Bio

James J. Hutton is a senior attorney in Plunkett Cooney’s Torts & Litigation Practice Group.

A member of the firm’s Indianapolis office, he has nearly 30 years of experience defending policyholders of national insurance providers in premises liability matters, motor vehicle accident claims, construction accident and property damage cases, as well as wrongful death and employment law claims, in both state and federal courts.

In addition, Mr. Hutton has extensive public service experience having previously served as a section chief for the Office of the Indiana Attorney General. While there, he represented the state in various types of tort and governmental litigation. He also served as staff attorney for the Indiana Disability Rights where he advocated for students with disabilities to receive Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive setting.

Representative Client Work

  • Successfully defended a trucking company in a jury trial that involved a personal injury claim in which the plaintiff requested an award of over $200,000, alleging significant and ongoing musculoskeletal neck and back injuries
  • Obtained a directed verdict in a personal injury trial by establishing, through cross-examination and testimony of the plaintiff’s surgeon, that the doctor could not determine if the spinal condition was more likely than not caused by the motor vehicle accident
  • Obtained summary judgment for grocery store client in a slip and fall claim when the plaintiff stated during cross-examination that he did not know what the substance was that he slipped on or how long it had been present
  • Successfully defended an appeal of the lower court’s granting of summary judgment in a slip and fall case before the Indiana Court of Appeals and then convinced the Indiana Supreme Court, through oral argument, to decline the plaintiff’s request to reconsider the appellate court’s decision
  • Successfully defended a restaurant in a jury trial during which the plaintiff’s parents claimed their minor daughter had sustained serious, permanent injuries from drinking bleach water that had been inadvertently served to her. The jury awarded minimal damages.

Professional Affiliations

  • DRI
  • Indiana State Bar Association (Litigation Section)
  • Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana
  • Indianapolis Bar Association (Litigation Section)

Credentials

Education

  • Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis, J.D., 1994
    • American Jurisprudence Award, Family Law
  • Indiana University, B.A., Education, 1991

Admissions

  • Indiana, 1994
  • North Carolina, 1994

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