Grayson Miller, Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A. Photo

Grayson Miller

Partner

Overview

Overview

D. Grayson Miller is a Partner and attorney in the firm’s Pensacola office and litigates throughout the entire state of Florida and southern Alabama.  Grayson is recognized as an AV-Preeminent Rated attorney – the highest legal and ethical rating awarded – by Martindale-Hubbell, has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for “Personal Injury – Defendants” from 2023 – 2025, and has been recognized as a Florida Super Lawyers® Rising Star in 2024 and 2025. 

Grayson serves as co-chair of the firm’s Extracontractual and Bad Faith practice group and mostly centers his practice around defending basically all types of complex personal injury, wrongful death, and extracontractual and bad faith claims.  He has significant experience handling various types of first- and third-party defense litigation in state and federal courts, arbitration forums, and administrative tribunals.  More specifically, Grayson focuses his practice on handling cases involving extracontractual and bad faith, premises liability, product liability, negligent security, dram shop liability, motor vehicle and trucking accidents, and any other types of personal injury defense and wrongful death actions.  Additionally, Grayson has experience handling matters involving complex contract and homeowner association (HOA) disputes, construction defects, Johnson v. Davis claims, nursing homes and assisted living facilities (ALFs), various types of professional malpractice, insurance coverage disputes, admiralty / maritime cases including Limitation of Liability actions, pre-suit multi-complete global settlements, and Examinations Under Oath (EUOs).  Previously, Grayson has also handled municipal law issues as counsel for the Town of Jay, Florida.  He has handled all facets of cases from pre-suit intake and investigation through trial and appeal including all the way to the Florida Supreme Court.  Grayson has over ten civil jury trials to verdict as lead trial counsel and has tried cases to verdict in multiple states.

Grayson is licensed to practice law in Florida and Alabama and maintains an active litigation practice in both states.  Additionally, he is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida and the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama.  He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in Biology and the University of South Carolina School of Law where he received an academic scholarship and was Editor in Chief of the Journal of Law & Education

Grayson is active in the community.  Locally, Grayson currently serves or has served on the Board of Directors for Pensacola Young Professionals (Legal Counsel), Five Flags Rotary (President, 2019-2020), Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association's (ESRBA) Young Lawyers Division, Manna Food Bank, Chain Reaction, United Way Advisory Council, and onbikes Pensacola (co-Founder and Vice President); he served on the Vestry of Christ Church Episcopal (including a term as the Clerk); and he is a graduate of Leadership Pensacola.  Grayson also regularly volunteers as a judge in local mock trial competitions, and he has participated in the Pensacola American Inns of Court.  Grayson was selected as the “Leader of the Year” by Pensacola Young Professionals in 2016, selected as a “Pensacola Rising Star” by inWeekly in 2017, awarded the “Paul Harris Fellow Award” by Five Flags Rotary – the club’s highest award – in 2018, and presented the Michael A. Doubek Community Service Award by the local bar association (ESRBA) in 2021.  Grayson is a certified Continuing Legal Education (CLE) instructor by the State of Florida.

Prior to joining Cole, Scott & Kissane, Grayson worked at another statewide defense firm, and he also opened and established the Pensacola staff counsel office for a Fortune 100 company where he defended all of its litigation in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama.

Associations

  • The Florida Bar
  • Alabama State Bar
  • Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association 

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

  • Five Flags Rotary (President 2019 - 2020)
  • Manna Food Bank
  • Chain Reaction 
  • onbikes Pensacola, Co-Founder and Vice-President
  • Leadership Pensacola, Graduate
  • Fiesta Forces
  • United Way of Escambia County, Advisory Council
  • Christ Church Episcopal, Former Vestry and Clerk
  • Pensacola Young Professionals
  • Pennsacola American Inns of Court

Awards & Recognitions

  • Super Lawyers® Rising Stars: 2024 - Present

  • Best Lawyers®, recognized since 2023, Personal Injury - Defendants

  • Michael A. Doubek Community Service Award, ESRBA, 2021
  • Paul Harris Fellow Award, Five Flags Rotary, 2018
  • Pensacola Rising Star, inWeekly, 2017
  • Leader of the Year, Pensacola Young Professionals, 2016
  • Best Lawyers 2025
  • AV-P 2025

Newsroom

Publications

APPELLATE OPINIONS

  • Sweeney v. Islandview Beach Homeowner’s Association, Inc., 375 So. 3d 932 (Fla. 1st DCA 2023) (dismissed the appeal by Plaintiffs / Appellants for lack of jurisdiction thereby preserving summary final judgment in favor of client).
  • Munene v. Baytowne Wharf Neighborhood Ass’n, Inc., 350 So. 3d 1244 (Fla. 1st DCA 2022) (affirmed summary final judgment in favor of client in premises liability case confirming our client had no material connection to the premises.  A separate order provisionally granted entitlement to attorneys’ fees and costs in favor of client and against Plaintiffs).
  • Seadler v. Marina Bay, 341 So. 3d 1146 (Fla. 1st DCA 2021) (affirmed a denied “for cause” challenge during jury selection raised by Plaintiff thereby upholding a favorable jury verdict for the client).
  • Whitfield v. Southern-Owners Ins. Co., 284 So. 3d 991 (Fla. 1st DCA 2019) (affirmed denial of plaintiff’s motion to amend in favor of client).
  • Wallace v. Keldie, 249 So. 3d 747 (Fla. 1st DCA 2018) (affirmed motion to dismiss for fraud upon the court by Plaintiff in favor of client resulting in an affirmed defense judgment).
  • Bhatti v. Lavigne Oil Co. of Fla., LLC, 241 So. 3d 774 (Fla. 1st DCA 2018) (affirmed summary final judgment in favor of client on the basis of no breach of duty).
  • Maines v. Fox, 190 So. 3d 1135 (Fla. 1st DCA 2016) (reversed enforceability of Proposal for Settlement in favor of client and also reversed limitation of our client’s expert testimony).
  • Tawes v. Shwinco Indus., Inc., 135 So. 3d 294 (Fla. 1st DCA 2014) (affirmed summary final judgment in favor of client on the basis of res judicata).

PUBLISHED FEDERAL COURT OPINIONS

  • RocketBar, LLC v. Lakshmi Distributors, LLC, 2023 WL 5439772 (N.D. Ala. 2023) (order granting our client’s Motion to Dismiss and dismissing all three causes of action in Plaintiff’s Fourth Amended Complaint against our client with prejudice resulting in final judgment in favor of client).

  • Patrick v. Forster and Howell, Inc., 681 F. Supp. 3d 1253 (N.D. Fla. 2023) (order granting our client’s Motion for Summary Final Judgment in a slip and fall case based on Plaintiff’s inability to comply with transitory substance statute and also denying Plaintiff’s Motion for Sanctions for Spoliation of Evidence).

  • Popp v. MJW Real Estate, LLC, 2021 WL 5033501 (N.D. Fla. 2021) (order granting our client’s Motion to Dismiss premises liability action brought by employee contractor for failing to state a cause of action because property owner did not actively participate in construction).

  • Durrah v. Bowling Green Inn of Pensacola, LLC, 2021 WL 4120802 (N.D. Fla. 2021) (order granting our client’s Motion for Summary Final Judgment finding sidewalk height differential de minimis and non-negligent).

  • Durrah v. Bowling Green Inn of Pensacola, LLC, 2021 WL 2099303 (N.D. Fla. 2021) (order denying Plaintiff’s Daubert Motion to restrict or prohibit our client’s premises liability expert testimony).

  • Durrah v. Bowling Green Inn of Pensacola, LLC, 2020 WL 8910886 (N.D. Fla. 2020) (order denying Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel, most notably, allowing our client to withhold disclosure of accident surveillance until after Plaintiff’s deposition).

  • Durrah v. Bowling Green Inn of Pensacola, LLC, 2020 WL 8910885 (N.D. Fla. 2020) (order granting our individual client’s Motion to Dismiss for Fraudulent Joinder dismissing maintenance manager from premises liability lawsuit with prejudice).

  • Whitfield v. Southern-Owners Insurance Company, 2020 WL 6938439 (N.D. Fla. 2020) (order granting our client’s Motion to Transfer Venue from Panama City Division to Pensacola Division).

Education

  • University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, J.D.
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A.

Admissions

  • Florida, 9/21/2012
  • Alabama, 9/27/2013
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama
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