Gerald R. Toner >> Sr. Partner
GERALD TONER is a defense lawyer concentrating in medical malpractice, product liability, and first party insurance liability. Thirty years ago, he was lead counsel in one of Kentucky’s seminal no-fault insurance cases and over the past ten years, he has tried over twenty-five cases to a verdict. He is on the Board of Directors of DRI, Kentucky Defense Counsel, Kentucky Pediatric Foundation, U of L Pediatric Endowment Foundation, and the Kentucky Bench and Bar. Gerry graduated from Harvard College, cum laude, and from Vanderbilt University Law School. His interests include softball, photography, and writing; his short stories and a novel have been published in Redbook and other national magazines and in book form by Pelican Publishing & Butler Books. Gerry’s wife, Carol, is a former school teacher who now caters professionally. His two grown children; Jennie and John, are out conquering the world and its problems.
Educational Background
Vanderbilt University School of Law, Nashville, Tennessee. Awarded degree of Juris Doctor, 1975. Activities: Captain, Vanderbilt International Moot Court Team (JESSUP). Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Awarded degree of Bachelor of Arts in Government, Cum Laude, 1972.
Professional Background
Partner, O’Bryan, Brown, & Toner, Louisville, Kentucky, February 1992-present. Primary practice areas include the defense of cases involving medical malpractice, product liability, fire and property insurance, contractual disputes and general personal injury. Counselor in various matters involving conflict resolution.
Attorney at law, Partner, Ogden Robertson & Marshall, Louisville, Kentucky, 1981-January 1992.
Attorney at law, Associate, Stites, McElwain, & Fowler, Louisville, Kentucky, June 1975-February 1981.
Court Admissions
Supreme Court of Kentucky, United States District Court for Western District of Kentucky, United States District Court for Eastern District of Kentucky, and United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Publications
Jurisprudence Measured By Dissent, (co-author, Tracy S. Prewitt), Kentucky Bench and Bar, July, 1999; Trial by Jury: A Right Not Lightly Forsaken (co-author, David L. Place), Kentucky Bench and Bar, Spring, 1997; Why Expert Witness Work Might Just Be For You, OBG Management , Spring 1995, Three Cases That Shaped the Constitution, Kentucky Bench and Bar, Winter 1992; and In the Wake of Federal Kemper: First Party Claims for Bad Faith/Punitive Damages, Kentucky Bench and Bar, Summer 1986. Editor- In-Chief, Kentucky Bench and Bar, 1992-1994; member of the Editorial Board since 1985. Additional accomplishments include having authored and published a novel and two collections of short stories and fiction, many previously published in national magazines including The Saturday Evening Post, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal.
Presentations
Seminar Presentation to Medical Practice Office Managers, Risk Management Issues, March, 2001; Working Towards Optimal Care Symposium 2000, Louisville, Kentucky, September 2000; Litigation Seminar for Legal Secretaries and Legal Assistants, Continuing Legal Education, Louisville, Kentucky, May, 1996; Birth Injury and The Law II, Medical Intelligence Corporation, Las Vegas, Nevada, November, 1995; Trying the Soft Tissue Injury Case, National Business Institute, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky, December, 1994.
Professional Memberships
Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America; Member, IADC (International Association of Defense Counsel); Board of Directors, Defense Research Institute (DRI), 2006-2009; Board of Directors and Vice President of the Kentucky Pediatric Foundation; Kentucky State Representative to the Defense Research Institute; 2002-2005; Kentucky Defense Counsel, Inc. (Board of Directors, 2000-2001); Defense Research Institute (Section on Medical Liability); Cherokee Triangle Board of Trustees (1998-present, Vice President, 1999-2000); Editor-In Chief, Kentucky Bench and Bar, 1992-1994; Louisville Bar Association (Chair, Litigation Section, 1994; American Bar Association (Tort and Insurance Practice Section); Kentucky Bar Association (House of Delegates 1992-present); Chairman of the Kentucky Oral History project of the Kentucky Bar Association; American Bar Association (Tort and Insurance Practice Section); Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Kentucky (President, 1989-1992); Jefferson County Medical Society (Committee on Medical-Legal Issues member of the Editorial Board since 1985); Involvement in various community/charitable endeavors.
Honors and Awards
Recognized in Louisville Magazine’s Best Lawyer and Top Lawyer issues, 2007-2016 for insurance law, personal injury, professional malpractice law, litigation insurance, medical malpractice law-defense, commercial law and products liability.
Kentucky Super Lawyers 2007 – 2016
Super Lawyers top 50 award 2007 – 2010