Meet Litigation Lawyer Roberto Martínez

Partner at Colson Hicks Eidson

After more than 22 years with our firm, partner and litigation lawyer Roberto Martínez has successfully handled high-profile complex business litigation, receivership, professional negligence, product liability, and white collar criminal defense cases at the federal, state and international levels. A former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Bob brings extensive experience in the public and private sectors to his legal work.

Litigation Lawyer Resolving Cases Nationwide and Abroad

His involvement in transnational litigation includes a $20.5 million dollar federal court judgment against the Government of Aruba in favor of a U.S. businessman and racecar promoter for breach of a commercial agreement to build a racetrack in Aruba.

Additionally, Bob was part of our team of litigation attorneys that represented 40 families whose loved ones died in an aviation accident off the coast of Peru. Although the cases were originally filed in the United States federal court, they were litigated and arbitrated in Chile in Spanish and resulted in a settlement against AeroPeru and The Boeing Co. that included some of the highest compensation levels ever received for an aviation accident in South America.

He also obtained large jury verdicts including punitive damages: a $68.1 million jury verdict, including punitive damages of $60 million, against Eller Media Company in a wrongful death case resulting from an electrocution death of a young boy at a bus shelter, and a $31.2 million jury verdict, including $30 million, against Able Telcom for tortious interference with a business relationship.

Bob recently concluded his service as the federal court appointed Receiver for Mutual Benefits Corporation – the largest S.E.C. enforcement action ever in South Florida – in which the receivership team was successful in recovering in excess of $120 million for more than 30,000 defrauded investors worldwide.

He is currently serving as the lead lawyer in the first cases ever filed under the Helms-Burton law, against Carnival Corporation, for trafficking in property of a U.S. National confiscated by the Cuban Government, and as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the 3M Combat Arms Earplug MDL.

Bob’s practice also includes professional negligence cases through which he has successfully handled the recovery of multimillion-dollar awards against international accounting firms and has defended prominent law firms and lawyers.

Successful Representation of Anti-Terrorism Cases

As a litigation lawyer, Bob has successfully served as co-lead trial counsel in several anti-terrorism cases, obtaining and collecting judgments against the Government of Cuba. One case involved a $188 million dollar wrongful death judgment arising out of the murder of four men who were shot down by the Cuban Air Force while flying a humanitarian mission for Brothers to the Rescue. Bob was instrumental in getting Congress to pass two landmark laws allowing for the use of frozen Cuban Government assets located in the U.S. to satisfy the judgment, and the victims collected approximately $100 million.

He also represented the family of a former Air National Guard member who was shot down during the Bay of Pigs invasion. A judge awarded a $22 million judgment, which the family was able to collect from frozen Cuban assets. In addition, he is currently pursuing, in several jurisdictions, the collection of a $100 million judgment arising from the torture and murder of a U.S. citizen and has obtained, to date, multimillion-dollar recoveries.

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Bob has also been involved in litigation involving civic and public interest cases, including the representation of more than 100,000 Cuban refugees in a class action against the U.S. Government for wrongful detention in the Guantanamo Naval Base; representation of then-Governor George W. Bush in the litigation before the Canvassing Board and the Florida courts in Miami in the 2000 recount; representation of a prominent businessmen who sued the County, the City and the Florida Marlins to prevent the use of taxpayer funds to build a baseball stadium for private use. He also successfully defended against the sitting County Mayor who sued to stop a recall vote that ultimately gained 88 percent of the vote.

Bob is one of four lawyers at Colson Hicks Eidson who represents clients in white collar criminal defense investigations and cases. As a result of his experience as a former federal prosecutor – including running the largest U.S. Attorney’s Office in the nation and five years of prosecuting public corruption and major narcotics cases – he has a unique insight and advantage in representing businesses, executives and public officials who face investigations and indictments.

For more information about Roberto Martínez, contact our accident attorneys today.

Honors and Awards

• Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers
• Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers
• United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Special Recognition Award
• The Florida Bar’s Voluntary Bar Association Pro Bono Service Award

Civic Work

• Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission
  • Former Chair
• Florida State Board of Education
  • Vice-Chair
• Miami-Dade College
  • Former Chair, District Board of Trustees
• Governor-Elect Jeb Bush Transition
  • General Counsel
• Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission (2017-2018)
• Member
• Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission (2007-2008)
  • Member
• Governor-Elect Charlie Crist’s Transition
  • Chairman
• Florida Attorney General-Elect Charlie Crist’s Transition
  • Chairman
• Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist
  • Special Counsel

Adjunct Faculty

• University of Miami School of Law

Past Employment Positions

• Southern District of Florida, United States Attorney, 1992-1993
• Southern District of Florida, Assistant United States Attorney, 1982-1987

Peat, Marwick Mitchell & Co., Tax Accountant