Taylor L. Connolly

Principal
2345 Grand Blvd.
Suite 2100
Kansas City, MO 64108
816-472-2929
816-421-1183

Print Bio PDF

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 many of such claims in both Kansas and Missouri without the need for prolonged litigation. However, when matters must be tried, Taylor is well-experienced 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. Further, 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.

Taylor is routinely called upon to speak on such topics ranging from insurance litigation and effective claim handling practices to construction contracting. Additionally, Taylor volunteers his time in the Kansas City community in such organizations as the Greater Kansas City Claims Association, where Taylor served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2018-2021, and he is an active member of his parish at Holy Spirit Catholic Church.

Trial Results and Representative Matters

  • Daryl Tyus v. Cynthia Coleman, et al., Johnson County, Kansas (2023). Secured complete dismissal with prejudice in motor vehicle accident/personal injury action in which Plaintiff disclosed an intent to seek $5 million in damages. Dismissal with prejudice obtained after taking one deposition and secured without paying a single dollar in any settlement.
  • 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

More About Taylor

Education

  • William & Mary Law School (J.D., cum laude, 2014)
  • Kansas State University (B.A., Criminology, Spanish, summa cum laude, 2011)

Bar Admissions

  • Kansas
  • Missouri
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
  • Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals

Recent Achievements

  • Rising Stars - Business Litigation, Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers (2018-2023)
  • Up & Coming Award, Missouri Lawyers Weekly (2023)
  • Ones to Watch - Insurance Law, The Best Lawyers in America (2023-2024)
  • Ones to Watch - Commercial Litigation, The Best Lawyers in America (2024)
  • Two "Top Defense Wins" secured in 2022, as reported by Missouri Lawyers Media
  • Ones to Watch - Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, The Best Lawyers in America (2023)

Professional Affiliations

  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
  • Greater Kansas City Claims Association, Board of Directors (2018-2021)
  • Defense Research Institute

Publications

  • Author, "An End to the ‘Border War’ in Kansas-Missouri Injury Suits?" Expert Analysis, Law360 (July 3, 2019)
  • Surety Bonding in the Construction Setting, Chapter 10 in PETER A. ALCES, THE LAW OF SURETYSHIP AND GUARANTY (West 2014)
  • Fraudulent Claims by the Insured in Insurance Contracts, Chapter 2B in PETER A. ALCES, LAW OF FRAUDULENT TRANSACTIONS (West 2012)

Speaking

  • Presenter, "When Neighbor States are Worlds Apart: Nuances to Know Between Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas Law," Brown & James Insurance Law & General Defense Symposium, January 2024
  • Presenter, "Border-War Update: Claims Handling Best Practices and Legal Update for both the Show-Me State of Missouri and Sunflower State of Kansas," Greater Kansas City Claims Association, July 2023
  • Presenter, "Losing My Religion? Trends and Topics with Insurance Bad Faith Litigation in Missouri and Kansas," Brown & James Webinar, April 2023
  • Presenter, "Losing My Religion? Trends and Topics with Insurance Bad Faith Litigation in Missouri and Kansas," Brown & James Insurance Law & Medical Malpractice Defense Symposium, January 2023
  • Presenter, "Missouri and Kansas Claim-Handling Practices: the Dos and Don'ts with Fire Loss Claims in Both the Show-Me and Sunflower States," The Institute of Fire Science, January 2022
  • Presenter, "Case Law Update: Missouri, Kansas and Illinois," Brown & James General Defense & Insurance Law Symposium, January 2022
  • Presenter, "Keeping the ‘Good Faith’: An Overview of Claims Handling and an Update on Trends Both in Missouri and Kansas," Greater Kansas City Claims Association (2021)
  • Presenter, "Kansas Case Law Update," Brown & James Insurance Law & General Defense Symposium, January 2021
  • Presenter, "Insurance Bad Faith: Plaintiff and Defense Perspectives," National Business Institute presentation (2020)
  • Presenter, "Don't Balk: Handling Multi-Party Claims in Kansas and Missouri," Brown & James Kansas City Client Seminar (2019)
  • Presenter, “I Try to Get Out, but They Keep Pulling Me Back In – Effectively Closing the Book (the First Time) via Settlement in Missouri and Kansas,” Brown & James General Defense & Insurance Law Symposium (2019)
  • Presenter, “Ethics in Claim Handling: 1st Party and 3rd Party Claim Handling ‘Do’s’ and ‘Don’ts,’” Greater Kansas City Claims Association, MO/KS/WY CE approved presentation (2018)
  • Presenter, "2017-2018 Legal Update: Trends in the Law and their Impacts on Claims,” Greater Kansas City Claims Association, MO/WY CE approved presentation (2018)
  • Panelist, Case Evaluation Roundtable: “Dissecting The Claim – Reality Depends on Where You Are,” Brown & James General Defense & Insurance Law Symposium (2018)
  • Presenter, “Stick to the Script: Avoiding the Ever-Expanding Avenues of Liability in the Wake of Over-Selling Design Options,” Construction Specifications Institute, Kansas City Chapter, 18th Annual Product Expo Continuing Education Presentation, AIA/CES approved presentation (2016)
  • Presenter, “Navigating the Outer-limits of Indemnity: Expecting the Unexpected in Standard Form Agreements,” Construction Specifications Institute, Kansas City Chapter, 18th Annual Product Expo Continuing Education Presentation, AIA/CES approved presentation (2016)
  • Panelist, "The Red and Black of Green Buildings," Construction Specifications Institute, Kansas City Chapter (2014)