Firm News
Butler Prather LLP Opens New Office in Savannah
Butler Prather LLP and its partners have handled personal injury cases in Savannah and the coastal Georgia area for over 30 years, and has now opened an office in Downtown Savannah. James E. Butler, Jr. of BP LLP anticipates spending even more time in Savannah than he has for the past several years. “Years ago I tried several cases in Savannah, but have not had that opportunity lately,” Butler said. “I look forward to doing so more.” BP LLP has had offices in Atlanta and Columbus since the firm was founded in 1988. Jim Butler opened an Atlanta office in…
Cases Against Hankook Tire Co., Ltd. and Hankook Tire America Corporation Settled For Confidential Amount
Butler Prather LLP is pleased to announce that attorneys Brandon Peak, David Rohwedder, Christopher McDaniel and Rory Weeks along with Ragan Dudley of Homesley Gaines Dudley & Clodfelter of Statesville NC settled five wrongful death cases and twelve personal injury cases against tire manufacturer Hankook Tire Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary, Hankook Tire America Corporation, for a confidential amount just before opening statements were made in the Superior Court of Iredell County, North Carolina. The case, Smith, et al. v. Hankook Tire Co. Ltd, et al., involved the catastrophic failure of a Hankook brand tire on the front left wheel of…
Serious Personal Injury Case Settled for $5.6 Million on Eve of Trial
Butler Prather LLP is pleased to announce that Partners James E. Butler, Jr. & Robert Snyder settled two significant personal injury cases for $5.6 million two weeks before trial. The case involved two young ladies who were involved in a motor vehicle wreck when they were hit by a Downey Trees company employee driving a company truck. The truck failed to stop at a red light and hit the back of the ladies’ car going 67 miles per hour. The driver suffered a serious brain injury and spent four days in the intensive care unit. The passenger was also knocked…
Butler Prather LLP is pleased to announce that the firm settled a whistleblower case
Butler Prather LLP has settled a whistleblower case brought under the federal False Claims Act against Wells Fargo for $108 million. The case involved Wells Fargo charging veterans unallowable fees on a classification of VA mortgage loans called “IRRRL” loans. The VA guarantees a substantial portion of these loans, thereby reducing the bank’s risk. On behalf of our clients, we sought repayment of the guarantees that Wells Fargo collected on loans that went into default and foreclosure. Wells Fargo should never have received those payments from the Government if it would have truthfully informed the VA that it had charged…
The University of Georgia School of Law is establishing a Veterans Legal Services Clinic
Funded by a lead gift from renowned trial attorney and alumnus James E. “Jim” Butler Jr. in memory of his father, Lt. Cmdr. James E. Butler Sr., The University of Georgia School of Law is establishing a Veterans Legal Services Clinic. The new clinic will provide veterans in Georgia with legal assistance they might not otherwise have access to or be able to afford, with particular regard to denied or deferred claims before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It also includes an educational scholarship component. Read more
Butler Prather LLP is pleased to announce that all of the firm’s partners were again selected as 2017 Georgia Super Lawyers or 2017 Rising Stars.
Jim Butler and Joel Wooten were once again named Georgia Super Lawyers. Butler was also named to the Georgia Top 100 List. Super Lawyers recognizes attorneys who have distinguished themselves in their legal practice. This honor is reserved for less than 5% of attorneys practicing in Georgia. Partners Brandon Peak, Buddy Morrison, and Tedra Cannella were named Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Stars.
Recently, the University of Georgia School of Law dedicated the James E. Butler Courtroom.
Located on the first floor of Dean Rusk Hall, this courtroom honors three generations of the Butler family. The occasion included the unveiling of a portrait of James E. “Jim” Butler, Jr. (JD‘77) by artist Beth Stephens that hangs outside the courtroom
Appeals Court Affirms $40M Wrongful Death Judgment Against Chrysler
The Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed Decatur County Superior Court Judge Chason’s rulings in Walden v. FCA (Fiat-Chrysler Automotives, formerly known as “Chrysler.”) reducing the verdict from $120 million to $40 million. The Walden v. Chrysler case was tried last year, in Bainbridge, GA, resulting in a verdict on April 2, 2015. Four ½ year old Remington (“Remi”) Walden died in flames after the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee in which he was a passenger was rear-ended and the gas tank, which was located at the extreme rear of the car, burst. The ruptured tank caused a gas-fed fire that Remington…
Recently, the University of Georgia School of Law dedicated the James E. Butler Courtroom
Recently, the University of Georgia School of Law dedicated the James E. Butler Courtroom. Located on the first floor of Dean Rusk Hall, this courtroom honors three generations of the Butler family. The occasion included the unveiling of a portrait of James E. “Jim” Butler, Jr. (JD‘77) by artist Beth Stephens that hangs outside the courtroom. Butler has had an impact on the legal profession, both in and outside the courtroom, and has been a generous volunteer and donor to the law school, including establishing the James E. Butler Scholarship and helping to launch last year’s Challenge Fund (the successful…
Significant catastrophic injury case settled for eleven million dollars
Butler Prather LLP is pleased to report that yesterday the firm settled a significant catastrophic injury case for eleven million dollars ($11,000,000.00) during the first day of trial in Gwinnett County State Court. The case involved a motor vehicle wreck in Ringgold, Georgia that resulted in our 33-year old client losing his right leg above the knee. Brandon Peak, Tedra Cannella, Ramsey Prather, and Rory Weeks of Butler Prather LLP worked on the case with Gerald Davidson of Mahaffey Pickens & Tucker LLP in Lawrenceville, GA. Peak, lead counsel for the Plaintiff, had this to say about the result: “This…