Taylor L. Connolly is a principal with Brown & James, P.C., practicing in the firm’s Kansas City office. Taylor practices in the areas of business and commercial litigation, construction law, insurance law, premises and retail liability, professional liability, as well as product liability. In addition to representing and defending clients through all facets of complex civil litigation, Taylor is often called upon to represent clients against multi-party claims asserted pre-suit, and he has successfully resolved claims in both Kansas and Missouri without the need for prolonged litigation. However, when matters must be tried, Taylor is well-versed in securing favorable jury verdicts for his clients, having secured two “Top Defense Wins” in 2022 as reported by Missouri Lawyers Media.
Taylor’s experience ranges from having secured a complete defense verdict following a jury trial in which $8,087,397.27 was sought as damages to obtaining multiple judgments in his clients’ favor through dispositive motion practice. Since 2018, Taylor has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers – a rating service recognizing lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Representative Industry Experience:
Construction
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- 2022: Defended “target” roofing contractor to construction defect dispute following $2 million loss to commercial warehouse
- 2021: Defended “target” MEP contractor to construction defect dispute following $6 million loss to residence hall
- 2018: Defended “target” contractor to construction defect dispute following $85 million loss to 400,000 square foot structure and contents
Premises and Retail Liability
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- 2023: Defended premises/business owner following third-party criminal acts/shooting, killing pregnant victim and unborn child, over $14 million claimed in damages
- 2022: Defended premises/business owner following severe third-party assault, resulting in bilateral femur fractures, over $8 million claimed in damages
Products Liability
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- 2023: Defended product manufacturer against claims alleging damages to oil refinery and lost profits claimed to exceed $12 million
- 2021: Defended product manufacturer against traumatic brain injury claims and damages alleged to exceed $17 million
Transportation
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- 2024: Defended agricultural transportation client in fatality accident in which over $6 million claimed in damages
- 2018: Defended OTR/trucking client in accident in which injured plaintiffs seeking over $5 million in damages;
Trial Results and Representative Matters
- Melissa Rasmussen v. Illinois Casualty Company, et al, Clay County, Missouri (2022). Secured a complete defense verdict for an insurance company client following a two-day jury trial in action where Plaintiff asserted counts for equitable garnishment and bad faith, arising out of an underlying 2020 judgment. In the equitable garnishment/ bad faith case, Plaintiff claimed waiver of an applicable policy exclusion that negated coverage for the underlying action and judgment as well as claimed bad faith for refusing to accept policy limit demands to settle the underlying case. The damages sought in the equitable garnishment/bad faith action totaled $8,087,397.27. After two and a half hours, the jury returned a complete defense verdict, finding in favor of the insurance company.
- Sonja Callaway v. Fredy Bermudez, Lafayette County, Missouri (2022). Secured a $7,000 verdict for defendant-client after two-day jury trial during which the Plaintiff presented $1,171,243.10 in both past and future medical damages. Plaintiff, 28 years old, alleged cervical spine injury (whiplash) from a rear-end accident where the defendant driver rear-ended the vehicle in which Plaintiff was riding as a passenger. Plaintiff presented evidence of $62,904.10 incurred in past medical treatment and presented a future life care plan detailing $1,108,339.00 claimed as necessary for future care. The Jury returned its verdict for $7,000 in less than 90 minutes.
- Chubb National Insurance Company v. The Estate of Robert O’Block, et al., 6:20-cv-03288-MDH (W.D. Mo. 2022). Obtained summary judgment on behalf of insurance company client and secured judicial determination of no coverage with regard to an underlying action, specifically that the insurance policy’s “Intentional acts” exclusion negated coverage for a lawsuit filed against an insured arising out of an underlying shooting incident.
- Hasein Shalon Dupree v. Ashley Nicole Washington, et al., Case No. 2020-CV-000727 (Dist. Ct. Wy. Co. 2022). Obtained summary judgment on behalf of client in motor vehicle injury-accident in which Plaintiff sought $100,000 as damages.
- Obtained dismissal of lawsuit on grounds of res judicata and want of personal jurisdiction, defended dismissal on appeal, and ultimately obtained a Judgment from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals affirming the trial court’s dismissal of action. Jehan Zeb Mir v. Jay Brown, et al., 2021 WL 2099548 (10th Cir., May 25, 2021).
- Argued before the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District of Missouri and obtained Judgment affirming trial court’s summary judgment entered in favor of client in malicious prosecution and abuse of process action. Paul Vescovo v. Chad Gardner, et al., 2020 WL 7702210 (Mo. App. W.D. 2020).
- Obtained dismissal of action after obtaining Order excluding three of plaintiffs’ liability experts from testifying at trial, and obtained award of costs in favor of client in property damage dispute in which plaintiffs sought approx. $130,000 in damages. Kirk Knabe, et al. v. Amazing Siding, et al., 16LF-CV00086 (Circ. Ct. Lafayette County, Mo., 2018).
- Obtained summary judgment in action claiming FCRA violations on behalf of prospective statewide class. John Thornburg, individually and behalf of all others, v. Jesse James Auto Center, Inc., 17CY-CV02951 (Circ. Ct. Clay County, Mo., 2018).
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of client in personal injury action in which plaintiff sought more than $900,000 in damages. Miller v. NEP Group, Inc. et al., 2017 WL 2151843 (D. Kan. 2017).
Languages
Spanish
Community Activities
Knights of Columbus
Catholic Lawyers Guild of Kansas City