Litigation & Appeals

Business Litigation

No matter how hard a business tries, commercial disagreements are inevitable. When these situations arise, dealing with them diverts valuable commodities of management time and resources that could otherwise be applied to growing the business. To help a business successfully navigate through these situations and get it back to focusing on running the business, the steady and experienced hand of a skilled litigator is needed. The attorneys in the Business Litigation Service Group at Stites & Harbison, located in offices in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, Ohio and Indiana, make every effort to assist clients in working their way through these contentious situations as efficiently and effectively as possible.

We defend and prosecute claims arising from:

  • the disposition of business entities
  • plant closings
  • insolvency and business failures
  • trade secret and intellectual property issues
  • insurance market misconduct
  • claims asserted against financial professionals
  • franchise terminations
  • commercial real estate
  • lender liability
  • corporate directors and officers' duties, and
  • securities and commercial disputes.

Stites & Harbison's business litigation attorneys have represented clients in manufacturing, the service sector, professional service providers, utilities, the mineral, oil and gas industry, casualty, property and health insurers, and companies owning, financing or operating commercial real estate, to name a few.

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What others are saying about us

"Their responsiveness very quick and they also give interesting business advice, not just strictly legal advice."

U.S. News & World Report / Best Lawyers -"Best Law Firms" Client Interviews

"Stites & Harbison lawyers do outstanding trial work for us on all types of litigation."

U.S. News & World Report / Best Lawyers - "Best Law Firms" Client Interviews
See more related to Business Litigation
Press Releases

Stites & Harbison Earns 2024 Regional Top 10 Honors from ABA Health Law Section

The American Bar Association (ABA) Health Law Section has ranked Stites & Harbison, PLLC in its 12th Annual Regional Top 10 Law Firm Recognition List. The firm ranked 5th on the South Top 10 list for 2024. Stites & Harbison has been honored 11 consecutive times on the South list.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC December 10, 2024
Press Releases

Ian Ramsey Elected Chair of Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission

Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Ian Ramsey was recently elected Chair of the Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission (KBBC) at its 2024 annual meeting. He will guide the KBBC, coordinate with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on pedestrian and bikeway programs, and promote bicycling to governing officials and the public.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC November 26, 2024
Press Releases

Josh Chesser Joins Stites & Harbison in Nashville

Stites & Harbison, PLLC welcomes attorney Joshua K. Chesser (Josh) to the firm’s Nashville, Tenn., office. He joins the firm as a Member (Partner) in the Construction Service Group.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC November 19, 2024
Press Releases

Olivia Keller Appointed to Gateway Community and Technical College Board of Directors

Governor Andy Beshear recently appointed Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Olivia C. Keller to Gateway Community and Technical College’s Board of Directors. She will serve in this role until July of 2030.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC October 28, 2024
Press Releases

Benchmark Litigation 2025 Honors 14 Stites & Harbison Attorneys

The 2025 edition of Benchmark Litigation names 11 Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys as “Litigation Stars” and three as “Future Stars” in Kentucky. The guide honors the firms and attorneys who have demonstrated the ability to consistently handle complex, high-stakes cases in multiple jurisdictions.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC October 09, 2024
Press Releases

Brian Butler Inducted as Fellow of American College of Trial Lawyers

Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Brian Butler was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) on September 28, 2024, at the Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn. ACTL is composed of preeminent members of the Trial Bar from the United States and Canada.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC October 01, 2024
Press Releases

Gregory Smith Earns Chambers High Net Worth Honor for 2024

Chambers High Net Worth selected Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Gregory D. Smith for inclusion in its 2024 guide in the category of Family/Matrimonial for USA: Tennessee. He is one of only three attorneys honored for Tennessee. Chambers High Net Worth ranks top lawyers and law firms in the international private wealth market.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC August 30, 2024
Press Releases

Katie Glass Selected for Leadership Lexington’s Class of 2024-25

Leadership Lexington has selected Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Katie M. Glass as a member of the 2024-25 Leadership Lexington program. Through the eleven-month program, participants are provided with opportunities to gain a better understanding of Lexington and the challenges it faces by meeting with and learning from today’s leaders.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC August 15, 2024
Press Releases

Greg Smith Earns 2024 Best of the Bar Honor

The Nashville Business Journal recently honored Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Greg Smith with a 2024 Best of the Bar award. Smith has been named to Best of the Bar on not less than 10 occasions for family law.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC June 27, 2024
Press Releases

Edward and Charles Stopher Join Stites & Harbison’s Louisville Office

Stites & Harbison, PLLC is pleased to announce that attorneys Edward H. Stopher and Charles H. Stopher of Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP have joined the firm’s Louisville, Ky., office. They are members of the Torts & Insurance Practice Service Group and secondary members of the Business Litigation Service Group.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC April 17, 2024
Events

Kentucky Criminal Law Update: Navigating Legislative Changes and Legal Trends

Date: 4/18/24
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

WEBINAR

Brian Butler will be a speaker at the Louisville Bar Association's seminar covering the latest updates in criminal law for the Commonwealth of Kentucky on April 18, 2024.

Brian Butler April 15, 2024
Press Releases

Stites & Harbison Welcomes Bridget Stewart to the Nashville Office

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC welcomes attorney Bridget A. Stewart to the firm based in the Nashville, Tenn., office. She joins the Business Litigation Service Group.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC April 11, 2024
Client Alerts

Sixth Circuit Identifies “Dilemma,” but Not Solution for Calculating Workers’ Vehicle Expenses Under the Fair Labor Standards Act

In an opinion that raises as many questions as it answers, the Sixth Circuit foreclosed two methods of calculating how delivery drivers paid the minimum wage should be reimbursed for the costs associated with using their vehicles for work under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). Rejecting both the drivers’ assertion that they should be reimbursed using the mileage rate published by the IRS, and the employers’ argument that drivers should receive a “reasonable approximation” of their costs, the Sixth Circuit held in two consolidated appeals in Parker v. Battle Creek Pizza, Inc., Nos. 22-2119, 22-3561, 2024 WL 1068871 (6th Cir. Mar. 12, 2024), that drivers’ actual costs must be reimbursed to avoid a minimum wage violation and remanded both cases to their respective district courts with little guidance as to how to calculate those costs. Robin McGuffin and Harlee Havens take a close look at the ruling in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.

by Robin E. McGuffin and Harlee P. Havens April 05, 2024
Client Alerts

Sixth Circuit Applies Updated Arbitration Waiver Standard

In a published opinion issued on March 27, 2024, the Sixth Circuit applied for the first time the waiver standard announced in the Supreme Court’s 2022 opinion, Morgan v. Sundance, Inc., 596 U.S. 411 (2022), in affirming the denial of a motion to compel arbitration due to the defendant’s extensive participation in the litigation.

by Robin E. McGuffin and Ashley Owens Hopkins April 04, 2024
Press Releases

Benchmark Litigation Selects Stites & Harbison as 2024 Litigation Firm of the Year for Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Benchmark Litigation recently named Stites & Harbison, PLLC as Litigation Firm of the Year for Kentucky at its 2024 Benchmark US Awards Gala. This is the fourth time Stites & Harbison has received the honor.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC April 03, 2024
Press Releases

Brian Butler Elected Fellow of American Board of Criminal Lawyers

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The American Board of Criminal Lawyers (ABCL) recently elected Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Brian Butler as a Fellow. He is one of only five Fellows in Kentucky.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC April 02, 2024
Press Releases

Thad Barnes and Michael Denbow Appointed to Lead Stites & Harbison’s Business Litigation Service Group

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC is pleased to announce that attorneys Thad M. Barnes and Michael Denbow have been appointed to Co-Chair the firm’s Business Litigation Service Group. Each attorney will continue their diverse legal practices in business litigation.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC March 25, 2024
Press Releases

Stites & Harbison Attorneys Honored by 2024 Georgia Super Lawyers

ATLANTA—The 2024 edition of Georgia Super Lawyers recently honored Dan Douglass, Joe Kingma and Brandon Sartin, all based in the firm’s Atlanta office.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC February 13, 2024
Press Releases

Demetrius Holloway Earns 2023 Trailblazer Award

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Louisville Bar Association’s (LBA) Diversity & Inclusion Committee recently announced Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Demetrius O. Holloway as the recipient of the 2023 Justice William E. McAnulty Jr. Trailblazer Award.

by Stites & Harbison, PLLC January 25, 2024
Events

2024 ABA Young Lawyers Division's Midyear Meeting

Date: 1/31/24 - 2/5/24

Omni Louisville, Louisville Marriott Downtown and Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville, KY

Attorney Demetrius Holloway will speak on "passing the torch" of diversity to the younger generation of attorneys at this American Bar Association mid-year meeting.

Demetrius O. Holloway January 23, 2024