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Biography

Chris has defended more than 400 bad faith cases for 12 major insurance carriers. His experience litigating a wide range of extracontractual claims and related coverage disputes makes him uniquely qualified to defend against allegations of bad faith and insulate his clients from both the costs and reputational risks posed by flagrant and often meritless claims. He also has deep experience handling insurance coverage, wrongful death, maritime, product liability, personal injury defense, and commercial litigation matters.

Chris prides himself on an aggressive, results-oriented approach dictated by his clientsโ€™ specific needs and goals. This approach has proven especially valuable for clients facing bad faith allegations, which often brazenly and baselessly attack a carrierโ€™s practices and institutional integrity. In the vast majority of cases Chris has defended, bad faith claims were dismissed or resolvedโ€”one way or anotherโ€”without the insurance carrier paying any money for the extracontractual claims.

Additionally, when retained early, Chris has been very successful in confidentially preventing extracontractual claims from ever being filed in potentially problematic cases. Clients turn to and trust Chris because of his ability to recognize and proactively counter plaintiffsโ€™ efforts to create/develop bad faith claims, leading to quick and favorable resolutions early in the litigation process. He also routinely steers cases to dismissal or successful resolution as lead counsel in high-stakes personal injury, maritime, product liability, toxic tort, and commercial matters.

Chris prizes his relationships with his clients, many formed by years of vigorously battling spurious assertions of malice and intentional misconduct. His reputation and record of success in high-stakes disputes have earned him accolades from prominent industry publications, including recognition from The Best Lawyers in America in the Insurance Law, Insurance Litigation, and Commercial Litigation categories and being named as one of the top 20 people to know in the insurance industry by Louisville Business First.

A respected authority on insurance laws and regulations, Chris has been involved in legislative attempts to eliminate third-party bad faith claims in Kentucky. He is also a highly sought-after speaker and provides training to groups of adjusters regarding claims handling practices as well as CLE presentations for other attorneys on how to investigate and defend against extracontractual claims.

Chris is currently a chair emeritus of the Kentucky Bar Associationโ€™s Civil Litigation Section after serving multiple years as vice-chair, chair-elect and chair for that section. Before attending law school, Chris was an analyst for Citigroup

Other Info About Chris

Experience

Legal Work Highlights

Mosley. 626 S.W.3d 579 (Ky. 2021): Successfully defended insurance carrier in a landmark Kentucky Supreme Court case, affirming state court and court of appeals opinions we secured dismissing third-party bad-faith claims arising out of wrongful death claims following a coal mining accident.

Isaacs 2021-CA-0545-MR, 2022 WL 495980 (Ky. Ct. App. 2022): Achieved a significant victory in a Jefferson Circuit Court case, upheld on appeal, successfully dismissing first-party statutory and common law bad claims in a high-profile case arising from the handling of a complex underinsured motorist claim.

Kim, 5:23-CV-00048-CHB, 2023 WL 4569577, (E.D. Ky. 2023): Obtained dismissal of third-party bad faith claims successfully arguing, among other things, that Plaintiff failed to demonstrate that underlying liability was โ€œbeyond dispute.โ€

Lashure, 17-CI-00255 (Bell Cir. Ct. 2019): Procured dismissal of third-party statutory bad faith claims arguing that underlying liability on the part of the insured was reasonably disputed.

Daman, 16-CI-00927 (Boone Cir. Ct. 2019): Secured dismissal of third-party bad faith claims through dispositive motion practice.

Ferell, 14-CI-00087 (Pike. Cir. Ct. 2020): Won summary judgment dismissing third-party bad faith claims, with prejudice, arguing Plaintiff failed to plausibly allege facts needed to sustain claim under Kentuckyโ€™s Wittmer standard.

Sanchez, 20-CI-000874 (Jefferson Cir. Ct. 2020): Third-party bad faith claims dismissed when Court granted motion to dismiss arguing Plaintiff did not, and could not, meet Kentuckyโ€™s threshold standard to sustain bad faith claims.

Streck, 165-CI-0599 (Jefferson Cir. Ct. 2021): Obtained summary judgment successfully arguing that carrier did not act in bad faith when denying Plaintiffโ€™s underlying claim because carrier did not act with malice or reckless disregard in handling that claim.

Dixon, 21-CI-00810 (Laurel Cir. Ct. 2022): Achieved dismissal of statutory and common law bad faith claims when Court granted motion to dismiss, agreeing that Plaintiff failed to plead facts alleging a contractual obligation to pay or outrageous conduct.

Crace, 11-CI-00439 (Floyd Cir. Ct. 2023) Won summary judgment following more than 10 years of intense discovery in a hard-fought, first-party bad faith case where Plaintiff sought more than $150 million in damages (currently on appeal).

Brown, 18-CI-00246 (McCracken Cir. Ct. 2023): Obtained dismissal of third-party bad faith claims after arguing in summary judgment motion that Plaintiff, among other things, could not present evidence to substantiate claim that liability was beyond dispute.

Rubin, 23-CI-00017 (McCracken Cir. Ct. 2023): Won motion for judgment on the pleadings, securing dismissal with prejudice of third-party statutory bad faith claims by arguing Plaintiff did not, and could not, plead facts supporting the allegation that a carrierโ€™s alleged delay in settling rose to the level of โ€œbad faithโ€ under Kentucky law.

Education

Law School

Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., 2006
Deanโ€™s Scholarship (three-year academic merit scholarship)
Notes Editor,ย Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law

Undergraduate School

Brigham Young University, Bachelorโ€™s, 2002, magna cum laude
Olsen Scholarship Recipient (full-tuition academic merit scholarship)

Bar Memberships

Chris is licensed to practice in the following state(s):

Kentucky, 2006

Indiana, 2011

Courts

Chris is admitted to practice before the following court(s):

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

United States District Court โ€“ Eastern District of Kentucky

United States District Court โ€“ Western District of Kentucky

United States District Court โ€“ Northern District of Indiana

United States District Court โ€“ Southern District of Indiana

Recognition

Local & National Recognition

The Best Lawyers in Americaยฎ, Insurance Law, 2022-2024; Commercial Litigation, 2024; Litigation โ€“ Insurance, 2024

Selected for inclusion inย Kentucky Rising Starsยฎ,ย 2013-2016

Selected as one ofย Louisville Business Firstโ€™sย Top 20 People to Know in Insurance,ย 2018

Professional Affiliations

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

DRI Bad Faith Seminar Planning Committee, Vice-Chair of Marketing (2021-2023); Chair of Marketing (2024)

Kentucky Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, Chair-Emeritus (July 2020-Present)

Kentucky Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, Chair (July 2018-July 2020)

Kentucky Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, Chair-Elect (July 2016-July 2018)

Firm Committees

Chris serves or has served in the following leadership role(s) at Frost Brown Todd:

Committee for Advancing Use of Artificial Intelligence, Member

Womenโ€™s Initiative Committee, Member

Presentations

Chris was invited to speak at the following events:

Skills Training Workshop to Avoid Bad Faith Claims for 75+ claims specialists, underwriting professionals and agents, Oct. 9-10, 2023

Kentucky Justice Association โ€“ Bad Faith from a Defense Perspective, April 22, 2022

Louisville Bar Association โ€“ CLE Presentation: โ€œInsurance Bad Faith โ€“ Perspectives from the Defense and Plaintiffโ€™s Bar,โ€ June 14, 2017

NBI โ€“ CLE Presentation: โ€œLitigating Bad Faith Insurance Claims in Kentucky,โ€ September 23, 2016

Bad Faith Presentation to Louisville Bar Association: โ€œBad Faith Claims in Kentucky,โ€ May 31, 2016

Major Publications

Chris is an author or contributor to the following publications:

DRI Insurance Bad Faith: โ€˜A Compendium of State Lawโ€™ (Kentucky and Indiana chapters), December 2015