Christian M. Gunneson

Partner

Tampa, FL | Ft. Lauderdale, FL
D 813.445.6351
christian.gunneson@fmglaw.com

Education

J.D., Quinnipiac University School of Law, magna cum laude

Publication Editor, Quinnipiac Health Law Journal

President, Mock Trial Society

B.A., Providence College

Overview

Christian Gunneson is a Partner in Freeman Mathis & Gary’s Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale offices and is a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment, Insurance Coverage and Extra-Contractual Liability, Professional Liability/Errors & Omissions, and Commercial Litigation/Directors & Officers National Practice Sections.

Mr. Gunneson focuses his practice on representing management in labor and employment disputes. He has experience representing employers in discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, FMLA, ADA, wage and hour (class action and single plaintiff), trade secret, and non-compete disputes. Mr. Gunneson regularly appears before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Florida Commission on Human Relations, the National Labor Relations Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Department of Labor. As part of his practice, Mr. Gunneson also provides counsel to employers in various aspects of the employer-employee relationship including personnel policies and practices, employee discipline and terminations, leave management and accommodations, and wage-and-hour compliance.

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Bar Admissions

Connecticut

Florida

United States District Court for District of Colorado

United States District Court for the District of Connecticut

United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida

United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

Publications & Engagements

“Website Accessibility Problems Create Legal Peril for Online Retailers,” Quoted in Digital Commerce 360 (January 13, 2022)

Waivers and Extreme Sports: Do You ‘Waive Goodbye’ To Your Rights?,” Sports Litigation Alert (May 6, 2015)

“Why Fast Food Bans are the Wrong Solution to Address America’s Obesity Problem and What Should Be Done Instead,” 15 Quinnipiac Health Law Journal 209 (2012)

Representative Cases & Clients
  • Successfully persuaded Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal to reverse a lower court’s order granting plaintiff’s motion to amend its complaint for punitive damages.
  • Secured a complete dismissal of all federal and state constitutional and employment claims brought by a police chief against a police board of commissioners.
  • Secured a victory at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of a municipality in connection with plaintiff’s age and national origin discrimination claims.
  • Secured an appellate level reversal of a trial court judgment by successfully arguing that the trial court incorrectly found that Florida’s statutory abrogation of joint and several liability did not apply retroactively.
  • Obtained dismissal with prejudice of claims brought against an insurance agency by Florida’s “insurer of last resort” who had argued that it could subrogate and seek damages against the agency for negligence. Successfully argued that the insurer of last resort was not statutorily authorized to prosecute claims.
  • Secured a complete dismissal (affirmed on appeal) of plaintiff’s claimed multi-million-dollar losses by successfully arguing that they were barred by Connecticut’s workers’ compensation exclusivity scheme.
Affiliations

Professional Liability Defense Federation

Claims and Litigation Management Alliance

Employment Law Section of the Florida Bar

Business Law Section of the Florida Bar

Connecticut Bar Association, Young Lawyers’ Section, Co-Chair, Insurance Law Committee, 2013-2014

Hillsborough County Bar Association

American Bar Association

Federal Bar Association

Awards and Recognition

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recognition for Insurance Law in Tampa, FL (2023 – 2024)

Certified Litigation Management Professional by the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (2023)

Named a Florida Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2016 – 2022, 2024)

Hillsborough County Bar Association Bar Leadership Institute (2019 – 2020)

Distinguished Academic Achievement Award, Contracts

Oberst Mock Trial Award