Jump to content

Draft:L. Chris Stewart

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
L. Chris Stewart
Larry Chris Stewart
BornDecember 9th, 1978
NationalityUnited States
Alma materHoward University School of Law
OccupationAttorney
Partner(s)Larry and Brendel Stewart
Websitewww.smstrial.com

L. Chris Stewart (born December 9, 1978) is an African-American civil rights attorney[1], and a Georgia injury trial lawyer. His practice is focused on, auto/trucking collisions, wrongful death, and premises liability with a specialty in sexual assault. He is also the managing partner of Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys, a personal injury litigation law firm.

Early life and education

[edit]

Stewart was born and raised in Southwest Atlanta, Georgia. As a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, Chris earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology with honors from Xavier University.[citation needed] He also did a Master's of Science in Public Health from Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in 2001[citation needed] and worked at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).[citation needed] In 2005, he earned a Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law.[2]

Career

[edit]

Stewart worked for the law firm of Morgan & Morgan where at the age of 29 he made partner.[citation needed] While at Morgan & Morgan, he represented over 2500 clients and has the Atlanta office's largest jury verdict.[citation needed] Stewart has litigated cases in over twenty-five counties in Georgia and has taken over 1500 depositions.[2] He was also selected to be one of the 16 lawyers to participate in the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association's Leadership Education and Advanced Direction (LEAD) program.[citation needed] At the age of 42, he was a managing partner at Stewart, Seay & Felton Trial Attorneys,[3] until the firm dissolved in 2018. He moved to a new office on Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard and worked on his own. In January 2020, he was joined by his partner Justin Miller; and in August 2020, they were joined by their third partner Madeleine Simmons and changed the firm name to 'Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys', with a motto of "Family. Faith. Justice."[4]

Prominent cases

[edit]

In 2014, Stewart took Gregory Towns' case, who was repeatedly tasered while handcuffed by two East Point officers during his arrest. Both officers were convicted for murder. He collected East Point's $1 million insurance policy limit for his client.[citation needed] He has also been the lead attorney for Walter Scott,[5] a South Carolina man shot in the back and killed by a North Charleston police officer as he ran; Alton Sterling, the Baton Rouge man whose shooting death by police was captured on video;[citation needed] and Chase Sherman, who died after being tased multiple times by Coweta County Deputies.[citation needed] That case would lead to Walter Scott.[6][7]

In 2015, he made North Charleston City Council approve an agreement to pay the Scott family $6.5 million.[citation needed]

In 2018, he fought for then 14-years-old victim, Hope Cheston. Because of his efforts, jurors in Clayton County, Ga., awarded Cheston $1 billion in compensatory damages in a civil lawsuit against Crime Prevention Agency Inc., the security company that employed her rapist.[8] He has also been one of the lawyers for the George Floyd case and was able to approve a $27 million settlement[9] from the Minneapolis City Council, which he said "imparts a measure of justice".[10]

In 2020, he also served the family of Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed in a hate crime earlier that year.[citation needed]

Stewart gained national recognition after taking the Rayshard Brooks family case, in 2020.[11]

In 2021, he was also the lead attorney for Albany resident Michael King, against the Dollar General Corporation and two employees for gross negligence and punitive damages[12].Same year, he was also hired by Catherine Khan's family.[citation needed]

Television

[edit]

In 2020, Stewart agreed to work with eOne (Entertainment One) to develop a docuseries titled "Burden of Justice". The series will chronicle his involvement in the George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Rayshard Brooks cases, and other high-profile police brutality cases.[13][14][15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lance, Natisha (21 May 2021). "Prominent Atlanta civil rights attorney opens up about the job: 'I don't want to do these cases'". 11 Alive. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b Jabon-Eilon, Jan. "L. Chris Stewart Stewart, Seay & Felton Trial Attourneys". Attorney At Law Magazine.com. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  3. ^ RTM, Dion (29 October 2013). "Attorney L. Chris Stewart Selected to Participate in Ga. Trial Lawyers Association Inaugural LEAD Program". Atlanta Daily World. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  4. ^ Tucker, K. "How an Atlanta Trial Lawyer Has Continued to Grow a Diverse Law Firm in a Pandemic". ALM Law.com. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  5. ^ Simon, D (28 May 2019). "When African Americans are killed by police, these lawyers get a phone call". CNN. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  6. ^ Victor, D (23 May 2018). "Woman Who Was Raped as a Teenager Is Awarded $1 Billion in Damages". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  7. ^ Land, G. ". L. Chris Stewart Named 'Attorney of the Year'". IMDiversity. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  8. ^ Ebony, Team (24 May 2018). "Black Law Firm Behind Record $1 Billion Awarded in Rape Case". Ebony. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  9. ^ Karnowski, S (12 March 2021). "Floyd family agrees to a $27M settlement amidst ex-cop's trial". AP News. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  10. ^ Tucker, K. "Lawyer for George Floyd's Family Calls $27M Settlement a 'Measure of Justice'". Daily Report. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  11. ^ Boone, C. "Attorney: 'Officer Rolfe has received more justice than the family of Rayshard Brooks'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  12. ^ Newsource (8 December 2021). "Man sues Dollar General after being detained by an employee, put on life support -". KESQ. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  13. ^ Ramon, D (21 July 2020). "eOne Teams With L. Chris Stewart For 'Burden Of Justice'". Deadline. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  14. ^ Vlessing, Etan (July 21, 2020). "Civil Rights Docuseries 'Burden of Justice' in the Works at eOne". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  15. ^ Thorne, W (21 July 2020). "George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks Lawyer Partners With eOne For Docuseries". Variety. Retrieved 28 March 2024.