John L. Tate

John L. Tate


Stites & Harbison, PLLC

Recognized since 1997

Louisville, Kentucky

Practice Areas

Bet-the-Company Litigation

Commercial Litigation

Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Send John L. Tate an email at jtate@stites.com Navigate to map location for John L. Tate
Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2012 - Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
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A senior member of the firm's Torts & Insurance Practice Group, John's national and regional litigation practice focuses on defending complex product liability lawsuits and managing serial litigation. His extensive trial experience includes medical devices, pharmaceuticals, intellectual property, and a variety of personal injury matters. John has tried product liability cases to jury verdicts in eight states.

John also maintains an active appellate practice representing appellees, appellants, and amici curiae in state and federal courts.

One of John's long-standing interests is the application of Daubert criteria to exclude substandard opinion testimony. Decisions on this topic include Morehouse v. Louisville Ladder, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21766 (South Carolina); Reynolds v. Freightliner, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97244 (Kentucky); Hayes v. MTD Products, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 66109 (Kentucky); Campos v. MTD Products, Inc., 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12951 (Tennessee); Walker v. Louisville Ladder, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9917 (Tennessee); Scarvelli v. Leatt Corporation, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 98366 (Ohio); Lyons v. Leatt Corp., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 148783 (Ohio); and Wilden v. Laury Transp., LLC, 901 F.3d 644 (6th Cir. 2018).

More Than Stites & Harbison

John's first career was teaching high school and college students in history, English literature, and rhetoric. He later spent seven years in an environmental regulatory agency before going into private practice. A long-time supporter of the arts, John served for 12 years on the board of directors of Actors Theatre of Louisville. He was previously a member of the board of directors of the American Lung Association of Kentucky and served as board president in 1994-96. John also served as trustee of St. Francis School in Goshen and on the board of the Louisville Audubon Society. John served multiple terms as a director of the Louisville Bar Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Louisville Bar Association, culminating in 2016 with service as the foundation's president.

Contact & Links
Location
  • 400 West Market Street, Suite 1800
    Louisville, KY 40202-3352
Languages
  • English
Education
  • University of Louisville, J.D., magna cum laude, graduated 1981
  • University of Louisville, MA, graduated 1971
  • Wake Forest University, BA, graduated 1969
Bar Admissions
  • Kentucky, Kentucky Bar Association
Affiliations
  • American College of Trial Lawyers - Fellow
  • Defense Research Institute (DRI) - Member
  • Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel - Member
  • International Association of Defense Council - Member
  • Lawyers for Civil Justice - Member
  • Product Liability Advisory Council - Member
Court Admissions
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Stites & Harbison, PLLC
Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky

98 The Best Lawyers in America® awards

26 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America awards

Best Law Firms Badge Visit Website View Firm Profile

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2012 - Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, Louisville (2012)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for work in:
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
  • Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Special Focus:
  • Appellate
  • Complex Litigation
  • COVID-19
  • Medical Devices
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Product Liability
  • Tort
Awards:
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated
  • Kentucky Super Lawyers
  • Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville's Distinguished Alumnus Award (2011)
  • American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
  • Kentucky Super Lawyers Top 50 Lawyers in Kentucky (2007, 2010-17, 2019-20)
  • Benchmark: Litigation Magazine's Litigation Star (2008, 2009, 2013-19)
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Appellate Practice
  • Personal Injury Litigation
  • Product Liability Litigation

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Publications

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