Articles About the Firm
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Court of Appeals Allows Class Action Against Insurer In a resoundIng defeat for the defendant insurance company, the georgia Court of appeals has upheld a lower courts decision allowing a class action to proceed on behalf of potentially hundreds of thousands of customers who bought credit insurance when financing their vehicles, but whoin cases in which the loans were paid off early or the cars were wrecked and the loans canceledwere not provided refunds of those premiums. Ford settles as jury considers damages: Woman Paralyzed in '05 Wreck; Design Flaws Blamed Already on the hook for the lion's share of a $17.7 million judgment and waiting for a decision from a jury that was out considering punitive damages, Ford Motor Co. decided to settle with a couple who sued following a Christmas 2005 wreck that left the woman paralyzed. Children win in airport death suit: Family of construction worker who was run over, killed by dump truck is awarded $5.47 million Following a fatal accident on the construction site of the Atlanta airport's new international terminal, lawyers from two firms filed a wrongful-death suit against a dump-truck company. last month they obtained a $5.47 million verdict on behalf of the victim's four young children. $13M win against DaimlerChrysler to keep firm busy Lawyers at Butler, Wooten & Fryhofer find themselves in the middle of a nationally watched punitive damages case after a closely divided Tennessee Supreme Court reversed a lower court and upheld a $13.4 million award to a mother whose infant son died in a 2001 car crash. The Squire of Muscogee County: James Butler is as prepared as Winston Churchill and as down-to-earth as Atticus Finch The first time I ever stood in front of a jury," James Butler says, "I knew I had died and gone to heaven." In the 30 years since that celestial moment, Butler has won four verdicts worth over $100 million each, while his firm, Butler Wooten & Fryhofer, has notched more than $1 billion in its top 10 wins. Loan insurance class action settles for $45 million A nationwide class action over insurance policies that consumers buy when they take out retail loans has settled for $45 million. Ford takes $13 million verdict to Ga. high court Arguments over A death-row inmate's mental capacity and a $13 million judgment against Ford Motor Co. highlighted the opening of the September term of the Supreme Court of Georgia. The Advocate: Attorney Jim Butler creates a scholarship that supports the future of public interest law In the lobby of Columbus law firm Butler, Wooten and Fryhofer, there are two framed photographs from the 1962 movie "To Kill a Mockingbird." Chosen by Jim Butler (ABJ '72, JD '77), the images are of Atticus Finch as played by Gregory Peck. In one, Finch argues his case before the jury while his client-a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman in a small, Depression-era Southern town-sits in the background. In the other, Finchwalks out of the courtroom while the audience stands, demonstrating that he's won their respect by proving his client's innocence despite losing the case. "That's the moment when I first started thinking about becoming a lawyer," says Butler... Butler Wins $105M Verdict in Chrysler Seat Back Case A Tennessee jury has socked DaimlerChrysler Corp. for $105.5 million after finding that a baby's 2001 death was caused by a faulty minivan seat. State's Biggest Jury Award A Gwinnett jury award this month left all others in Georgia in the dust. The $454 million in compensatory and punitive damages was a victory for investors who attacked Time Warner's management of Six Flags Over Georgia, saying it cost them money. Six Flags Verdict: $454 Million: Gwinnet Jury Hits Time Warner with $257 Million Judgement in Punitive Damages The jury in an investors' suit over the operation of Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday delivered the second of two body blows to the park's former manager Time Warner--a one-two punch that totaled $454 million. Firm Whips GM, Wants More: Lawyer in Ga. Case With Similar Facts Predicts Repeat of Big Alabama Award A Columbus plaintiffs firm renowned for winning huge jury verdicts says its latest one, a $150 million award from an Alabama jury against General Motors Corp., increases the likelihood of success in two similar suits in Georgia. Putting GM Verdict in Historical Context: How Biggest Win in State Stacks Up If there were a verdict Hall of Fame, what place of honor would last week's 105.24 million Fulton State Court award against General Motors Corp. command? Punitive Damages Cap Under Attack: Plaintiffs Want Verdict To Stand The recent assault on the 1987 Tort Reform Act has not yet lifted the $250,000 cap on punitive damages. But personal injury lawyer James E. Butler Jr. attacked the cap on constitutional grounds Thursday, citing recent court decisions that whittle away at limits on punitive damages. Sending Defense Lawyers a Message: Can Opponents Counter James Butler's Closing? Plaintiff's attorney James E. Butler Jr.'s ability to put an entire industry on trial in an isolated torts case continues to confound the insurance defense bar. |
