Recent Cases & Articles

In the same day that the Court of Appeals upheld the denial and dismissal of the Yates case, Ms. Loraleigh Phillips also won the appeal in Dildy v. McPeters Inc. Funeral Dirs. as the Claimant’s attorney filed his appeal late.

Loraleigh C. Phillips tried and won a defense verdict before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission based on the “farm laborer” exemption to the Workers’ Comp Act in Yates v. Triple D, Inc, a trucking company.

In October of 2020, Ms. Loraleigh C. Phillips successfully argued for the dismissal of a workers’ compensation case brought by Claimant Kyle Maurice Carter against his own brick laying company, and won the case at Trial with a zero dollar defense verdict based upon the statute of limitations.

In May of 2020, Loraleigh C. Phillips “shot a pair” before the Mississippi Court of Appeals, where two separate cases were upheld

On February 14, 2020, Tommie Williams and J.L. Wilson obtained a jury verdict in favor of an OB/GYN in Bolivar County, Mississippi. The Plaintiff contended that the GYN surgeon perforated the patient’s bowel, failed to inspect the bowel and failed to discover the injury prior to concluding the surgery.

On January 17, 2020, Tommie Williams and J.L. Wilson obtained a jury verdict in favor of a GYN surgeon in Oxford, Mississippi.

On February 4, 2020, the Mississippi Court of Appeals affirmed a Summary Judgment obtained by Tommie G. Williams, Jr., in the Circuit Court of Washington County, Mississippi.

On November 4, 2019, Tommie Williams and Tommie Williams, Jr., obtained a Directed Verdict in favor of an Obstetrician and an Obstetrical Clinic in a trial held in Starkville, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi. The Plaintiff alleged the Defendants were negligent in failing to timely deliver an infant resulting in Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy and death.

On August 13, 2019, Hugh Gillon obtained a summary judgment in Hinds County Circuit Court on behalf of his construction client that was named as defendant in a case arising from a worksite accident/death.

On April 2, 2019, Tommie Williams and Tommie Williams, Jr., obtained a Judgment in favor of a Hospital in a trial held in Greenwood, Leflore County, Mississippi.

On Feb. 21, 2019, Hugh Gillon obtained a summary judgment in a multi-party case arising from a work place accident wherein the employee of his client’s subcontractor was injured. 

On November 29, 2018, Tommie Williams and Tommie Williams, Jr., obtained a jury verdict in favor of a family nurse practitioner and family medical clinic in a trial held in Hernando, Mississippi. The plaintiff alleged the defendants were negligent in failing to diagnose diabetes.

On June 29, 2018, Tommie Williams and Tommie Williams, Jr., obtained a jury verdict in favor of a Pediatrician in a trial held in Cleveland, Mississippi. Originally, the plaintiffs had sought over $1,000,000.00 in damages, including a claim for brain damage.

Marc Biggers, on June 7, 2018, received an affirmance by the Mississippi Supreme Court of a defense judgment he had obtained in the Circuit Court of Leflore County for Velcon Filters, LLC.

On February 6, 2018, the Mississippi Court of Appeals affirmed an Involuntary Dismissal obtained by Tommie G. Williams and Tommie G. Williams, Jr. in the Circuit Court of Leflore County, Mississippi. 

The Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association is pleased to announce that F. Ewin Henson, III, of the firm of Upshaw Williams Biggers & Beckham, LLP of Greenwood, MS, is the honored recipient of the prestigious “MDLA Lifetime Achievement Award.”

On February 5, 2018, Hugh Gillon obtained a summary judgment in Hinds County dismissing claims against a premises owner per Mississippi Code Annotated § 11-1-66.

On October 12, 2017, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed a summary judgment obtained by Patrick Tatum and Steven Cookston in the Circuit Court of Pike County, Mississippi. The case involved allegations of premises liability and spoliation of evidence against a commercial property owner.

On August 31, 2017, Patrick Tatum and Steven Cookston obtained a summary judgment dismissing a Plaintiff's claims for bad faith, punitive damages and extracontractual relief in a lawsuit stemming for an insurer's denial of a claim for damage to the roof of a commercial building.

Ewin Henson and Steven Cookston obtained a jury verdict in favor of the Insurance Company in a trial held in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, August 22 through August 25, 2016.