Biography
Anthony L. (Tony) Martin has nearly 30 years of litigation experience. He is a life-long Illinois resident who now lives in Madison County after living in St. Clair County most of his legal career. Before law school, Tony worked for the IRS in addition to serving as a drill sergeant (85th Div., USAR). Tony met is wife, Nancy, at Harding College. Their two children are Harding University graduates.
Tony concentrates his practice in the areas of insurance law (primarily coverage and bad faith cases) and product liability and class action litigation. He represents a diverse clientele varied in size and type of industry, which are local, regional, national and international. He has been able to resolve legal disputes and litigation through mediation, arbitration and trial. Tony has successfully tried cases throughout central and southern Illinois, particularly Madison and St. Clair Counties, and Missouri, primarily St. Louis City and County, and the federal courts in southern Illinois and eastern Missouri.
Tony began his insurance law practice upon law school graduation. Even before graduation, he worked as a law clerk for a law firm which allowed him to work on some cutting edge insurance law issues. Since then he has been continuously involved in insurance coverage and bad faith cases. In addition to his litigation practice, he regularly prepares papers and makes seminar presentations on insurance coverage and bad faith issues locally, regionally, and nationally. In 2011 he was involved in the presenting two nationwide bad faith seminars. Future insurance law seminar presentations are scheduled. In addition, Tony regularly adds to the firm’s bad faith blog along with Aaron French and John Sandberg,.
Tony’s class action experience dates back to the 1980s. He has been involved in the defense of class action cases in Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas, as well as federal court MDLs. The clients represented include individuals, small businesses, and major national and international corporations. He frequently finds himself representing clients in class action litigation in some of the most difficult venues in Illinois including Madison and St. Clair Counties. When his clients want to settle early, he assists them in doing so. However, if they prefer a full scale defense, Tony and his colleagues at Sandberg Phoenix continue the fight.
A sampling of Tony's litigation experience includes:
Buettner v. Ramji-Singh. This lawsuit was defended in Jackson County, Illinois. This automobile negligence claim involved multiple claims against a foreign defendant and resulted in a defense verdict in his favor.
Mullen v. Mouldon. A seriously injured firefighter filed this business premises liability case in Madison County, Illinois. The case resulted in a defense verdict for the Granite City business owner.
Mitchell v. Hackler. Springfield, Illinois was the venue for this architectural malpractice case brought by a seriously injured minor plaintiff. The two co-defendants settled before trial. The Sangamon County jury returned a defense verdict in favor of the architect.
Bean v. Missouri Pacific Railroad Co. The family of the deceased railroad engineer brought this wrongful death/FELA/railroad crossing accident case in which there were two deaths. The case was tried in Madison County, Illinois. The co-defendant, Goldmine Farms, agreed to a structured settlement for more than $1 million. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendant railroad.
Boivin v. Clark. The pharmacist plaintiff and her husband pursued this serious injury truck/auto accident case in U. S. District Court in St. Louis. The jury returned verdicts in favor of all defendants.
Jones v. Porter Oil. This product liability case was tried for three weeks in the City of St. Louis against a kerosene heater manufacturer and the distributor of the kerosene fuel. The manufacturer settled for $3.5 million. The jury returned a verdict for the severely burned minor plaintiff for $25 million.
Fust v. Francois. Malicious prosecution was the theory of this case tried in St. Louis County, by homeowners against a real estate developer. The Fusts sued after Francois dismissed his suit against them. The jury returned a verdict for over $2.5 million, which was then remitted to $1.1 million.
Husch v. Fire Insurance Exchange. This arson fire/insurance fraud case was tried in the U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The plaintiff's wife's body was found in the home after the fire. Although the plaintiff had been charged with her murder, the criminal case had not gone to trial. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendant insurance company.
Morrissey v. Morrissey. A seriously injured mother sued her son in this automobile negligence case defended in St. Louis County. The plaintiff settled with the co-defendant before trial. The jury returned a verdict for defendant. This case was listed by Missouri Lawyers Weekly as one of the top ten defense verdicts for the year.
Fritzsche v. Union Pacific Railroad Co. Madison County, Illinois was the venue of this wrongful death railroad crossing case. The lengthy trial resulted in a net verdict to plaintiff in excess of $3 million.
Hicks v. Boston Scientific Corp. This product liability medical device case was tried in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. The jury returned a verdict for defendant.
McKinzie v. Clubbs. This case involved a prisoner's allegations of excessive force by a prison guard. The case was tried before Senior District Judge Stohr in the Eastern District of Missouri. The jury's verdict was for the defendant prison guard.
Sisters of Mercy Health System v. Johnson, et al. This case involved a declaratory judgment action against a former employee and all interested parties regarding the alleged surreptitious video-taping of minor females during regular weigh-ins. The court entered judgment in favor of Sisters of Mercy Health on the Pool Document (similar to an insurance policy) declaring that there was no duty to indemnify or defend the former trainer.
Madison Mutual Insurance Company v. Williams, et al. Madison Mutual filed this declaratory judgment action against its insured alleged to have blown her house up to collect insurance proceeds. The property of numerous neighbors was also damaged leading to subrogation claims in excess of $1,000,000. Those subrogation claims were withdrawn in exchange for dismissals against those subrogating insurance carriers and Madison Mutual prevailed against the insured and her mortgagee.
Practice Groups
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Business Litigation
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Products Liability
Industries/Areas of Practice
- Insurance Companies
- Hazardous Substances
- Manufacturing
- Consumer Products
Civic Activities
Tony is an active member of the Chambers of Commerce in Madison County, Illinois, including the Riverbend Growth Association, the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce, and the Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob Chamber of Commerce. Tony and Nancy are also active in their church.
Professional Activities
Tony is admitted to the bar in Missouri and Illinois, as well as the United States District court in Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois, and the Seventh and Eighth United States Circuit Courts of Appeal.
He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, the Madison County Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, and the Council on Litigation Management.
Publications
Regional Editor and State Contributor,
Compendium of Law: Bad Faith, Defense Research Institute Library Series, 2010 Rev. Ed.
"
California Dreamin’? Generic Drug Users Can Sue Brand Name Drug Manufacturers,"
Defense Counsel Journal, October 2010.
Comment, “Bankruptcy Exemptions: Whether Illinois’s Use of the Federal ‘Opt-Out’ Provision Is Constitutional,” 1981 S. Ill. U.L.J. 65
Education
Tony earned his Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University School of Law - Carbondale. While there, he was a National Moot Court Team member and a Research Editor for the
Law Journal.
Tony received his B.S., with honors, from Illinois State University in 1975.