Mr. William Ray Hannah

Experience: Experience includes: Insurance Employment Product Liability Professional Liability; and Compliance Real Estate Litigation Personal Injury; Insurance; Defense at trial of health insurance company against claims by its insured for bad faith, consumer protection act violations, intentional infliction of emotional distress/outrageous conduct, libel, and breach of contract arising from insurer's investigation of claims submitted by insured. Case resulted in dismissal with Plaintiff making no recovery.; Defense at trial of life insurance company against claims by its insured for consumer protection act violations, fraud, and breach of contract arising from cancelation of policy. Case resulted in dismissal with Plaintiff making no recovery.; Defense on appeal of insurance agents and agency following multi-million dollar adverse judgment to beneficiary of life insurance policy who sued for breach of contract (failure to procure coverage), negligence/breach of fiduciary duty, and consumer protection act violations. Successful appeals to Tennessee Court of Appeals and to Tennessee Supreme Court resulted in reversal of CPA award, significant reduction in net damage exposure, and vacating of attorney fee award.; Employment; Defense at trial of governmental entity employer and its President/CEO against claims by employee for retaliation, wrongful termination, violations of whistleblower statutes, and intentional infliction of emotional distress/outrageous conduct. Case resulted in dismissal with Plaintiff making no recovery.; Defense before Tennessee Human Rights Commission, EEOC, and at trial of employer against coordinated claims by two management level employees and their supervisor alleging race discrimination, wage and hour violations, and retaliation. Cases were concluded with favorable settlement with one employee, summary judgment in favor of employer on the claims asserted by the other employee, and dismissal of all claims asserted by the supervisor.; Representation of employer against employee who converted corporate assets and who wrongfully received commission and bonus compensation based upon his misrepresentations. Successfully prosecuted lawsuit for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and conversion and secured judgment for monetary damages, including return of all compensation paid.; Product Liability; Defense at trial of product manufacturer in products liability/breach of contract claim following explosion. Case involved a significant dispute as to causation and substantial spoliation of evidence issues. Case was successfully resolved for a fraction of the damages claimed.; Defense at trial of product manufacturer in class action lawsuit alleging defect, breach of warranty, and consumer protection act violations on behalf of all purchasers. Class action certification was defeated and case was favorably resolved.; Defense at trial of product manufacturer in lawsuit by competitor alleging defamation, injurious falsehood/trade libel/product disparagement, intentional and tortious interference with business relationships, and consumer protection act violations arising from product comparisons. Case resulted in dismissal with Plaintiff making no recovery.; Professional Liability and Compliance; Representation of attorneys and law firms in connection with compliance with Rules of Professional Conduct, and with licensure, disciplinary and professional liability issues, including laws and regulations governing the practice of law in various jurisdictions.; Representation of engineers in connection with compliance with laws and regulations governing the practice of engineering in various jurisdictions.; Real Estate Litigation; Representation of property owners in condemnation and eminent domain proceedings.; Representation at trial and on appeal of buyer of home against seller who had built home acting as his own general contractor. Secured judgment against seller for compensatory and punitive damages arising from seller's intentional and negligent misrepresentations and concealments regarding the condition of the home.; Personal Injury; Defense of trucking companies and commercial drivers in claims arising from motor vehicle collisions, including claims involving fatalities and catastrophic injuries, as well as allegations of violations of FMCSRs and of DOT safety regulations.; Defense of drivers in claims arising from motor vehicle collisions, including claims involving fatalities and catastrophic injuries, and claims with related criminal charges.; Representation of plaintiffs in personal injury claims, including those involving motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, and workplace injury.