Star Award, 2017-2020
- Georgia State University Law Review, Associate Notes and Comments Editor
- Lecturer, Emory University's Trial Techniques Program