News & Knowledge

On September 16, 2016, Trey Watkins, Nick Giallourakis, and their Illinois counsel obtained summary judgment for a premises defendant client in a secondary asbestos exposure case filed in Madison County, Illinois.  Our client was the sole remaining defendant at the time of the summary judgment hearing, which was held only three days prior to when the case was set for trial.  Forman Watkins and our Illinois counsel successfully persuaded Judge Stobbs that plaintiff’s exposure affidavits were not timely produced in discovery and should be stricken from the record.  They were then able to convince Judge Stobbs that, in the absence of the stricken affidavits, plaintiff could not establish the frequency, regularity, and proximity exposure elements necessary to satisfy the Illinois causation standard.  Judge Stobbs dismissed all of plaintiff’s secondary exposure claims against our client, who was facing a final trial setting if unsuccessful. Trey Watkins and Nick Giallourakis are partners in the Jackson, Mississippi office.  Both routinely represent clients involved in Illinois asbestos litigation, and Nick Giallourakis is licensed in Illinois. For more information, please contact Holland Familia, Marketing Director, at 601-960-8600 or Holland@formanwatkins.com.

On August 22, 2016, Win Gault won summary judgment based on the Mississippi statute of limitations in Desoto County Circuit Court

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is pleased to announce attorneys named to the 2017 Edition of Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. Best Lawyers has published their list for over three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Lawyers on the Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise, and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.

In the firm’s 7th consecutive year, Forman Watkins was recognized as a Top Ranked Law Firm in General Commercial Litigation.

On May 24, 2016, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a decision by a federal Court in New Orleans excluding plaintiff’s experts and dismissing the case against a FormanWatkins’ client.

Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal granted a supervisory writ in favor of a FormanWatkins’ client and in doing so, clarified an open question of Louisiana law which is of critical importance in “oilfield legacy” cases.

Forman Watkins attorneys Tanya Ellis and Benton York recently obtained a big win at the Mississippi Supreme Court on behalf of their client Illinois Central Railroad Company.

The 2016 edition of Benchmark Litigation has named Forman Watkins & Krutz as a Highly Recommended Litigation Firm in Mississippi. Forman Watkins attorneys Walter G. Watkins, Jr. and Fred Krutz were selected as Local Litigation Stars, along with Future Litigation Star, Edwin S. Gault, Jr.

Nick Giallourakis, Joshua Metcalf and Daniel Roberts, along with Delaware local counsel, successfully petitioned the Delaware Supreme Court to accept an interlocutory appeal on the issue of whether a company that registers to do business in Delaware but has almost no other contact with the state is subject to general personal jurisdiction there.

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is pleased to announce 7 lawyers have been named to the 2016 Edition of Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.