G. Graham Thompson
Associate / Chattanooga
G. Graham Thompson an associate in the Chattanooga office has become a member of Chattanooga’s Brock-Cooper American Inn of Court. Membership is by nomination only, and its members represent less than 10% of the attorneys practicing in the Chattanooga area. Graham has extensive experience in general liability defense including automobile liability, premises liability, truck accidents, and coverage. Graham has also defended private sector clients in construction and employment matters. He is admitted to practice in both Tennessee and Virginia.
Graham earned his Juris Doctor from Washington and Lee University School of Law, where he was Notes Editor of the Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment, President of the Health Law Association, and a Justice of the Student Judicial Council. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from Vanderbilt University. While at Vanderbilt he was Chairman of the Student Finance Committee, a Vice President of the Vanderbilt Student Government, and President of Sigma Nu Fraternity. He is also a graduate of McCallie School in Chattanooga, where he was a four-year boarding student and recipient of the Don C. Peglar Award and the Maurice Contor Award.
Results
Angela Cirina Kopet and Graham Thompson get Corporate Clients Dismissed from Federal Court
October 8, 2019
Angela Kopet and Graham Thompson were able to get their corporate clients dismissed from the Middle District Court of Tennessee. Plaintiff filed a lawsuit requesting over $750,000 in damages, including medical expenses, property damages, and lost wages. Ms. Kopet and Mr. Thompson were able to argue that Plaintiff’s claims should be dismissed from federal court because (1) Plaintiff missed the statute of limitations and (2) Plaintiff sued the wrong parties. The court agreed and dismissed both Defendants from the case.
For informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in future cases.
Angela Cirina Kopet and Graham Thompson Obtained a Dismissal for their Client in Circuit Court
May 20, 2016
Angela Cirina Kopet and Graham Thompson obtained a dismissal for their client. Plaintiff filed suit claiming injuries in a car accident and requested damages in excess of $350,000. The Plaintiff non-suited their case before trial. When it was re-filed a year later, it was longer than the time frame permitted under the Tennessee Rules. Graham Thompson was able to successfully argue before the Circuit Court that the Plaintiff missed the deadline for re-filing the lawsuit. The Circuit Court agreed and the case was dismissed with prejudice and costs were awarded to our client.
For informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in future cases.
Events
Copeland Stair’s Annual Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Seminar in Atlanta, GA – September 12, 2019
September 12, 2019
Copeland, Stair, Kingma & Lovell's Annual Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Seminar was held on Thursday September 12, 2019. Located at the beautiful Atlanta Botanical Gardens, this two-track format addressed the emerging issues that keep you up at night. Some session topics included: the rise in tort litigation, putting together the pieces of the wrongful death case, effective use of recorded statements and the material misrepresentation defense, liability exposure in the age of active shooters and the impact bias has on case evaluation and jury deliberations. For more information on this seminar, please contact Michelle Mattox.
Carlock, Copeland & Stair Hosted Their Annual Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith Seminar
August 24, 2017
Carlock, Copeland & Stair hosted their annual Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith Seminar on August 24 at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Presentations and Presenters: Have Traditional Rules Gone Up in Smoke? Impact of Growing Legalization of Medical Marijuana - Dave Root and Abby Grozine. Best Practices for Maintaining Your Claims File - Ryan Wilhelm, Jennifer Guerra, and Claire Sumner. Defending the Institutional Bad Faith Claim - Charlie McDaniel and Kathy Carlsten. New Technology, Old Policies: Are Aging Policies Equipped to Handle the Consumer Technology Boom? - Fred Valz and Melissa Bailey. Apportionment: Has It Gotten Insurers Where They Want To Go? - Charlie McDaniel, Graham Thompson, and Kristen Thompson. Additional Insured Jeopardy - Alex Davis, Laura Paton, Sarah Wetmore, Sally Bright and Nick Stewart. Why the Involvement of a Tractor Trailer Escalates a Case - Gary Lovell. Risk-Averse Insurers and the New Juror: Exploring Possible Links Between Fewer Trials, Millennial Jurors, and Seemingly Bigger Verdicts - Doug Smith and Lee Weatherly. Please contact Michelle Mattox at mmattox@cskl.law if you would like our attorneys to present in-house lunch & learn sessions or webinars.
Carlock, Copeland Welcomes New Attorneys to Our Atlanta, Charleston and Chattanooga Offices
August 24, 2017
Carlock, Copeland welcomes Stephanie Vari, Jennifer Guerra, Nick Stewart, Graham Thompson, Winter Wheeler, Sara Clayton and Alyssa Rogers to our firm. Stephanie Vari, Jennifer Guerra, Winter Wheeler, Sara Clayton and Alyssa Rogers are located in our Atlanta office. Nick Stewart is located in our Charleston office. Graham Thompson is located in our Chattanooga office.
News
Carlock, Copeland & Stair, LLP Adds Attorneys to Atlanta, Charleston and Chattanooga Offices
February 19, 2016
Carlock, Copeland & Stair, LLP recently added new attorneys to the Atlanta, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina and Chattanooga, Tennessee offices.
To read the complete Press Release, please click here.
Publications and Presentations
Is the Case Settled? Addressing Medicare/Medicaid/Hospital Lien Compliance Litigation Funding and the Use of Confidential Settlement Agreements – Presentation at Copeland Stair’s 2019 Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Seminar
September 12, 2019
Fred Valz, Claire Sumner, Graham Thompson and Lacey Houghton educated attendees on important features to think about that will ensure a case is resolved, and to focus on more than just the actual settlement sum. During the course of litigation, the Plaintiff is often continuing to receive significant medical treatment. With respect to varied guidelines to medical liens and claims for medical reimbursement, presenters focused on the rules within Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina. The goal of this presentation was to arm attendees with the knowledge and information to successfully negotiate a settlement that also includes resolution of all claims arising from the treatment given to the Plaintiff. For more information on this presentation and firm seminars, please contact Michelle Mattox.
Who Wants to be a Coverage Millionaire? – Presentation at Carlock Copeland’s Annual Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Seminar
August 23, 2018
August 23, 2018 several Carlock Copeland attorneys presented Who Wants to be a Coverage Millionaire? at our Annual Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Seminar in Atlanta, Georgia. This fun and audience-interactive program explored constantly evolving coverage issues and allegations of bad faith. The program was designed to offer insight and guidance on effectively identifying and using coverage defenses, as well as providing tools and techniques to resolve potential bad faith claims. Presenters/Co-Authors: Clinton Magill, Alex Davis, Charles McDaniel, Jr., Sarah Wetmore, Abby Grozine, Brian Spitler and Graham Thompson. For more information on this presentation, please contact Michelle Mattox at mmattox@cskl.law.
Tennessee Supreme Court Holds That Full and Undiscounted Medical Bills may be Submitted as Proof of Reasonable Medical Expenses – Insurance Coverage Corner Blog Post by G. Graham Thompson
December 18, 2017
Insurance Coverage Corner Blog post by G. Graham Thompson. The Tennessee Supreme Court has issued its long-awaited decision in the Dedmon v. Steelman case. This case has direct and significant consequences to personal injury litigation in Tennessee. In short, defendants may not argue that the amount actually received by a medical provider is the reasonable amount of a plaintiff’s medical bills. Plaintiffs may submit undiscounted medical bills in full as proof of reasonable expenses. The Tennessee Supreme Court granted an appeal in Dedmon to address whether its ruling in West v. Shelby County Healthcare Corp., 459 S.W.3d 33 (Tenn. 2014) applies in personal injury cases. In West, the court held that a hospital’s reasonable charges under Tennessee’s hospital lien statute are the amount the hospital accepts from the patient’s private insurer, not the full amount of the medical bills sent to the patient. The Supreme Court released its decision on November 17, 2017. The court held that the collateral source rule applies to personal injury claims in which the collateral benefit at issue is private insurance. Consequently, plaintiffs may submit evidence of the injured party’s full, undiscounted medical bills as proof of reasonable expenses. Furthermore, defendants are precluded from submitting evidence of discounted rates accepted by medical providers from an insurer in order to rebut the plaintiff’s proof that the full, undiscounted charges are reasonable. The court reasoned that to allow defendants to submit discounted rates would conflict with the collateral source rule. However, defendants remain free to submit any other competent evidence to rebut a plaintiff’s proof on the reasonableness of medical expenses, so long as that evidence does not conflict with the collateral source rule. Please click here for more information on our Insurance Coverage Corner Blog.
Charlie McDaniel, Graham Thompson, and Kristen Thompson Presented Apportionment: Has It Gotten Insurers Where They Want to Go? at Carlock, Copeland & Stair’s Annual Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith Seminar
August 24, 2017
Charlie McDaniel, Graham Thompson, and Kristen Thompson presented Apportionment: Has It Gotten Insurers Where They Want to Go? at Carlock, Copeland & Stair’s Annual Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith Seminar on August 24 at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Please contact Michelle Mattox at mmattox@cskl.law if you would like our attorneys to present in-house lunch & learn sessions or webinars.