Overview
Jenea Reed is a Shareholder in the Litigation Department. She focuses on all facets of complex litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country. Jenea has extensive experience defending clients in high stakes litigation, including large class action lawsuits. She has also represented corporations and individuals in a variety of substantive areas including contract disputes, securities litigation, and various business torts.
Jenea is a skilled writer who regularly drafts dispositive and appellate briefs. Her experience as an appellate law clerk gives her a unique perspective on federal appellate practice. Before joining the firm, she clerked for the Honorable Adalberto Jordan on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She also worked for several years in the pharmaceutical industry, helping clients successfully navigate complex managed care issues.
For the last several years, Jenea has been recognized by Benchmark Litigation as one of the nation’s most accomplished young lawyers. She has also been featured in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. In addition to her litigation practice, Jenea chairs the Firm’s Diversity Committee and is a frequent panelist on diversity and inclusion topics.
Representative Experience
- Successfully defended a Miami business in a class action lawsuit brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The district court denied the motion for class certification, which sought class-wide damages of about $90 million.
- Represented multiple plaintiffs in challenging a federal settlement agreement between a developer and the City of Miami that would have permitted the development of a proposed gambling facility in Miami’s Edgewater Neighborhood. On summary judgment, the Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge ruled that the Mayor had validly vetoed the proposed federal settlement and invalidated the settlement.
- Provided appellate support to a litigation team that obtained a preliminary injunction prohibiting the enforcement of a new Florida social media “transparency” law that would have restricted social media companies from blocking political candidates. The order found that the new law violates the social media companies’ First Amendment rights, violates the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause and that key provisions are preempted by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The order was entered the day before the law was set to go in effect.
- Achieved a favorable settlement of a joint venture dispute involving claims of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty.
- Represented BBX Capital Corporation and its Chairman and CEO Alan Levan at trial, in a successful appeal to the Eleventh Circuit, and throughout a six-week re-trial that ultimately resulted in a complete defense verdict on various securities fraud claims.
- Obtained summary judgement on claims for breach of contract, declaratory judgement, and injunctive relief, and successfully defended the judgement on appeal to the Third Circuit.
- Obtained summary judgment in federal court on behalf of a corporate client accused of defamation.
- Successfully defended Benihana, Inc., which owns and operates approximately 70 restaurants in the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America, in various cases and appeals brought by Benihana of Tokyo (BOT). Also prevailed in numerous counterclaims and contempt proceedings against BOT, and collected more than $1.2 million in attorneys' fees to date for the client.
- Provided pro bono representation to an indigent appellant in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
- Regularly provides support to trial counsel on appellate issues.
Judicial Clerkships
- Law Clerk, Honorable Adalberto Jordan, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Professional & Community Involvement
- Meritas’ Black Lawyers Forum, Leadership Council
- Florida Bar, Appellate Practice Section
- Federal Bar Association
- Dade County Bar Association
- Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association
Recognition
- Finalist, Lawyer of the Year, Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards: North America 2022
- Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch in America, 2021-Present
- Benchmark Litigation, “40 & Under Hot List,” 2018-2021
- Daniel E. Murray Distinguished Service Award
Publications & Presentations
Events:
Meritas Black Lawyers Forum – Young Lawyers Roundtable Session
Meritas|January 2022
Events, Firm Announcements, In the Media, Labor & Employment News Update, Publications:
Breaking Through the Noise: Labor & Employment Issues Post-Pandemic
Stearns Weaver Miller News Program Special|June 2021
Events:
Amelia Rea Maguire Business Law Lecture: A Panel On The Economics Of Diversity, Equity And Inclusion
Florida State University College of Law|February 2021
Events:
Cafecito Chat: Racial Equity in Local Philanthropy
Association of Fundraising Professionals Miami Chapter |January 2021
Events:
Trial in the Modern Age: How to Master the Presentation of Digital Evidence
Miami-Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL) Litigation Skills Workshop|February 2020
Publications:
Business Torts: A Fifty State Guide, Florida
January 2013
Publications:
In the Shadows of Lohr: The Disconnect Within the Supreme Court’s Preemption Jurisprudence in Medical Device Liability Case
University of Miami Law Review |February 2009
Newsroom
In the Media:
Cuban American Bar Association Celebrates Hispanic Women Judges
The Florida Bar|August 2023
In the Media:
The Many Facets of Mentorship
ACC Docket|Meritas|April 2022
In the Media:
DOI Looks To Ax Suit Over Tribe's Fla. Sports Betting Permit
Law360|October 2021
Events, Firm Announcements, In the Media, Labor & Employment News Update, Publications:
Breaking Through the Noise: Labor & Employment Issues Post-Pandemic
Stearns Weaver Miller News Program Special|June 2021
In the Media:
Hear from Marlins, Fisher Island and EEOC leaders about post-COVID labor issues
Miami Herald|June 2021
Firm Announcements:
Jenea Reed Appointed to Meritas Black Lawyers Forum Leadership Council
March 2021
Firm Announcements:
Stearns Weaver Miller Lawyers Named Among Benchmark Litigation’s 2018 “Under 40 Hot List”
July 2018
Firm Announcements:
Stearns Weaver Miller Names Three New Shareholders
September 2017