Lexington, Kentucky
phone (859) 254-9351
fax (859) 233-9769
Contact Bill

In a career spanning more than 35 years, Bill Garmer has had extensive courtroom and appellate experience. Not only has he secured many successful settlements and verdicts for his clients, many of his successful cases have led to groundbreaking decisions. In Hilen v. Hays, as the plaintiff's attorney, Bill earned a victory before the Kentucky Supreme Court leading to the adoption of Comparative Fault in Kentucky. Additionally, as the plaintiff's attorney in Williams v. St. Claire Medical Center, Bill's successful argument in the Kentucky Court of Appeals led to the decision recognizing both the doctrine of apparent agency of independent contractors in hospital cases and the independent liability of hospitals for failing to follow their own rules and regulations. As a plaintiff's lawyer, Bill is dedicated to protecting the rights guaranteed to every citizen by the Constitution. Bill was one of five attorneys selected to the trial team to represent the families of the passengers of Comair Flight 5191, which crashed on takeoff from Lexington, Kentucky in August 2006. Most recently, Bill represented the family of a victim of nursing home abuse resulting in an $8 million jury verdict in Louisville.

Bill holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Kentucky. He attended the University of Kentucky College of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor in 1975. After being admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1975, he worked for two years as a Law Clerk to Hon. B.T. Moynahan, Jr., Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Bill is a member of a number of professional organizations, and has held influential positions within these organizations. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and of the Pound Foundation, and is a member of the Melvin Belli Society. He is a member of the American Bar Association; the American Association for Justice, where he has served as Chair and Vice Chair of the Council of State Presidents and was on the Board of Governors from 1988 through 2010; the Kentucky Bar Association, where has been a member of the Board of Governors since 2011; the Kentucky Bar Foundation; the Kentucky Justice Association, where he has served as President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and is presently on the Board of Governors; the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice; the Southern Trial Lawyers Association; and the Federal Bar Association.

In addition to his professional memberships, Bill has received outstanding recognition within the legal community. In 1998, he was the recipient of the Kentucky Justice Association's Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. Martindale-Hubbell rates him AV* preeminent, the highest rating an attorney can receive. He has been listed in the publication The Best Lawyers in America since 1987, Who's Who in American Law since 1991, named to Kentucky Super Lawyers since 2007, and in 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012 was named one of the top 50 lawyers in Kentucky by Super Lawyers. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law in litigation skills since 1981 and in healthcare law since 2003. He also has been a guest lecturer in Continuing Legal Education programs in Kentucky and around the United States.

Bill served on Active Duty in the United States Air Force as a Staff Sergeant from 1969 to1973. He was a Deacon, moderator of the Diaconate, and is now an Elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Lexington, Kentucky, and has served as a Board Member of both the Opportunity Workshop in Lexington and the University of Kentucky College of Law Alumni Association. He was chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party in 2004. Bill is a member of the Board of Governors of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. Bill is also a member of the Visiting Committee of the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Areas of Practice:

• Auto/Truck Accidents
• Birth Trauma
• Business Tort
• Commercial Litigation
• Dangerous Drugs/Medical Devices
• Federal Tort Claims
• Libel and Slander
• Medical Malpractice
• Mining Accidents
• Nursing Home Litigation
• Personal Injury
• Premises Liability
• Products Liability
• Whistleblower
• Wrongful Death

Bar Admissions:

• Kentucky
• United States District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky
• United States District Court, Western District of Kentucky
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1979

Education:

• University of Kentucky College of Law, Lexington, Kentucky, 1975
  • Juris Doctor
• University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 1968
  • Bachelor of Arts

Published Works:

• Post Sales Duties/Continuing Duty to Warn
• Monograph on Medical Malpractice, University of Kentucky College of Law, 1991
• Design Defect Cases in Kentucky

Representative Cases:

• Hilen v. Hays, 673 S.W.2d 713 (Ky. 1984)
• Williams v. St. Claire Medical Center, 657 S.W.2d 590 (Ky.App. 1983)

Classes/Seminars Taught:

• Adjunct Professor of Law, Litigation Skills, University of Kentucky, 1981 - Present
• Adjunct Professor, Healthcare Law, University of Kentucky, 2003 - Present
• Guest Lecturer, Continuing Legal Education Programs

Honors and Awards:

• "The Best Lawyers in America", 1987 - Present
• "Who's Who in American Law", 1991 - Present
• "Super Lawyers" of Kentucky, 2007 - Present
• Top 50 "Super Lawyers" of Kentucky, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012
• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Recipient, Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys' Trial Lawyer of the Year Award
• AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Professional Associations and Memberships:

• American Bar Association
• American Association for Justice, Board of Governors
• Federal Bar Association
• Kentucky Bar Association, Board of Governors
• Kentucky Bar Foundation
• Kentucky Justice Association, President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer
• Kentucky Justice Association, Board of Governors
• Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
• Southern Trial Lawyers Association
• University of Kentucky College of Law Alumni Association, Board Member
• Melvin Belli Society

Past Employment Positions:

• Chief Judge Bernard T. Moynahan, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Law Clerk, 1975 - 1977
• United States Air force, Staff Sergeant, 1969 - 1973

Fraternities/Sororities:

• Phi Delta Phi
• Sigma Chi