News & Knowledge

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is proud to announce that Charles Abbott, Michael Abraham, Melissa Fuller, and Tim Gray were selected to the 2021 Top Lawyers list by New Orleans Magazine! New Orleans Magazine presents the Top Lawyers list annually and honorees were selected via a voting system, in which voting was open to all licensed attorneys in New Orleans.

We are proud to announce Sampada Kapoor’s election to the newly formed Diversity Council at the University of Mississippi School of Law. The Council is composed of law school alumnus and works with various departments at the School of Law including admissions, student services, fundraising and bar preparations. Sam also serves on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Division and is honored as a Mid-South Rising Star and Leader in Law by the Mississippi Business Journal.

FormanWatkins is proud to announce that Charles Abbott and Erin Wedge Latuso have been selected by New Orleans CityBusiness to its 2021 Leadership in Law class. With 2021 marking his third time honored, Charles joins the Leadership in Law Hall of Fame. Each year New Orleans CityBusiness recognizes 50 area professionals in the field of law for their career and community accomplishments, we congratulate our past and present honorees to make the list!

Courtney Hunt, Mitch McGuffey, Peyton Smith, and Amelia McGowan (Mississippi Center for Justice) recently discussed our work on asylum cases and what to consider if you are thinking about taking on a pro bono asylum case on PLI’s podcast, “Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files.” Listen to the podcast here or on your favorite streaming service, search “Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files.”

The Firm is proud to welcome our newest attorneys Haley McCay Arndt and Catherine Pettis to the Jackson office!

On October 11, 2021, a Charlotte, North Carolina arbitrator returned an award in favor of a national retailer represented by Win Gault and Jake Banks.  Claimant sought damages under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) and state law.  Citing numerous examples of Claimant’s untrustworthiness raised during the retailer’s presentation of the case—including an apparent insurance fraud scheme uncovered by Gault and Banks — the arbitrator found in the retailer’s favor.

Forman Watkins & Krutz is excited to welcome Chandler Agee to our New Orleans office! He is a magna cum laude graduate of Southern University Law Center and received his Bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University. While in law school, Chandler served as Editor-in-Chief for the Southern University Law Review and received the Cali Award for the highest grade in the courses of Contracts, Family Law, Legal Writing, Trial Practice and Business Entities.

Peyton Smith, Joshua Metcalf, and Molly McNair recently won summary judgment in a Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) case for a regional restaurant group.  The plaintiff claimed that he had been wrongly terminated in retaliation for his alleged request for FMLA leave.

FormanWatkins congratulates Partner, Alison O’Neal McMinn, for being selected for the 2021 Class of the Mississippi Business Journal’s 50 Leading Business Women.  The Mississippi Business Journal honors women who are powerful, influential business leaders in Mississippi. As senior decision-makers, this group of Leading Business Women is making a significant impact on the economy of our state, local businesses, and communities.

Forman Watkins & Krutz attorneys Fred Krutz, Brian Hannula, and Andrew Stubbs obtained their second consecutive summary judgment win in 2021 in West Virginia on behalf of a respirator manufacturer. The lawsuit was pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. Plaintiff alleged that the respirator defendants’ products were defective, causing him to develop coal workers pneumoconiosis.