Current Employment Position:

 

Managing Member

 

Areas of Practice:

 

Life Health & Disability Insurance

Property & Casualty Insurance

Bad Faith (all lines of insurance)

Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)-- Employer

Railroad Litigation

Drainage/Flood Cases

Coverage Questions

General Civil Litigation in state and federal court

 

Bar Admissions:

 

Mississippi, 1979

U.S. District Court - Northern District of Mississippi, 1979

U.S. District Court - Southern District of Mississippi, 1979

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1979

U.S. Supreme Court

 

Education:

University of Mississippi School of Law
   Oxford, Mississippi, J.D.

   Law Journal: Mississippi Law Journal, 1977 - 1978,

   Articles Editor

 

University of Mississippi
   Oxford, Mississippi, B.B.A.
   Honors: With Distinction
   Major: Economics

Reported Cases:

Appellate Court Decisions

 

Essinger v. Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 534 F.3d 450 (5^th Cir. 2008)

 

Essinger v. Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 529 F.3d 264 (5^th Cir. 2008)

 

McCord v. Healthcare Recoveries, Inc., 960 So. 2d 399 (Miss. 2007) 

 

Confer v. UNUM Life Ins. Co. of Am., 221 F. App’x 304 (5^th Cir. 2007)

 

Hand v. UNUM Provident Corp., 202 F. App’x 689 (5^th Cir. 2006)

 

McDonald v. Entergy Operations, Inc., 167 F. App’x 373 (5^th Cir. 2006)

 

Lynch v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 909 So. 2d 1289 (Miss. Ct. App. 2005)

 

Means v. UNUM Life Ins. Co. of Am., 115 F. App’x 301 (5^th Cir. 2004)

 

Woodmen of the World Life Ins. Co. v. Lewis, 118 F. App’x 826 (5^th Cir. 2004)

 

Pulmonary Advisory Servs., Inc. v. Aetna Life & Cas. Co., 58 F. App’x 597 (5^th Cir. 2003)

 

Keszenheimer v. United Servs. Auto. Ass’n, 78 F. App’x 333 (5^th Cir. 2003)

 

Green v. Wausau Ins. Co., 31 F. App’x 836 (5^th Cir. 2002)

 

Provident Life & Accident Ins. Co. v. Goel, 274 F.3d 984 (5^th Cir. 2001)

 

Hollis v. Provident Life & Accident Ins. Co., 259 F.3d 410 (5^th Cir. 2001)

 

Bigelow v. United Healthcare of Miss., Inc., 220 F.3d 339 (5^th Cir. 2000)

 

USAA Life Ins. Co. v. Keszenheimer, 209 F.3d 719 (5^th Cir. 2000)

 

Brien v. Equitable Assurance Soc’y of the U.S., 211 F.3d 593 (5^th Cir. 2000)

 

West v. First Allmerica Fin. Life Ins. Co., 167 F.3d 538 (5^th Cir. 1998)

 

Delta Pride Catfish, Inc. v. Home Ins. Co., 697 So. 2d 400 (Miss. 1997)

 

Bailey Mortgage Co. v. Minn. Mut. Life Ins. Co., 723 So. 2d 1247 (Miss. Ct. App. 1996)

 

McPherson v. UNUM Life Ins. Co. of Am., 68 F.3d 469 (5^th Cir. 1995)

 

Ill. Cent. R.R. Co. v. White, 610 So. 2d 308 (Miss. 1992)

 

Davis v. Ill. Cent. R.R. Co., 921 F.2d 616 (5^th Cir. 1991)

 

CFC Fabrication, Inc. v. Dunn Constr. Co., 917 F.2d 1385 (5^th Cir. 1990) (split decision)

 

Gladney v. Paul Revere Life Ins. Co., 895 F.2d 238 (5^th Cir. 1990)

 

Mitcham v. Ill. Cent. Gulf R.R. Co., 513 So. 2d 880 (Miss. 1987)

 

Ford v. Lamar Life Ins. Co., 513 So. 2d 880 (Miss. 1987)

 

Lamar Life Ins. Co. v. Shaw, 502 So. 2d 323 (Miss. 1987)   

 

District Court Opinions (excluding above cases)

 

Lowery v. UNUM Life Ins. Co. of Am., No. 2:07cv254-KS-MTP, 2008 WL 1805747 (S.D. Miss. Apr. 18, 2008)

 

Casey v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., No. 3:05cv98HTW-LRA, 2008 WL 879733 (S.D. Miss. Mar. 30, 2008)

 

Kilgore v. Peoples Bank and Trust Co., No. 1:04CV374, 2006 WL 1984603 (N.D. Miss. July 12, 2006) 

 

Sansone v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., No. Civ.A.3:04CV-886BN, 2006 WL 286779 (S.D. Miss. Feb. 3, 2006)

 

McArthur v. Provident Life & Accident Ins. Co., No. Civ.A. 4:04CV186LN, 2005 WL 3502057 (S.D. Miss. Dec. 20, 2005) 

 

Toney v. Lowery Woodyards, 278 F. Supp. 2d 786 (S.D. Miss. 2003) 

 

Blue Diamond, Inc. v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 21 F. Supp. 2d 631 (S.D. Miss. 1998)

 

Employers Reinsurance Corp. v. Martin, Gordon & Jones, Inc., 767 F. Supp. 1355 (S.D. Miss. 1991) 

Freeman v. Mowdy, 743 F. Supp. 475 (S.D. Miss. 1990)

Honors and Awards:

Mid-South Super Lawyer - 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009

 

Professional Associations and Memberships:

American Bar Association

Mississippi Bar Association

   Bench Bar Relations Committee, Former Member
     and Chairman

   Task Force on Judicial Discipline (2005-06), Chairman

Hinds County Bar Association

Madison County Bar Association

Fifth Circuit Bar Association

Defense Research Institute

Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association

National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel

The Federalist Society

First Baptist Church Jackson

   Member

 

Madison Ridgeland Academy
   Board Member (1990-1996, 1999-present),
   Chairman (1994-1996)

Metro Jackson Young Life
   Board Member, Former Chairman