John Elliot Leighton

The go-to lawyer for serious injury cases

Catastrophic Injuries. Medical Malpractice. Sex Abuse. Violent Crime. Wrongful Death.

When lawyers around Florida have complex and serious personal injury cases, they call John Leighton.  That’s because in 34 years as a trial lawyer Leighton is sought out to handle many high profile and catastrophic injury cases. 

He’s been called aggressive, thorough, creative, accomplished and ethical. But if asked what term is most important to him, he would say “prepared,” because all of Leighton’s cases require painstaking preparation.

Unlike most personal injury lawyers, Leighton doesn’t seek out cases — they seek him out. 

That’s because Leighton is referred the serious, complex and catastrophic cases from around the state and elsewhere in the country.  He is seen as the go-to trial lawyer for major personal injury and death cases like medical malpractice, catastrophic trucking and car crash, resort/theme park, violent crime, sexual abuse and negligent security cases, brain injury and defective product cases.

After obtaining a substantial settlement for the family of a young woman, Mr. Leighton fought for passage of the first parasailing safety law in the United States after his client’s daughter was killed while parasailing off Florida’s coast. It took seven years but the regulations finally passed in 2014.

Known for his success in medical malpractice cases, Leighton’s track record in obtaining recoveries in Central Florida is remarkable.  He won a record-setting $24.1 million verdict for a child who suffered a terrible medical mistake in Seminole County, followed by settlements of $9 million for a woman who was given improper anesthesia in the hospital and $3 million for the Central Florida family whose mom bled to death from a doctor’s error.

He followed that with a $24.3 million verdict for the family of an Orlando police officer who was killed at an ATM, an $8 million award for the parents of a teenager killed on the turnpike, and a $7.4 million verdict in Osceola County for a trucking crash. Last year he convinced a jury to award $49 million to a girl who had been raped by a teacher inside the school.

These are examples of why Leighton has developed a national reputation and has been hired to handle cases in nearly a dozen states.  While many of his cases garner media attention, most of the time Leighton’s clients are ordinary people who have suffered serious loss.  Like the Orlando family of a teen who was killed by a drunk boater. That family hired Leighton, who obtained a $1.35 million recovery and saw the boater sent to prison for 6 years.  And like the $3.5 million recovery he won for an Orlando motorcyclist who suffered a brain injury where the driver who hit him only had $10,000 in insurance.

A board certified trial lawyer, Leighton is considered one of the foremost experts in negligent security and child sex abuse litigation.  He authored the 2-volume textbook, Litigating Premises Security Cases, lectures around the world, and serves as Chairman of the Inadequate Security Litigation Group of the American Trial Lawyers. He is the President-elect of the National Crime Victim Bar Association and provides civil justice training to victim advocates and law enforcement throughout Florida.

Leighton is recognized by his peers as being at the very top of this his field. He has been chosen as one of the Top 100 by Florida SuperLawyers, Florida Trend magazine’s “Florida Legal Elite,” and selected 14 consecutive years for The Best Lawyers in America for Plaintiff’s personal injury, medical malpractice and product liability litigation.  This year he was elected to membership in the prestigious American Law Institute, which creates the rules for state and federal courts.

Mr. Leighton’s passion is helping people who have had the worst thing happen to them. For him, the courts are the way to level the playing field for the little guy.