Christine A. Gudaitis
Partner
Christine A. Gudaitis is a partner in the law firm of Ver Ploeg & Marino, P.A., with offices in Miami and Orlando. She concentrates her practice in the area of complex insurance coverage litigation, representing corporate policyholders in state and federal courts in Florida and nationwide. Her clients include general contractors, developers, pharmaceutical corporations, chemical manufacturers, municipalities and brokerage houses, as well as various non-profit organizations. In addition to litigation, she helps clients assess and manage risk through insurance programs and provides guidance on contracts impacting coverage and liability. Ms. Gudaitis has written extensively on the subjects of risk management, insurance coverage, and bad faith, and has been a presenter at numerous conferences on complex coverage issues.
Born in New Jersey, Ms. Gudaitis received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law. Ms. Gudaitis is a member of the Dade County and American Bar Associations, the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, the Miami-Dade Justice Association, the Miami-Dade County Bar Association Construction Law Committee, the Florida Justice Association and the Women’s Construction Litigation Alliance.
In addition, Ms. Gudaitis is a panelist for United Policyholder’s “Ask an Expert” forum, Vice-Chair of the Miami-Dade County Library Advisory Board, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Miami-Dade County Law Library, a member of the University of Miami Citizens Board, and a South Florida alumnae representative for Mount Holyoke College. She resides in Miami Beach.
Education
- J.D., University of Miami School of Law, cum laude, 2001
- International and Comparative Law Review, Member
- Moot Court Board, Member
- B.A., Mount Holyoke College, Politics, 1990
Awards & Recognition
- Recognized, The Best Lawyers in America®, Insurance Law, Litigation – Construction, 2024
- Selected, Top Lawyer, South Florida Legal Guide, 2020 & 2021
- AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell, 2016 – 2020, 2022
Speaking Engagements & Publications
- Presenter, The Seminar Group. 5th Annual Insurance in the Construction Industry Seminar: Duty to Settle, August 5-6, 2021.
- Presenter, American Bar Association, Section of Litigation Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee. CLE Seminar, Clear as Mud: Breaking Down the Complexities of What Constitutes Property Damage in Construction Cases, March 18, 2021.
- Presenter, Strafford Webinar. Additional Insured Endorsements: How They Modify Coverage, Shift Risk, and Affect, October 20,2020
- Presenter, Perrin National Construction Conference. Demands in the CD Context: Who, What, When, Why?, November 13-15, 2019.
- Presenter, The Seminar Group. 3rd Annual Insurance in the Construction Industry Seminar: Commercial and General Liability Insurance, August 13-14, 2019.
- Presenter, The Seminar Group. Preventing or Minimizing Future Construction Defect Litigation: Attacking a Claim: Plotting a Successful Resolution – A Panel Discussion, May 15, 2019.
- Presenter, Perrin National Construction Conference. The Insurance Coverage Landscape, November 14-16, 2018.
- Presenter, The Seminar Group. 2nd Insurance in the Construction Industry Seminar; Commercial General Liability Insurance, August 16, 2018.
- Presenter, West Coast Casualty’s Construction Defect Seminar. Creative Solutions to the Florida Problem: Making No Contribution and No State Law Work for You, May 16-18, 2018.
- Presenter, American Bar Association. Section of Litigation Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar; What did 2017 teach us?, February 28 – March 3, 2018.
- Presenter, Perrin National Construction Conference. The Insurance Coverage Landscape, November 15-17, 2017.
- Presenter, National Business Institute Seminar. Covering Your Tail and Strategically Negotiating Risk: Indemnification, Limitations of Liability and Insurance, October 24, 2017.
- Author, ‘Assignments of Benefits and SB 1218’, Daily Business Review, May 4, 2017.
- Presenter, The Seminar Group. Insurance in the Construction Industry Seminar; OCIPs, CCIPs, WRAPs, Subguard and Non-Traditional Insurance, May 11-12, 2017.
- Presenter, American Bar Association. Section of Litigation Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar; Addressing Critical Coverage Issues Before, During and After Mediation: “Putting the Horse Before the Cart”, March 1-4, 2017.
- Author, ‘Whether Faulty Workmanship is an “Occurrence” and Number of Occurrences” in the Construction Defect Context: Emerging Areas of Insurance Coverage Law’, Coverage Magazine, February 2017.
- Presenter, Perrin National Construction Conference. Alternative Dispute Resolution; What Seems to be Working, November 16-18, 2016.
- Presenter, American Bar Association. Women in Insurance Network; Automatic Right to Independent Counsel Maybe Not So Automatic Anymore, October 20, 2016.
- Presenter, National Business Institute Webinar. Additional Insured Coverage: Navigating Scope, AI Rights, Insurer Duties, AI Status v. Contractual Indemnification, October 4, 2016.
- Construction Defect Disputes & Litigation: Using Coverage, Case Law and Indemnification to Shift Liability; The Interplay of Multiple Policies: Detangling Coverage and Allocating Liability; Trigger Allocation and Allegations: When did the Trigger Occur and Detangling Indemnification and Shifting Liability, November 4, 2015.
- Presenter, American Bar Association. Women in Insurance Network, Roundtable; Tapping Into Other’s Liability Insurance, November 7, 2014.
- Presenter, Daily Business Review. Corporate Counsel Summit; Critical and Emerging Insurance Issues Facing Corporate Counsel, April 25, 2014.
- Presenter, American Bar Association. Women in Insurance Network, A Networking and CLE Workshop; When Food Goes Bad: Coverage Issues Arising from Contamination Claims, October 15, 2013.
- Presenter, American Bar Association. Hot Topics in Florida Insurance Coverage; Proving Covered Damages: Litigating Construction Defect Cases Following Pozzi Windows and Auchter, May 30, 2013.
- Co-organizer and Presenter, North Carolina Bar Association. Why Do We Call It “Bad Faith”? North Carolina/South Carolina Claim Practice Trends; Damages: Where the Policyholder and Insurer Disagree, April 11-12, 2013.
- Presenter, Daily Business Review. Corporate Counsel Summit; Insuring a Business: Is your Client Covered for That? April 5, 2013
- Presenter, Windstorm Insurance Network. 14th Annual Windstorm Insurance Conference; Assignment of Benefits: Is My Name on the Check?, January 28-30, 2013.
- Author, ‘Ensuring the Right Coverage’, Construction Today Monthly, November-December 2012
- Presenter, MC Consultants 6th Annual East Region Construction Defect and Insurance Coverage Conference. Update on Coverage Issues for Northeast/Mid-Atlantic/Southeast Regions, June 6-8, 2012.
- Presenter, Windstorm Insurance Network. 13th Annual Windstorm Insurance Conference; When the Wind Claim Gets Off Track: Documenting and Resolving Adjustment Disagreements, January 30-February 2, 2012.
- Presenter, Dade County Bar Association. Construction Law Committee Luncheon Series; The CGL Policy in the Construction Field, July 29, 2011.
- Presenter, National Business Institute Seminar. Bad Faith Insurance Claims in Florida, April 7-8, 2011.
- Author, ‘Inside the Minds Series: Negotiating Insurance Policy Disputes’, Aspatore Books, 2011
- Presenter, National Business Institute Seminar. Bad Faith Insurance Claims in Florida – Emerging Issues and Current Laws/Consider the Ethical Consequences, April 30, 2010
Community & Professional Associations
- 100+ Women Who Care
- Alumnae Representative, Mount Holyoke College
- American Bar Association
- CREW Miami
- Florida Association of Women Lawyers
- Florida Justice Association
- Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association
- Miami-Dade Bar, Construction Law Committee
- Miami-Dade County Law Library Board of Trustees
- Miami-Dade County Library Advisory Board
- Miami-Dade Trial Lawyers Association
- The Commonwealth Institute
- United Policy Holders, “Ask an Expert” Panelist
- University of Miami Citizens Board
- Women’s Construction Litigation Alliance
Admissions
- Florida
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida
