News Briefs
74 Wilson Elser Attorneys Named Ones to Watch by Best Lawyers in America 2026
August 21, 2025
Sean Rolland counsels clients on all aspects of insurance law, handling insurance coverage disputes and advising clients on general liability matters. Sean has litigated hundreds of residential and commercial first-party property damage claims from inception to resolution. Additionally, Sean’s practice has expanded to include nursing home and long-term care litigation, as well as intellectual property matters (including copyright, trademark, trade secret, data privacy, and intrusion upon seclusion). Sean prides himself on developing and fostering productive relationships with his clients.
Prior to joining Wilson Elser, Sean worked at a mid-sized law firm with offices in 13 states and London, where he handled all aspects of insurance coverage disputes. Previously, Sean worked at a boutique insurance defense firm in Miami, Florida, handling premises liability, negligent security, and other personal injury matters. Prior to that, Sean practiced with a global consulting firm, where he assisted with corporate and securities litigation.
During law school Sean was trained and certified as a Florida Supreme Court Certified County Mediator. He also gained experience through a number of clerkships and internships, including serving as a judicial intern for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and as a law clerk for the Audubon Society.
Before embarking on his legal career, Sean worked in multiple areas of the film and television industry, including as a camera operator, a release coordinator, and a producer in Los Angeles. He worked on several top-grossing films and television shows prior to moving back to Florida to pursue a career in the law.
Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® Ones to Watch™, 2024-2026
Sean Rolland counsels clients on all aspects of insurance law, handling insurance coverage disputes and advising clients on general liability matters. Sean has litigated hundreds of residential and commercial first-party property damage claims from inception to resolution. Additionally, Sean’s practice has expanded to include nursing home and long-term care litigation, as well as intellectual property matters (including copyright, trademark, trade secret, data privacy, and intrusion upon seclusion). Sean prides himself on developing and fostering productive relationships with his clients.
Prior to joining Wilson Elser, Sean worked at a mid-sized law firm with offices in 13 states and London, where he handled all aspects of insurance coverage disputes. Previously, Sean worked at a boutique insurance defense firm in Miami, Florida, handling premises liability, negligent security, and other personal injury matters. Prior to that, Sean practiced with a global consulting firm, where he assisted with corporate and securities litigation.
During law school Sean was trained and certified as a Florida Supreme Court Certified County Mediator. He also gained experience through a number of clerkships and internships, including serving as a judicial intern for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and as a law clerk for the Audubon Society.
Before embarking on his legal career, Sean worked in multiple areas of the film and television industry, including as a camera operator, a release coordinator, and a producer in Los Angeles. He worked on several top-grossing films and television shows prior to moving back to Florida to pursue a career in the law.
Shawn Mangano (Of Counsel-Las Vegas, NV), Jura Zibas (Partner-New York, NY and Sarasota, FL) and Sean Rolland (Of Counsel-Orlando, FL) successfully defended a hybrid managed services provider in litigation before the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.
Plaintiffs’ claims involved the unauthorized access and alleged dissemination of personally identifiable information (“PII”) related to potentially over 600,000 potential data breach claimants that received services for a health provider with which Wilson Elser’s client was providing data storage and security services. The data breach at issue involved sophisticated Russian cybercriminals who allegedly gained access to another party’s protected data through cyber-spoofing, resulting in access to the provider’s information containing Plaintiffs’ PII. Plaintiffs filed a complaint for damages seeking recovery for negligence/negligence per se, breach of third-party beneficiary contract, invasion of privacy or intrusion upon seclusion, and unjust enrichment.
On August 18, 2026, our client received a report and recommendation recommending its motion to dismiss be granted on several key damage recovery issues that have not otherwise been confirmed in data breach actions filed in the jurisdiction.
These recommendations include the requirement that, for a negligence per se claim, a plaintiff must allege that his or her PPI was subject to an increased risk of fraud, identity theft, or nefarious misuse. Likewise, for a plaintiff seeking to recover for “lost time” under a negligence/negligence per se claim, recovery must be tied to out-of-pocket expenses for said lost time. Finally, a plaintiff’s claims of increased anxiety and emotional distress must assert the existence of a physical injury or illness to warrant recovery of damages for the unauthorized disclosure of his or her PII.
Regarding breach of third-party beneficiary contract, the Court concluded that mere allegations that “Defendant entered into contracts to provide IT services” were insufficient to establish data protection obligations on our client.
Finally, the Court determined that to recover for invasion of privacy/inclusion upon seclusion for the data breach, a Plaintiff must be under “highly offensive” circumstances. In this case, those “highly offensive” circumstances were determined to be possession of PII by a notorious cybercriminal gang, of which at least one Plaintiff had failed to assert.
Overall, this result serves to delineate the allegations necessary for Plaintiffs to survive a motion to dismiss in cyber breach cases in the District of Nevada, despite multiple other decisions that essentially rubberstamped allegations.
Shawn A. Mangano, Jura Christine Zibas and Sean Rolland