News & Knowledge

Many have called Madison Timber Properties, LLC the largest Ponzi scheme in Mississippi history. The scheme involved more than one hundred million dollars in investments and hundreds of investors spanning many years. The scheme has attracted the attention of national media outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Forbes.

Tim Gray recently obtained a defense verdict for a Forman Watkins client in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Plaintiff alleged that her deceased husband’s aplastic anemia was caused by exposure to benzene and that the aplastic anemia caused his death. The claim against Forman Watkins’ client was that it supplied a chemical that contained benzene to a manufacturer who incorporated that chemical into its product that the plaintiff’s husband allegedly used.

Employers Beware: Collecting Genetic Information on Employees Could Lead to Litigation – In 2003, Congress designated April 25th as National DNA Day. The day marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of DNA’s double helix in 1953 and celebrates the latest advances in genetics. However, these genetic advances have adversely impacted the workplace prompting Congress to pass the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) prohibiting genetic information discrimination.

In Mississippi, every year is an election year. This election year, however, is shaping up to be one of the most memorable in the state in decades. Many Mississippians will seek to play an active part in these elections by contributing to campaigns and political parties. Such contributions are subject to federal and state campaign finance laws. Below is a summary of major restrictions….

On April 2, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the Western District of Louisiana’s grant of summary judgment, finding persuasive the argument presented by Forman Watkins that the testimony of Appellant’s expert failed to create a genuine issue of material fact. The case was argued before a three-judge panel on March 5, 2018 by Alison McMinn and Peyton Smith.

Click the image below to review the firm’s 2017 Pro Bono and Civic Engagement Annual Report and special thanks to our 2017/2018 Committee members: Alison O’Neal McMinn, Mimi Arthur, Courtney Hunt, Erin Latuso, Vernon McFarland, and Mitch McGuffey.

On March 5, 2018, Alison McMinn and Peyton Smith argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, defending the summary judgment granted to their client last year. The Appellant contended that summary judgment was improper because fact questions remained regarding the cause of a truck rollover because their expert witness testified that the only possible cause of the accident related to the packaging of the load. In response, Alison McMinn urged the court to affirm summary judgment by highlighting several deficiencies in the expert’s opinion to underscore its speculative nature.

Win Gault and Peyton Smith argued before the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday on behalf of Mahindra USA Inc. Sharon Garner assisted in the briefing. This wrongful death products liability case presented the Texas Supreme Court with the first opportunity to address the 2015 amendments to the Texas Residency Exception in the Forum Non Conveniens statute.

In the wake of recent sexual misconduct allegations against numerous public figures, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—the agency responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting workplace harassment—has reported a deluge of visits to its sexual harassment website. And the National Women’s Law Center—an organization that disseminates information about the legal definition of harassment and how to file charges with the EEOC—has seen a five-fold increase in the number of calls about sexual harassment. Many expect this increased awareness of improper sexual behavior will lead to a dramatic increase in the number of workplace sexual harassment claims.

New Orleans Partner Amy Maccherone recently prevailed in an arbitration of a significant environmental contamination case. Maccherone’s client, a regional abrasive blasting and painting subcontractor, was accused of contaminating a jobsite with lead based paint during the performance of its work. The general contractor on the job claimed that the alleged contamination resulted in over $1.5 million in clean-up costs. It also claimed the Client was in breach of its subcontract and was liable for over $4 million related to that breach. In total, the general contractor sought roughly $5.5 million from the Client.