Our Team

dsanto@fflegal.com

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Associate, Complex Litigation, Compliance and Employment Law Group

Deanna Santo focuses her practice on corporate counseling and compliance, commercial litigation, and employment law.

As part of her broader practice, Ms. Santo assists our corporate team in corporate legal compliance, dispute prevention, and litigation throughout the United States in matters involving the design, implementation, and monitoring of effective policies, programs, procedures, and practices surrounding compliance by companies and their employees and other representatives with legal and regulatory requirements applicable to the organization’s business activities as well as detection of potential violations of these legal and regulatory requirements, including privacy, cybersecurity, and incident response, telemarketing compliance, Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act. She also assists her clients in developing internal policies and procedures to minimize risks and facilitate compliant conduct to reduce her clients’ exposure to any potential non-compliance with regulatory laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), the FTC Act, Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA), and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

Ms. Santo also represents companies, including transportation, hospitality, mortgage, healthcare and other companies in a wide array of state and federal class and collective action litigation.  She has significant experience in defending breaches of contract, fraud and other business torts, Deceptive Trade Practices Act, FCRA, FDCPA, FCCPA, CIPA and TCPA individual and class claims, privacy and data breach litigation.

Ms. Santo also represents employers in a broad range of labor and employment law matters. Clients value her comprehensive practice, including policy development, compliance audits, preventative measures, litigation, and appeals, including Title VII, Section 1981, FLSA, ADA, FMLA, and the Florida Civil Rights Act, including the defense of class and collective actions. Clients also turn to her for appellate matters in state and federal courts and administrative agency proceedings arising out of alleged labor and employment law violations. A significant aspect of her practice also includes counseling on compliance with the public accommodation provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and avoidance of such claims. In addition, she also routinely advises and provides training to clients on issues involving hiring/firing, discrimination (including harassment), retaliation, diversity, Family and Medical Leave Act, discrimination, and wage and hour compliance.

Ms. Santo’s Experience Includes:

• Wage and Hour Litigation: Represented multi-state mortgage company in successful defense of collective action alleging violation of wage and hour laws.
• Consumer Protection Litigation: Represented transportation company in successful defense of class action brought by consumers alleging violation of consumer protection and deceptive trade practices laws.
• FCCPA Litigation: Represented nationally renowned healthcare company in successful defense of class action alleging violation of the FCCPA and other statutes.
• Labor and Employment: Drafted employment agreements, policies and procedures for nationally recognized mortgage and transportation companies.
• Appeals: Successfully obtained affirmance of lower court motions for summary judgment and dismissals in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Practices

• Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance, Risk Management
• Class and Collective Action Defense and Arbitrations
• Consumer Protection Compliance, Risk Management
• Consumer Protection Litigation
• Complex Litigation and Arbitrations
• Labor and Employment
• Employment Litigation
• Employment Administrative Claims Defense
• Employment Training and Compliance
• Trade Secrets, Restrictive Covenants, and Unfair Competition
• Wage and Hour

Education

• J.D., University of Miami School of Law, cum laude, Dean’s Merit Scholar, Florida Bar Labor & Employment Scholar
• B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, Psychology and Labor and Workplace Studies

Admissions

Bars

• Florida

Courts

• United States District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida
• United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Awards & Accolades

• CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Civil Procedure, University of Miami School of Law
• CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Wrongful Convictions, University of Miami School of Law
• CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Employment Discrimination, University of Miami School of Law