Photo of Amanda Ross

Amanda focuses her litigation practice in the areas of transportation (automobile, marine, trucking liability), premises liability, negligent security, wrongful death, construction litigation insurance coverage defense and product liability. Prior to joining Henderson Franklin, Amanda worked in the Miami area and handled maritime and admiralty defense, as well as vessel and yacht purchase and sale transactions. Amanda is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Amanda has received much recognition over her legal career, including being named by Florida Trend Legal Elite as a “Best Up and Coming” attorney (2008), by Super Lawyers as a “Florida Rising Star” (2011, 2014-2017), and by the South Florida Legal Guide as a “Top Up & Comer” (2014-2017).

Amanda is admitted to practice in all Florida state courts, the United States District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the United States District Court of Puerto Rico, pro hac vice.

During college, Amanda was an active member of Phi Alpha Delta, pre law fraternity, and was a member of the Varsity Crew. She was awarded the Lynch Foreign Language Award and studied at the Universidad Cumplutense de Madrid.  Amanda went on to law school at the University of Miami School of Law. During law school, she worked with the University of Miami Athletic Department as well as the Miami Dolphins Legal Department.

Amanda is a volunteer for the Teen Court for Lee County and is an active member of the University of Miami Hurricane Club and Stetson University Alumni Board.

In an unpublished opinion from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, a three-judge panel unanimously reversed summary judgment which had been entered in favor of a property management company — Paradise Beach Homes (“PBH”) — in a premises liability suit which alleged PBH failed to warn guests about the danger of diving off the pier into 3 foot deep, Santa Rosa Sound.

Case Background

Knoll, the injured party, was staying with friends in a short term vacation rental home in Pensacola Beach which included a 188 foot private pier. When she arrived shortly after midnight she ran down the length of the pier and dove head first into the water, suffering a severe spinal injury.

The Appeal

On appeal, the issue was whether the property management company knew or should have known of the dangers associated with diving off the property’s pier and therefore had a duty to warn of the shallow depth. The trial court found in favor of the property management company finding that there was no history of anyone diving head first off the pier and that the defendant did not build the pier. On appeal, the injured party argued that the property should have known of the dangers of diving because the homeowner had previously placed a “No Diving” sign on their pier.

Continue Reading No Diving: What You and Your Property Manager Should Know Could Hurt You