Position: Principal

TEL: 314-242-5252

FAX: 314-242-5452

Email: Click Here

Website: www.brownjames.com

Admitted: 1976, Missouri; 1977, Illinois

Law School: St. Louis University, J.D., 1976.

College: Southern Illinois University, B.A., 1973.

Birth Date and Place: Red Bud, Illinois, August 20, 1952.

Practice Areas: Insurance Coverage; First and Third Party Insurance; Arson and Insurance Fraud Litigation; Premises Liability

Additional Information: Member: The Missouri Bar; Illinois State Bar Association; United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Missouri, Southern District of Illinois and Western District of Missouri; United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, Eighth Circuit. Professional Affiliations: Illinois Bar Association; Missouri Bar Association; Defense Research Institute; Property Law Research Bureau; Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers; American Arbitration Association Biography: Featured regional and national speaker of the "Property Loss Research Bureau;" Frequent Speaker at Local and State Bar Trial Practice Seminars; Speaker List, Defense Research Institute; Author, "Arson, Fraud And First Party Insurance, A Guide To Property Insurance Law and Procedures in Missouri And Illinois," published 1994; Author, "Tortious Wrongful Discharge vs. Employment At Will," St. Louis Bar Journal (1989); Author: "Arson, Fraud and the First Party Insurance Contract," 44 Missouri Bar Journal 79 (March 1988). Co-author, Arson, Fraud and First Party Insurance Law, copyright 2001 by Lawyers Research Institute, LLC.; Featured regional and national speaker of the "Property Loss Research Bureau" Past Director of Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers. Mr. Watters has tried to conclusion over 100 first party insurance cases, and some of the leading reported cases in this field involve trials where he has successfully defended various insurance carriers. Mr. Watters also represented parties in the two largest arson fire civil suits ever tried in the State of Missouri, each case involving more than $5 million in claimed damages and successfully defended the insurer in the well-publicized "Kemoll's Restaurant" fire. He has also obtained verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million on behalf of plaintiffs in personal injury cases. Mr. Watters has tried more than 200 cases to conclusion and has prosecuted or defended over 75 appeals in the Illinois and Missouri State and Federal Appellate Courts. Mr. Watters has handled the leading Appellate Court decisions in the area of landowners' liability for the criminal acts of third parties. Representative appellate and reported cases setting precedent in Missouri and Illinois: Kilmer v. Mun, 2000 WL 560828 (Mo. 2000) (en banc) State ex rel. River King, Inc. v. Calvin, 11 S.W.3d 602 (Mo. 2000) (en banc) St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co. v. Warren, 87 F.Supp.2d 904 (E.D.Mo. 1999) Process Controls Intern, Inc. v. Commercial Union Ins. Companies, 16 S.W.3d 593 (Mo.App. E.D. 1999) Wood v. Centermark Properties, Inc. 984 S.W.2d 517 (Mo.App.E.D. 1998) Schilling v. Human Support Services, 978 S.W.2d 368 (Mo.App. E.D. 1998) Smith v. Wausau Underwriters Inc., Co., 977 S.W.2d 291 (Mo.App. W.D. 1998) State ex rel. Leigh v. Dierker, 974 S.W.2d 505 (Mo. 1998) United Capitol Ins. Co. v. Hoodco, Inc., 974 S.W.2d 572 (Mo.App. E.D. 1998) Detter v. Schnuck Markets, Inc., 974 S.W.2d 605 (Mo.App. E.D. 1998) Atlas Intermodal Trucking Service, Inc. v. United Fire & Cas. Co., 973 S.W.2d 174 (Mo.App. E.D. 1998) Lang v. Nationwide Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 970 S.W.2d 828 (Mo.App. E.D. 1998) Vatterott v. Hammerts Iron Works, Inc., 968 S.W.2d 120 (Mo. 1998) (en banc) McKichan v. St. Louis Hockey Club, L.P., 967 S.W.2d 209 (Mo.App. E.D. 1998) Citizens Ins. Co. of America v. Leiendecker, 962 S.W.2d 446 (Mo.App. E.D. 1998) Massachusetts Bay Ins. Co. v. Vic Koenig Leasing, Inc., 136 F.3d 1116 (7th Cir. Ill. 1998) American States Ins. Co. v. Creative Walking, Inc., 16 F.Supp.2d 1062 (E.D.Mo. 1998) United Fire & Casualty Co. v. Allstate Ins. Co., 1998 U.S. Dist. WL 995346 (E.D.Mo. 1998) Borgard v. Integrated Nat. Life Ins. Co., 954 S.W.2d 532 (Mo.App. E.D. 1997) U.S. Fidelity & Guar. Co. v. Commercial Union Ins. Co., 943 S.W.2d 640 (Mo. 1997) Hougland v. Pulitzer Pub. Co., Inc., 939 S.W.2d 31 (Mo. App. E.D. 1997) Stewart v. Carron, 938 S.W.2d 636 (Mo.App. E.D. 1997) Budding v. Garland Floor Co., Inc., 939 S.W.2d 419 (Mo. App. E.D. 1996) Schuh Catering, Inc. v. Commercial Union Ins. Co., 932 S.W.2d 907 (Mo.App. E.D. 1996) Ems v. Shelter Mutual Insurance Co., 927 S.W.2d 514 (Mo. App. E.D. 1996) Weinberg v. Safeco Ins. Co. of Illinois, 913 S.W.2d 59 (Mo.App. E.D 1995) State ex rel. Chase Resorts, Inc. v. Campbell, 913 S.W.2d 832 (Mo.App. E.D. 1995) Transamerica Ins. Co. v. Pennsylvania Nat. Ins. Companies, 908 S.W.2d 173 (Mo.App. E.D. 1995) Koeller By and Through Koeller v. Unival, Inc., 906 S.W.2d 744 (Mo.App. E.D. 1995) Gutting v. Shelter Mut. Ins. Co., 905 S.W.2d 550 (Mo.App. S.D. 1995) Richardson v. Farm Bureau Town & Country Ins. Co., 899 S.W.2d 119 (Mo.App. E.D. 1995) Interstate Indem. Co. v. Utica Mut. Ins. Co., 867 F.Supp. 1355 (S.D.Ill. 1994) Hicks v. Prudential General Ins. Co., 887 S.W.2d 819 (Mo.App. E.D. 1994) Lemmons v. Prudential Property & Cas. Ins. Co., 878 S.W.2d 853 (Mo.App. E.D. 1994) Walker v. Commercial Union Ins. Co., 879 S.W.2d 596 (Mo. App. E.D. 1994) Chase Resorts, Inc. v. Safety Mut. Cas. Corp., 869 S.W.2d 145 (Mo. App. E.D. 1993) S & P Oyster Co., Inc. v. U.S. Fidelity and Guar. Co., 865 S.W. 2d 145 (Mo.App. E.D. 1993) State ex rel. Schnuck Markets, Inc. v. Koehr, 859 S.W.2d 696 (Mo. 1993) George Weis Co. v. Dwyer, 867 S.W.2d 520 (Mo.App. E.D. 1993) Gabler v. McColl, 863 S.W.2d 340 (Mo.App. E.D. 1993) Mattingly v. Costello, 850 S.W.2d 125 (Mo.App. E.D. 1993)

Firm Members: James Whaley

Firm Members: Joseph Swift

Firm Members: T. Ward

Firm Members: Michael Maguire

Firm Members: Jeffrey Cramer

Firm Members: Michael Cerulo

Firm Members: Robert Cockerham

Firm Members: John McLeod

Firm Members: Kurt Schmid

Firm Members: Jeffrey Lester

Firm Members: Timothy Wolf

Firm Members: Jennine  Adamek Moore