William
M.
Harter
Senior Associate
Mr. Harter is a Senior Associate working in the Litigation Department, primarily in the Columbus, Ohio office. Mr. Harter's practice involves a significant amount of insurance coverage analysis and "bad faith" litigation, particularly in Ohio and West Virginia. Mr. Harter has litigation experience across several lines of insurance and was recognized by Ohio Super Lawyers® magazine as one of only four "Rising Stars" in the area of insurance coverage.
Mr. Harter also has a sizeable amount of first-chair trial experience on a wide range of subject matters. In addition to insurance matters, Mr. Harter regularly works with attorneys in other departments and practice groups to prepare and try various types of lawsuits. Mr. Harter has also successfully briefed and argued matters in Ohio Courts of Appeals and successfully opposed parties attempting to appeal issues to the Ohio Supreme Court. Cases tried include:
- First-party arson and bad faith case defended in the District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (directed verdict on bad faith and punitive damages despite adverse jury verdict on contract claim)
- First-party "bad faith" case defended in West Virginia State Court (favorable verdict)
- Two-week disability discrimination claim (defense verdict)
- Liability trial in Ohio Court of Claims following wrongful death settlement stemming from trucking accident (successfully argued that liability should be apportioned 50/50 between trucking company and Ohio Department of Transportation).
- Several personal injury matters defended, all resulting in either directed verdicts, defense verdicts, or jury awards in amounts lower than final offers of settlement.
In addition to his Insurance Litigation practice, Mr. Harter is a leader of Frost Brown Todd's Trucking and Commercial Transportation group. He is also a regular author and presenter of insurance, transportation, and ethics materials.