Product manufacturers, business owners, individuals, and insurance carriers require attorneys with specialized knowledge in investigating and litigating fire and casualty claims. Our fire and casualty team is especially skilled in this unique field and the NFPA 921, whether defending first or third party claims, pursuing subrogation, or investigating coverage for a loss. Our service-oriented approach ensures our clients receive effective representation – whether in the field with retained origin and cause investigators, in the lab with engineering experts, or in the courtroom piecing together the results of our detailed investigation.

We are experienced in providing representation to governmental/municipal entities, law enforcement, and other quasi-governmental entities within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Our understanding of various defenses and immunities available to municipal defendants is a hallmark of our defense of law enforcement agencies, cities, and counties within the Commonwealth. Our attorneys have handled numerous constitutional law and statutory civil rights claims involving the entire gamut of issues facing municipalities, including search and seizure, excessive force cases, negligence, unlawful arrests, and 1983 civil rights claims. We have handled cases through trial and engaged in extensive appellate practice both at the state and federal level.

Our reputation in the area of insurance defense and coverage is well-earned. Our attorneys have provided a defense to insureds in virtually every type of litigation including personal and commercial auto, trucking, construction, premises liability, medical malpractice, workers compensation, and products liability. We have extensive experience representing carriers in coverage disputes of all types as well including automotive and general commercial liability policies, and uninsured motorists, underinsured motorists, surety and fidelity, and bad faith claims. We balance a devotion to your case with a cost-effective, efficient process.

Catastrophic accidents and defective product claims can result in large scale litigation. And large scale litigation requires a firm that can help navigate through the many issues involved. At Ward, Hocker & Thornton, we have experience successfully defending mass tort cases.

We represent physicians, nurses, multi hospital systems, urban and rural hospitals, surgical centers, pharmacies, skilled nursing facilities, and other healthcare providers. Our attorneys have successfully defended cases involving most areas of medicine and nursing including emergency medicine, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology, general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, oncology, internal medicine, family practice, anesthesiology, ophthalmology, dental, and obstetrics and gynecology.

Because of our experience we are familiar with most medical procedures and conditions. We are able to discuss detailed and complex issues with our clients and effectively help juries understand issues related to treatment and standards of care. In addition to successfully defending cases through trial, we also often obtain favorable, cost-effective outcomes for our clients through summary judgment motions, alternative dispute resolution proceedings, such as arbitration or mediation, and pretrial settlement methods.

Premises liability encompasses a broad spectrum of claims and the attorneys at WHT can handle each and every type. We have defended numerous cases brought against business owners, retail stores, and restaurants involving everything from routine slip and falls to more complex claims involving building code violations, dram shop actions and assaults. Our attorneys likewise regularly represent homeowners in lawsuits asserted against them for injuries that occurred on their properties or were caused by their animals (e.g., dog bite cases). Additionally, our law firm represents numerous businesses and commercial landowners throughout the state in claims involving adjacent or neighboring landowners, such as blasting and flooding or water runoff cases. Whatever type of premises  liability matter you have – large or small –we can defend it.

Product liability claims are complex. As such, attorneys litigating these types of claims must be experienced. The attorneys at WHT have earned their reputations through years of diverse work. We have represented numerous product manufacturers and distributors involving a wide variety of different products. Our attorneys have defended these cases in both state and federal court. The trial attorneys at WHT are familiar with the provisions of the Kentucky Product Liability Act, and they are well versed in the case law interpreting the Act. Our law firm has litigated cases involving everything from small household appliances to heavy industrial equipment/machinery. Many of the product liability cases we defend are “high exposure” claims concerning serious personal injury or death as well as multi-million dollar property damage (e.g., fires or explosions at commercial properties). If you are needing help with a product liability matter, we welcome the opportunity to assist you.

We practice in all areas of surety and fidelity claims on behalf of the surety and fidelity industry. Our attorneys have experience in all areas of contract surety, commercial surety, commercial crime and financial institution bond claims, from the claim investigation phase through litigation, trial and appeal. In addition we have a substantial team of associate counsel and support staff capable of handling any size matter referred to our office.

WHT attorneys have been successfully representing trucking companies for decades, earning a reputation for strong advocacy. Our Rapid Response team is on call 24/7 to assist from the moment a collision occurs. Our attorneys are experienced in investigating accident scenes, securing the right experts, and gathering crucial physical evidence and documentation. Most importantly, our client-centered approach ensures the truck driver is protected through all phases of the claim – from the scene to the courtroom. With vast knowledge of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, we represent clients in all aspects of commercial motor vehicle litigation.

We represent workers compensation insurance carriers and employers in all matters of Kentucky workers’ compensation defense – from interpreting insurance policies and statutes to determining whether there is coverage for a party under a particular insurance policy. This includes representation of clients: in pre-litigation matters; during litigation before administrative law judges; in bad faith/unfair claims practices (UCP) allegations before the Commissioner of the Department of Workers’ Claims; and at appellate levels before the Workers’ Compensation Board, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court.