Stites & Harbison, PLLC

Mike Risley is the former Chair of the Louisville office's Litigation Service Group. A seasoned litigator in both state and federal courts, Mike has deep experience in disputes involving insurance bad faith and coverage, ERISA, and commercial and employment-related matters.  He currently is co-chair of the firm's Appellate Advocacy group.  Mike is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (2011-12) in the category of Appellate Law.

Recent Assignments

• Currently representing a number of insurers in lawsuits in which the insurers have been alleged to have acted in bad faith toward policyholders or claimants. These cases are in both state and federal courts and both inside and outside Kentucky. Recent cases of note in the field of insurance include:
  • The Kentucky Court of Appeals affirming the dismissal of a putative class action seeking interest on all claims not paid by the insurer within 30 days, Dunn v. Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., No. 2008-CA-712-MR (Ky. App. 2009).
  • The Court of Appeals reversing a $20 million bad faith verdict, Cincinnati Insurance Co. v. Hofmeister, No. 2004-CA-2296-MR (Ky. App. 2008).
  • The Court of Appeals affirming an insurer's rights to settle a case over the objection of its insured, United Propone Gas Co. v. Federal Mutual Insurance Co., No. 2005-CA-111 (Ky. App. 2007).
  • Convincing the Kentucky Supreme Court to reverse a million dollar bad faith verdict against an insurer, Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. v. Rodgers, No. 2002-SC-1044-DG (Ky. 2005).
  • Convincing a trial court to grant a new trial to an insurer against which a substantial award of punitive damages had been entered, Liggins v. Ohio State Life Insurance Co., No. 03-CI-01326 (Hardin Cir. Ct., Ky., Aug. 22, 2005).
  • Also successfully represented insurer in coverage and bad faith claims arising from Heath High School shooting in Paducah, Kentucky. See James v. Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., No. 2002-CA-001738-MR (Ky. App. 2003).
• Lead trial lawyer in representing the University of Louisville Foundation in its highly publicized dispute concerning the Foundation's right to honor the confidentiality of its donors' identities, Cape Publications, Inc. d/b/a The Courier-Journal v. The University of Louisville Foundation, 260 S.W.3d 818 (Ky. 2008).
• One of a team of lawyers representing Owensboro Municipal Utilities in litigation with Kentucky Utilities Company concerning their respective rights under a long-standing contract which has resulted in 13 opinions on issues relating to discovery, expert witnesses, contract interpretation and maintenance of a power plant.
• Other reported decisions include Harris v. Peabody Coal Co., 102 Fed. Appx. 482 (6th Cir. 2004) (successful defense of discrimination claim); Kroger Co. v. Regional Airport Authority of Louisville & Jefferson County, 286 F.3d 382 (6th Cir. 2002) (successful defense of claims arising from displacement caused by airport expansion); and Anderson v. Pine South Capital, 177 F.Supp. 2d 591 (W.D. Ky. 2001) (defense of corporate CEO in claims arising from corporate bankruptcy).

Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications

• "Homebuilder's commercial liability insurance may not completely protect you," Stites & Harbison, PLLC, Client Alert, co-author with Joseph L. Hardesty, March 30, 2010
• "Q&A with Stites & Harbison's Michael Risley," Law 360, New York, November 10, 2009

More Than Stites & Harbison

Mike is on the Board and serves as General Counsel to the Better Business Bureau of Greater Louisville. He is a children's chaplain and Sunday school teacher at St. Matthews Episcopal Church and a volunteer at the Northeast YMCA and St. Matthews Little League.

Besides Stites & Harbison

Mike spends some of his time away from the office coaching youth sports and serving at his Church. In addition, while a notoriously bad golfer, Mike won the closest to the pin contest at the 2005 Louisville Bar Association annual golf outing.