$3.6 Million Verdict.
Our client kept getting flagged as a criminal. He was not one. A background check company repeatedly confused him with a different man who happened to share a similar name, and it cost him work. We took the case to trial under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and a jury returned a verdict of $3.6 million. The defendant appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. After full briefing and oral argument, the substantial majority of the verdict was affirmed.
Gainesville Employment Lawyer for Florida Employees
You were fired a week after you complained. You were passed over at 54 for someone half your age. You were handed a severance agreement on Thursday and told to sign it by Monday.
Whatever brought you here, you need two answers fast: whether you actually have a claim, and what it will cost to find out. We give you both, in plain English, before you commit to anything.
Massey & Duffy has represented Florida employees since 2003. We offer flat-fee services for people who need one specific thing done right, and full representation for people who need to take an employer to court.
Flat-Fee Pricing
All services are handled by phone, email, and video - anywhere in Florida.
EEOC Charges: $1,500
A Charge of Discrimination is the document that starts many workplace discrimination cases,. Filed carelessly, it can narrow the claims you are allowed to bring later. We interview you, draft the charge, and file it with the EEOC and/or the Florida Commission on Human Relations.
Employer Demand: $600
Sometimes an employer will not take you seriously until the letter arrives on law firm letterhead. A demand letter lays out what happened, what law it violated, and what it will take to resolve the matter before anyone files suit. We draft it, sign it, and send it. Many disputes end here.
Severance Review: $600
A severance agreement asks you to release every claim you have, including claims you may not know about yet. Most people sign because they do not know what else to do. We read it, tell you exactly what you are giving up, tell you whether the number is reasonable for your situation, and tell you what is negotiable. Usually within a few days.
When You Need More Than a Letter
Some cases need a lawsuit. We have been trying those cases in Florida state and federal courts for over twenty years, and we take them on a contingency fee, which means you pay no attorney's fee unless we recover money for you.
Employment and Workplace Claims
Workplace Discrimination. Employers rarely admit to discrimination, so we build these cases out of what they actually did: the comparators who were treated better, the shifting explanations, the timeline that does not hold up. We handle claims based on race, sex, age, disability, religion, and national origin.
Wrongful Termination and Retaliation. If you were fired after you complained about discrimination, reported illegal conduct, requested an accommodation, or took protected leave, the timing itself is evidence.
Whistleblower Claims. Florida and federal law protect employees who report fraud and illegal activity. We handle claims under Florida's public and private sector whistleblower statutes and federal retaliation provisions.
Unpaid Wages and Overtime. Off the clock work, misclassification as exempt, overtime paid at straight time, hours averaged across two weeks. These cases are about payroll records and arithmetic, and we know how to read both.
Sexual Harassment. Quid pro quo demands and hostile work environments, including harassment by supervisors, coworkers, customers, and vendors.
Non-Compete Disputes. Florida enforces non-competes more readily than most states. Whether yours is enforceable is a fact question worth answering before you resign, not after you are sued.
Civil Rights Claims Against Government
We sue government agencies and officials under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and Florida law for false arrest and malicious prosecution, excessive force, First Amendment retaliation against public employees and citizens, and due process violations.
These cases are hard, and they are supposed to be. Qualified immunity, notice requirements, and short deadlines defeat most of them before they start. We handle them anyway, in courts throughout Florida.
Personal Injury and Wrongful Death
Car accidents, commercial truck collisions, premises liability, and wrongful death. We deal with the insurance company so you can deal with recovering. Florida shortened its negligence statute of limitations to two years for most claims arising on or after March 24, 2023. If you are anywhere near that line, call now rather than later.
Business and Civil Litigation
Breach of contract, partnership and shareholder disputes, trade secrets, defamation, and invasion of privacy. Michael's LL.M. in Taxation and his years at Deloitte & Touche are a practical advantage in any case where the damages have to be proven with financial records rather than testimony.
Credentials
Michael O. Massey founded Massey & Duffy in Gainesville in 2003. Three things from his background matter to your case more than the rest. He clerked inside a federal courthouse. After law school, Michael served as judicial clerk to Chief Judge Maurice M. Paul of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. A year of reading motions from the judge's side of the bench changes how you write them. He drafts for the person who will actually decide your case. He reads financial records the way other lawyers read depositions. Michael holds an LL.M. in Taxation and worked as an International Tax Senior Consultant at Deloitte & Touche before entering private practice. In wage cases, whistleblower cases involving fraud, and any case where damages are disputed, that background does real work. He was trained to write. Michael earned his J.D. with High Honors from the University of Florida College of Law, graduating in the top ten percent of his class, and served as Senior Research Editor of the Florida Journal of International Law. He has published in The Florida Bar Journal. Most cases are won or lost on paper long before anyone sees a jury.
FAQs
Deadlines and Guarantees
1
Almost every claim on this page has a clock attached, and several are shorter than people assume. Moreover, there are no guarantees and results depend on the specific facts and law of each case. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any other matter.
Gainesville Office, Statewide Practice
2
Our office sits on East University Avenue in Gainesville. Our services and initial consultations areall handled remotely by phone, email, and video, so where you live in Florida does not limit whether we can help.
Can I rely on information in this website?
3
No. The information on this website is general and is not legal advice for your situation. Contacting Massey & Duffy, PLLC by phone, text, email, or through this website does not create an attorney-client relationship. That relationship begins only when we and you sign a written agreement.
Do I have to come to your office?
4
No, and in fact we do not permit it. Services and consultations are handled remotely for clients anywhere in Florida. If your case goes to litigation we will meet in person when it makes sense to, but it will be at a different location.