J. Michael Coleman

Martindale Hubbell logoJ. MICHAEL COLEMAN (Mike) was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1967. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Mississippi State University in 1991, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Mississippi College School of Law in 1999. Since graduating from law school, Mr. Coleman has concentrated his practice in the areas of  nursing home and long-term care defense, general insurance defense, medical negligence litigation, bad faith insurance defense, and products liability defense.   Mr. Coleman also focuses on appellate work, briefing and arguing cases before Mississippi’s Appellate Courts and the Fifth and Sixth Circuit Courts of Appeals. He is a BV Distinguished rated attorney with Matindale-Hubble and is admitted to practice in all State and Federal Courts in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, as well as the Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits.

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Recent Trial Decisions:

Willie Buckley v. Donald Hinton, Forrest County, Mississippi, Circuit Court (August 2009)

Mike Coleman secured a defense verdict in a case of alleged automobile negligence. The Plaintiff was traveling on a through highway and alleged that the Defendant pulled out in front of the Plaintiff from a side road causing the Plaintiff to sustain a fractured knee and other injuries. After securing a solid jury through her voir dire, Ms. Mullins established that the Defendant actually had the right of way at the time. Then, Mr. Coleman attacked the Plaintiffs credibility by exposing inconsistencies in his deposition testimony, trial testimony, and medical records. Mr. Coleman proved to the jury that the Plaintiff was not truthful about an undisclosed prior knee injury, and that the Plaintiff did not actually fracture his knee in this accident.

Appellate Court Decisions:

McKeown v. Pitcock, No. 2010-CA-00641-COA (Miss. 2011)

Mike Coleman recently won the appeal of a medical malpractice case tried by Carl Hagwood and Diane Pradat Pumphrey in Union County. At the close of trial, the jury awarded no damages and the plaintiff appealed on an evidentiary issue related to the exclusion of portions of a death certificate. Mr. Hagwood and Mrs. Pumphrey (along with John Wheeler who represented another defendant not involved in the appeal) had the questionable portions of the death certificate excluded at trial via a creative Daubert motion and hearing. The plaintiff claimed that the exclusion of this evidence prevented the jury from returning a verdict in favor of the plaintiff. Mr. Hagwood and Mrs. Pumphrey argued that the deputy coroner's opinions as to the cause of death as listed in the death certificate were unreliable and could not be introduced into evidence via the death certificate. The trial court struck the questionable portions and the plaintiff appealed. Mr. Coleman drafted the brief and handled the oral argument, explaining to the Court of Appeals how and why Mr. Hagwood and Mrs. Pumphrey's Daubert challenge was handled correctly by the trial court. The Court of Appeals agreed and affirmed the trial court.

Preston Law Firm v. Mariner Health Care, No. 09-31016, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit (October 2010)

Mike Coleman and Carl Hagwood recently won the appeal of a $444,600.92 judgment rendered against their client, Mariner Health Care Management. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found that the trial court had committed clear error in awarding that amount to the Preston Law Firm in a fee dispute with Mariner. The case involved Louisiana contract law and Mr. Hagwood was brought in just before trial to assist a Louisiana firm with the case. Mr. Hagwood and Mr. Coleman then briefed the case, and Mr. Hagwood presented oral argument pointing out the clear error committed by the trial court. The Fifth Circuit agreed reversing and vacating the $444,600.92 judgment, and remanding the case to the trial court for entry of judgment in favor of Mariner.