Legal Vision. Client Commitment. Professional Resources.
Morris, Haynes, Hornsby, Wheeles and Knowles's experience encompasses virtually all areas of contemporary trial law– from wrongful death, personal injury, wrongful termination and products liability to consumer, insurance and business fraud, as well as a significant number of class action lawsuits. Today, the majority of its cases are referrals, which come to the firm from attorneys across the state. In fact, the firm has handled cases in every county in Alabama. Morris, Haynes & Hornsby has never been intimidated by the size of any potential defendant.
Moreover, given Morris, Haynes, Hornsby, Wheeles and Knowles’s record in securing favorable trial results, particularly when punitive damages are involved, many of its cases never go to court– for the simple reason that its clients are offered settlements which they find reasonable and acceptable. Nevertheless, Morris, Haynes & Hornsby prepares every case with the intention of taking it to trial, thereby increasing the likelihood their clients will have the choice to settle or litigate.
Contact us today if you need legal assistance with any of the following:
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Call Morris, Haynes, Hornsby, Wheeles and Knowles, Attorneys at Law today at 205-202-9944, or complete the contact form provided on this site to arrange your initial personal injury evaluation.
Attorney Profiles
Clay Hornsby
The son of a former Alabama State Supreme Court Chief Justice and a lifelong Alabama resident, Clay Hornsby was born in Montgomery County on September 2, 1962. Mr. Hornsby earned his BS degree from the University of Alabama in 1984. While earning his 1988 Juris Doctorate from the University of Alabama, he excelled in the Trial Lawyers Advocacy Program–finishing number two nationwide in courtroom trial skills, the highest finish in the history of the law school at the time.
Mr. Hornsby has been listed among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the state of Alabama by the American Trial Lawyers Association, and was named by Alabama Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top attorneys in Alabama for 2008 and 2009. Only five percent of lawyers in the state are named by Super Lawyers. He is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum which is a group comprised solely of lawyers who have been the principal council in cases which have resulted in recoveries of $2 million or more. Mr. Hornsby also attained silver member status in Elite Lawyers of America, meaning that he has multiple settlements or verdicts over $2 million. He is also a senior counsel of the College of Master Advocates and Barristers which honors his skills and experience as a trial lawyer.
Mr. Hornsby is an active member of the Alabama Association for Justice, currently serving as Secretary. He is also an involved member in the American Association for Justice and was inducted as a Fellow into the Alabama Law Foundation. He was President of the Fifth Judicial Bar for 2001-2002. A frequent continuing legal education speaker, Mr. Hornsby has presented in-depth lectures on topics ranging from bad faith litigation and consumer fraud to winning trial strategies and techniques and state and municipal liability. During his legal career, Mr. Hornsby has prepared, tried, and settled cases against many of the world’s largest corporations.
Randall Stark Haynes
Randy Haynes is a partner at Morris, Haynes & Hornsby. Born October 25, 1956, Randy earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in 1979 from Davidson College where he received a North Carolina Fellow Scholarship. In 1983, he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Alabama Law School. While at Alabama, Mr. Haynes was named Outstanding First Year Student and the Order of the Barristers and was a member of the 1982 Alabama National Moot Court Team.
Since 1988, Mr. Haynes has served as Municipal Judge of Alexander City. In addition to the state bar, he is a member of American Association for Justice, serving on the President’s Council, and the Alabama Association for Justice, serving as President from 2001-2002 and currently as a member of the Executive Committee. He is also the current Chairman of the Tallapoosa County Democratic Party and a past President and Campaign Chairman for the Lake Martin Area United Way. Recently, he was inducted as a Fellow into the Alabama Law Foundation.
Mr. Haynes concentrates his practice on litigation; his case work primarily involves product liability, railroad, trucking, and wrongful death cases, as well as consumer litigation. He has handled numerous cases for families with multi-million dollar recoveries from both trials and settlements. Including, most recently, a $3.99 million personal injury verdict in Troup County, Georgia. In addition, Mr. Haynes has also represented several small businesses against insurance companies or large businesses resulting in multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. Mr. Haynes has been selected to represent multiple District Attorneys in cases brought pursuant to the Alabama Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Larry W. Morris
Larry Morris is the founder and senior partner of Morris, Haynes & Hornsby. Mr. Morris received his law degree from the University of Alabama. While at Alabama he was President of the School of Law and a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
In 1974, he was elected to the Alabama State Legislature where he served for 4 years. He has been elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. In 1994, he was named by President Clinton to the President’s Council on International Jurisprudence on which he served for 6 years.
Mr. Morris has served as President of the Alabama Bar Association from 2001-2002, as well as President of the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association and Young Lawyers of Alabama. He has lectured at the American Trial Advocacy Program, the National Masters in Trial seminars, and Florida, Texas and Georgia legal seminars. He was recently listed among America’s 100 outstanding trial attorneys. One of Mr. Morris’ verdicts against a large automobile manufacturer, in Tennessee, was listed in The National Law Journal’s top 25 verdicts in 2005. Mr. Morris was named by Alabama Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top attorneys in Alabama in 2008 and 2009. Only five percent of lawyers in the state are named by Super Lawyers. Mr. Morris served as President of the Alabama Law Foundation and serves on the Executive Committee of the Alabama Association for Justice.
Mr. Morris specializes in personal injury and wrongful death as well as product liability, automobile negligence, tractor trailer litigation and defective products. He also has handled multi-million dollar cases against insurance companies for fraud and other commercial litigation.
He has practiced law for over 30 years and has accumulated judgments and verdicts in excess of $400,000,000. During his thirty plus years he has been involved in approximately 2000 civil cases. He has handled 130 cases in which verdicts or settlements were reached in excess of $1,000,000.
Michael Todd Wheeles
M. Todd Wheeles is a partner at Morris, Haynes & Hornsby. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Auburn University in 1995, his Master of Science from Jacksonville State University in 1998, and his Juris Doctorate from the Birmingham School of Law in 2001.
In 1993, Mr. Wheeles became an Alabama State Trooper, where he became proficient in investigating fatal wrecks. In 1996, Mr. Wheeles joined the Alabama Bureau of Investigations, where he was named “Agent of the Year” in 2001.
Mr. Wheeles is an active member of the Alabama State Bar, the Alabama Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice, and the Birmingham Bar Association. He was also appointed to act as Legal Counsel to the Alabama Board of Polygraph Examiners by Governor Bob Riley.
Recent accomplishments include a $1.25 million verdict in Etowah County stemming from an unintended gun discharge case and a $4.5 million verdict in Calhoun County stemming from a Legionnaires disease contraction case.
Jeremy Knowles
Jeremy Knowles is a partner at Morris, Haynes & Hornsby. He was born in Alexander City on June 30, 1971. A graduate of Benjamin Russell High School, Jeremy attended Auburn University on a Russell Foundation Scholarship. There he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in business/economics in 1993. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1997.
Mr. Knowles is a member of the Alabama State Bar, where he is a part of the Young Lawyer division. Additionally, he is a member of the American and Alabama Associations for Justice, serving on the Board of Governors and in the Emerging Leaders section of the latter. He has also served as an adjunct Professor of Law with a concentration in Constitutional Law at Faulkner University. Mr. Knowles joined the firm in 2003. Since 1997, Mr. Knowles has practiced almost exclusively in the areas of automobile negligence, products liability, automobile crashworthiness, and tractor trailer litigation.
He has worked on some of the largest product liability cases in the country. Mr. Knowles is routinely consulted by national news organizations regarding automobile product liability issues. The total of the verdicts and settlements of cases which Mr. Knowles has worked on exceed $100,000,000.00 including being listed in the National Law Journals top 25 verdicts of 2005.
Nancy L. Eady
Nancy Eady is a partner at Morris, Haynes & Hornsby. She has been with the firm since 1991 and practices out of the Alexander City office. She graduated with highest honors from Auburn University in 1987 and then went on to Montgomery’s Jones School of Law where she earned the James L. Carter Scholarship Award, given to the graduating student with the highest grade point. Mrs. Eady is an active member of the Alabama State Bar and serves on the Executive Committee of the Alabama Association for Justice. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Lake Martin Area United Way in 2007 and 2008.
Mrs. Eady heads the Legal Research Department of the firm, and she has successfully defended many of the verdicts and rulings obtained at trial by other attorneys in the firm.
Tommy James
Tommy’s practice focuses on cases where children, the elderly, the mentally ill and those with special needs have died or been seriously injured as the result of abuse or neglect. These cases have been against state agencies, local government agencies, private entities and their employees. By focusing primarily on these types of cases, Tommy has gained expertise in this very specialized area of the law involving difficult immunity, coverage and other issues. Tommy’s efforts have resulted in recoveries, both settlements and verdicts, totaling over $15 million during the last few years. In addition to his abuse and neglect cases, Tommy also handles other types of wrongful death and personal injury cases against government and corporate entities. Mr. James was previously a partner in the firm of Jemison, Mendelsohn & James in Montgomery, Alabama.
Tommy received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Auburn University in 1993. He later graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1997, where he was a Senior Editor of the Alabama Law Review. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar, the Birmingham Bar Association, and the Alabama and American Associations for Justice. Tommy is also on the Advisory Board of the Alabama Family Trust.
Emily H. Nelson
The daughter of a former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice and a lifelong resident of Alabama, Emily Nelson was born in Montgomery County on October 20, 1968. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Birmingham-Southern College in 1991 with a double major in English and Business. Mrs. Nelson received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1994.
From 1994-1998, Mrs. Nelson was an associate with the law firm of Pittman, Hooks, Marsh, Dutton & Hollis in Birmingham, Alabama. Mrs. Nelson temporarily retired from the practice of law from 1998-2001 to be a stay at home mom. From August of 2001 to January of 2004, Mrs. Nelson worked as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Alabama representing the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources in family court in child abuse and neglect cases.
Currently, Mrs. Nelson is an associate with Morris, Haynes & Hornsby. Recovery amounts for cases that she has worked on for the firm total over $20,000,000.00. She is licensed to practice law in Alabama and Georgia, and is also member of the Women Lawyers section of the Birmingham Bar and the Alabama Association for Justice. Mrs. Nelson is a member of The Junior League of Birmingham, an organization that promotes volunteerism and community involvement. As a part of her Junior League membership, she has volunteered with many organizations including Pathways: A Woman’s Way Home and the Teen Court Program at Family Court.
Verdicts & Settlements
Handley and Howard v. Devi, llc, et al.
Judgment of $4,500,000.00 (Calhoun County Circuit Court). A Calhoun County jury awarded a combined $4,500,000 judgment in a case stemming from hot tub contamination that led to the contraction of Legionnaire’s disease. The trial, which took place before Calhoun County Circuit Judge Malcolm Street, Jr., began November 15th and lasted four days. The jury in this case took only approximately 50 minutes to return a verdict. The lawsuit, was filed against DEVI, LLC., who owns and operates two hotels in Oxford, Alabama, and arose from an incident involving a hot tub contaminated with Legionella bacteria. The incident occurred in May of 2008 at the Wingate Inn in the Anniston/Oxford area of Alabama. The Plaintiffs were sent by their employer to Heflin, Alabama to assist with a debris removal project following a tornado in the area and were staying at the Wingate Inn during this project. While staying at the Wingate Inn, the men used the hotel’s hot tub which is provided for use to hotel guests. As a result of the use of this hot tub, both men developed Legionnaire’s disease and had to be hospitalized. Legionnaire’s disease is an acute pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria that can exist in dirty or stagnant water. Legionnaire’s disease can first present itself with flu-like symptoms, but these symptoms can get increasingly worse and eventually be fatal. Both Plaintiffs were hospitalized in Intensive Care Units where they were placed on respirators.
HOLLOWAY AND MEADOWS V. TOWN OF WOODLAND, ALABAMA, et al.
Judgment of $3,990,000.00 (Troup County Circuit Court, Georgia). Morris, Haynes & Hornsby Partners Larry Morris and Randy Haynes represented Mrs. Holloway and Mrs. Meadows, two senior citizens from Randolph County, Alabama, who were injured in a one-vehicle van accident in LaGrange, Georgia in November of 2009. On the way back from a Woodland Senior Center trip to Calloway Gardens, the van’s driver missed a curve on Highway 27 just outside of LaGrange, causing the van to run off the road and down a steep embankment. As a result, Mrs. Holloway was rendered a quadriplegic and eventually passed away as a result of these injuries. Mrs. Meadow’s injuries were less severe but she underwent surgery on her knee after suffering a right tibial fracture. The lawsuit was brought against the Town of Woodland and the driver of the van, Billie Vernon Edmondson. The case was tried in November of 2010 in Troup County, Georgia. Defendants argued that the Georgia Department of Transportation was responsible for the accident due to the dangerous curve of the roadway. However, the jury returned a verdict of $2,400,000 to the Estate of Jeanette Holloway for her injuries and suffering from the date of the accident until the date of her death one month before trial. The jury also awarded $1,250,000 to Mrs. Holloway’s surviving child due to her wrongful death. Mrs. Meadows was awarded $340,000. Firm Attorney Emily Nelson, who also represented the Plaintiffs, is a member of the Georgia State Bar. This case was tried pursuant to Georgia law.
Anonymous v. Anonymous TRUCKING COMPANY
Settlement of $990,000.00 (United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, Eastern Division). A wrongful death case was settled against a confidential defendant. The lawsuit stemmed from an automobile wreck that occurred when the defendant’s tractor trailer failed to stop with traffic on the interstate. The tractor trailer was traveling at such a velocity that it completely ran over the plaintiff’s vehicle causing his death.
Anonymous v. Anonymous
Settlement of $712,500.00 (Chambers County Circuit Court). In this medical negligence wrongful death case, MHH represented the widower of a woman who had a seizure and died shortly after an epidural pain injection that she received in her hips. The claims were that the procedure was done negligently, or in violation of the standard of care; and that the resuscitation efforts were inadequate or negligent
Holmes v. Maryland marine, inc., et al.
Settlement of $550,000.00 (United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisianna) A settlement was reached in a case where MHH represented three of four individuals killed in a maritime incident that took place on Wilson Lake near Killen, AL. In March of 2008, these individuals were riding on a pleasure craft on Wilson Lake when a barge and tow collided with their vessel. This collision caused the pleasure craft to sink, killing all on board. The case was originally filed in Colbert County, Alabama, but the Defendants filed a limitation action under maritime law which moved the case to District Court in Louisianna.
Anonymous v. Anonymous
Settlement of over $500,000.00. A wrongful death case was settled that involved an incident where a prison inmate died while in jail as the result of guard negligence.
Anonymous v. Anonymous TRUCKING COMPANY
Settlement of $450,000.00 (United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, Eastern Division). This personal injury lawsuit was the result of a collision between two tractor trailers that occurred in July of 2009. The plaintiff was driving a tractor trailer truck in the southbound lane of Interstate 85 in Lee County, Alabama. The driver of the defendant’s tractor trailer had illegally parked his rig in the right lane of the highway and was standing in the road. He did not comply with the rules of the road regarding the number of warning triangles he had behind his vehicle to alert oncoming traffic to his presence or the presence of his tractor trailer. The negligent parking of the defendant’s rig and the position of the driver himself caused the plaintiff to collide with his rig, which resulted in severe, permanent and debilitating injuries to the plaintiff.
The recoveries, verdicts, favorable outcomes, and testimonials described on this site are not an indication of future results. Every case is different, and regardless of what friends, family, or other individuals may say about what a case is worth, each case must be evaluated on its own facts and circumstances as they apply to the law. The valuation of a case depends on the facts, the injuries, the jurisdiction, the venue, the witnesses, the parties, and the testimony, among other factors. Furthermore, no representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
131 Main Street
Alexander City, AL 35011
3500 Colonnade Parkway
Suite 100
Birmingham, AL 35243