About the Firm

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Marks Balette & Giessel is a nationally recognized litigation
firm focused on the trial of complex, high-stakes civil cases
arising from:

• Catastrophic injures or death of nursing home residents caused by neglect or abuse;

• Devastating injuries or death caused by defective products, industrial accidents, railroad crossing accidents, and semi-truck crashes; and

• Disastrous losses resulting from fraudulent or deceptive business practices.

The firm’s unparalleled commitment, dedication to excellence, and passion for jury trials have resulted in some of the largest verdicts and settlements in the country, including:

• The firm’s verdict in Waites v. Beverly Enterprises Inc., et al. was recognized in Lawyers Weekly USA as the second largest verdict in the United States in 1997.

• The firm’s 2006 verdict in Mendoza v. Summit Care Corp., et al. was recognized by Lawyers USA in its review of the top ten cases for the year as the second largest personal injury verdict in the United States, and the third largest nursing home verdict in U.S. history.

• In 2006 and 2007 Ken Connor, who recently joined the firm as a shareholder, obtained the largest nursing home verdicts in the history of the states of Tennessee and Kentucky.

• As trial counsel for the Creditor’s Committee for Senior Living Properties (SLP), a bankrupt nursing home chain, the firm prosecuted a complex case against Zurich Insurance Company (Zurich) to establish that Zurich was a partner of SLP in the ownership and operation of 87 nursing homes and was, therefore, legally responsible for the massive unpaid debt of the chain. Zurich claimed it only provided a surety bond for the payment of SLP’s mortgage and as a result held merely a creditor-debtor relationship with SLP. The Plaintiff argued that Zurich not only was a partner sharing and controlling operations, but it also engaged in a sophisticated scheme to disguise the true nature of its relationship with SLP. After a six week trial, the Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District agreed with the Plaintiff, holding in a precedent setting decision that Zurich was the partner of SLP and liable for all of SLP’s debts.

• And in 2009, according to Verdict Search, Marks, Balette & Giessel's recovery in Goodson v. Luminant represented the largest settlement ever reported in the United States in a products liability case involving quadriplegic injury.

These are but a few of our cases and accomplishments. The bottom line - We are known for our results. To read more about these cases and our extensive record click here.