Daniela B. Abratt

Education

  • JD, Florida International University College of Law, 2015 (cum laude)
  • BS, University of Florida, 2012 (summa cum laude)

Bar Admissions

  • Florida
  • Northern District of Florida
  • Southern District of Florida
  • Middle District of Florida
  • 9th Circuit
  • 11th Circuit

Recognitions

  • Florida Super Lawyers, Rising Star in Media and Advertising
Daniela is an associate in the Fort Lauderdale office with a practice concentration in media and communications law, including defamation, First Amendment, access to public records and open courts, and invasion of privacy. She also focuses on business litigation and intellectual property matters, including the registration and litigation of copyrights and trademarks.

Now more than ever, a free press is vital to the preservation of our democracy. I feel privileged to work fighting to ensure the press indeed remains free, robust, and unencumbered in its critical and insatiable pursuit for truth.

Prior to joining the firm, Daniela served as a law clerk for the Honorable Robin S. Rosenbaum of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She also previously served as an associate at a civil litigation firm with a practice in civil rights, products liability, medical malpractice and catastrophic injury cases in both federal and state court.

Daniela graduated from the Florida International University College of Law in 2015. While in law school, Daniela clerked at the Florida Supreme Court and the Third District Court of Appeal.  She also competed in the Monroe E. Price International Media Law Moot Court Programme, and placed third during the international round at Oxford University in Oxford, United Kingdom.  Daniela has served as a judge and coach for this same moot court.  She has also served as an Adjunct Professor teaching a legal writing and research course at FIU College of Law.

Daniela received her Bachelor of Science in Journalism, with a minor in International Humanitarian Assistance, from the University of Florida in 2012. During that time, her writing was published in numerous newspapers and magazines, including The Gainesville Sun, The North Florida Herald, The Independent Florida Alligator, and the Medical Tourism Magazine. Daniela then worked as a freelance reporter for the Miami Herald prior to attending law school.

As an active member of the community, Daniela sings in the Master Chorale of South Florida, a non-profit symphony chorus. In addition, each year she raises funds to support the Florida Brain Cancer 5K. Daniela also serves on the Board of Directors for the Broward County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, where she helps to raise money for various charities in Broward County.

 

  • Associated Press v. Agency for Health Care Administration, No. 2020 CA 000812 (Fla. 2d Cir. Ct. Apr. 2020). Successfully obtained public records regarding COVID-19 infections and deaths present in long-term care facilities in Florida.

  • Aubrey v. D Magazine Partners, et. al., No. 18-cv-61117, (S.D. Fla. Nov. 9, 2018). Obtaining dismissal of 14-count complaint for defamation, conspiracy, constitutional violations, among others, made against Dallas County, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department and its spokesperson for providing the press with certain facts related to the investigation into the mysterious death of a Texas attorney and the suspects in the case.

  • Cruz v. State, 279 So. 3d 154 (Fla. 4th DCA 2019), rev. denied (Fla. 2020).  Successfully protected the right of access on behalf of the South Florida Sun Sentinel to the jail visitation logs of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz. The trial and appellate court agreed with our arguments that the Public Records Act contains no exemption for these records and that they were not protected by the attorney or work-product privileges, even if they include the names of experts visiting Cruz in jail.
  • Schwarz v. The Villages, Inc., et al., Case No. 5:18-cv-Oc-34PRL (M.D. Fla. Feb. 19, 2020). Obtained a dismissal with prejudice of a defamation claim against a number of corporate entities in The Villages for statements made in a Villages Daily Sun article.
  • School Board of Broward County v. Cruz (Fla. Cir Ct. 2018); State v. Cruz (Fla. Cir. Ct. 2018).  Successfully defended the South Florida Sun Sentinel and journalists Paula McMahon and Brittany Wallman against petition brought by the Broward County School Board seeking to hold the Sun Sentinel and its journalists in contempt for publishing an unredacted version of an educational assessment report about Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz.
Publications
Appearances
  • Speaker, "Sunshine Seminar," First Amendment Foundation, Fort Lauderdale, FL (December 2019).
  • Moderator, "NTV The Real World: Male Allies Edition," Emerging Leaders Annual Meeting, National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, Los Angeles, CA (September 2019).
  • Board of Directors, Broward County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section
  • NAMWOLF, Chair of Emerging Leaders Initiative Philanthropy Committee
  • Master Chorale of South Florida, Chair of Special Events Committee
  • Lawyers for Literacy participant
  • FIU Law student mentor
  • Florida Brain Cancer 5k – raised over $50,000 for brain cancer research over 7 years of involvement
  • Junior League of Fort Lauderdale – routinely participate in various volunteer events, including beach cleanups, soup kitchens
  • Food collection for End 68 Hours of Hunger
  • Pro bono legal services to the HIV Education and Law Project, which provided free legal services to low income, HIV-positive clients.
  • Immigrant Children’s Justice Clinic – provided free legal services to immigrant minors in dependency proceedings
  • Transient Children of Alachua County – created a media advocacy program to shine a light of residents and children living in shelters and the issues they face
  • Hillel at the University of Florida – participated in various community events, such as making blankets for shelters

 

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