Melissa Santalone is a Partner and Office Co-Chair in the Tampa office of Freeman Mathis & Gary where she is a member of the Labor and Employment, Professional Liability, Tort and Catastrophic Loss National Practice Sections. Ms. Santalone is also a member of the firm’s Data Security, Privacy & Technology National Practice, as well as he Construction & Design Law teams.

In her employment law practice, Ms. Santalone represents employers in various matters, including state and federal discrimination and retaliation, whistleblower, wrongful termination, and wage and hour claims. Ms. Santalone also represents professionals in professional negligence litigation, as well as litigants in community association disputes. She defends and counsels all manner of medical professionals, including doctors, dentists, hospitals, nursing homes, podiatrists and nurses, as well as attorneys, accountants, and other professionals, in both litigation and administrative matters. Ms. Santalone also is experienced in representing businesses in diverse types of general liability matters including premises liability and auto negligence actions.

As a member of the firm’s Data Security, Privacy & Technology practice team, Ms. Santalone also advises and represents businesses in a variety of matters relating to data security and privacy laws. She proactively advices businesses on compliance with data security and privacy laws, assists with workplace training, and prepares data breach response plans and other policy documents. In the event of a data security incident, she serves as breach counsel to assist businesses with their investigation and response, including compliance with notice obligations and defense of regulatory actions or investigations. In addition, Ms. Santalone represents businesses in litigation involving data security, privacy, and other Tech E&O matters.

In addition, Ms. Santalone's work in the Construction & Design Law practice involves successfully defending construction defect claims and serious injury claims for large commercial and residential products on behalf of a variety of subcontractors and building product and equipment suppliers.

Prior to coming to FMG, Ms. Santalone was an associate at a small Tampa civil litigation defense firm where she handled medical and dental malpractice, products liability, employment, auto and trucking accident, and commercial litigation. She also litigated medical, dental, and podiatric malpractice cases, as well as general liability matters, including premises liability and negligent security matters, at a midsize firm in New York. Prior to that, she handled medical malpractice actions at a small defense firm in New Jersey. Ms. Santalone was also a Law Clerk for the Hon. Mark A. Baber, JSC, in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Civil Part.

Ms. Santalone is admitted to practice law in Florida, New York, and New Jersey. She got her law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey, where she participated in the Pro Bono Service Program. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.

Florida

New Jersey

New York

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

• "Responding Efficiently and Effectively to Data Security Incidents" DRI In-House Defense Quarterly (Summer 2018)

• Hillsborough County Bar Association
• Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers