Departments

Phone: 816.374.0599
Fax: 816.374.0509

James M. Humphrey

Shareholder
James M. Humphrey is a shareholder with the firm.  Mr. Humphrey has extensive experience in commercial and appellate litigation; antitrust; shareholder disputes; officer and director liability; class actions; contract disputes, insurance coverage litigation; fraud; and RICO claims.  Mr. Humphrey also has unique experience defending legal malpractice claims, which has provided him with a deep appreciation for the importance of safeguarding client privacy, reputation and confidences.  He has significant products liability and personal injury experience as well, including consumer products, industrial products, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and electrical accidents.

Before joining the firm, Mr. Humphrey served as a law clerk to the Honorable Gary A. Fenner, United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. He has made numerous appearances in Missouri’s federal and state courts, as well as various other jurisdictions, and has represented clients located throughout the United States.

 

Mr. Humphrey was selected as a Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2008-2011 for Business Litigation.

Memberships and Affiliations

  • The Missouri Bar
  • American Bar Association
    • Litigation Section
    • Antitrust Law Section
  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
  • Lawyers Association of Kansas City
  • Defense Research Institute
  • Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers
  • Lawyers Association of Kansas City
    • Board of Directors, 2007-2012
    • Vice President, 2011-2012
    • Secretary, 2010-2011
  • Junior Achievement of Middle America, Inc.
    • Board of Directors, 2011-2012
  • Jackson County Law Library
    • Board of Directors, 2009-present
    • Secretary, 2009-present
  • Rotary Club 13 of Kansas City, Missouri
  • Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, Graduate, Leadership Northland Class of 2006
  • Greater Kansas City Bar Leadership Academy, Graduate
  • Ross T. Roberts Inn of Court

Distinctions

  • Selected for inclusion as a Rising Star by KC Business Magazine, 2011
  • Selected for inclusion in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers as a Rising Star, 2008-2011 for Business Litigation
  • Honored by The Kansas City Business Journal as Best of the Bar in Business Litigation; Corporate Directors and Officers Liability Litigation; and Antitrust, 2010
  • Honored as a 2009 Up and Coming Lawyer by Missouri Lawyers Weekly
  • Assistant Editor, Creighton Law Review
  • Golden Key National Honor Society

Experience

  • Significant past and current representation of lawyers and law firms against claims of professional negligence, including securing summary judgment in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri on two claims of legal malpractice seeking damages based on alleged stock market losses (case would have otherwise been tried to a jury for approximately two weeks).
  • Representation of former directors, officers and other high-level employees of life insurance company (formerly the largest domestic insurance company in Missouri until liquidity crisis caused sale of company) in connection with lawsuit brought by State of Missouri (Department of Insurance) against, among other defendants, Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. and Goldman Sachs & Co.
  • Secured dismissal of antitrust claims under Section 1 of the Sherman Act and Kansas state law brought by physician against hospital in Kansas federal district court.
  • Represented plaintiff in lawsuit seeking recovery against primary and excess insurers under property insurance policy with claim for coverage of approximately $285 million.
  • Successfully defended judgment in favor of insurer on appeal in case claiming coverage for defense costs incurred in litigation between Anheuser-Busch and Labatt Brewing Company.  Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd. v. Zurich Ins. Co., 281 A.D.2d 363, 723 N.Y.S.2d 17 (N.Y. App. Div. 2001).
  • Successfully defeated certification of a class of current and former employees alleging various employment claims.  Lang v. Kansas City Power & Light Co., 199 F.R.D. 640 (W.D. Mo. 2001).  Also successfully opposed plaintiffs’ attempt to secure appellate review of certification decision in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
  • Represented minority shareholder in lawsuit seeking dissolution of corporation.
  • Successfully represented defendant on appeal from an adverse jury verdict on fraud claim.  Plaintiff’s verdict reversed and vacated, and judgment entered in favor of client.  Mprove, Inc. v. KLT, Inc., 135 S.W.3d 481 (Mo. App. W.D. 2004).
  • Representation of electric utility in defense of personal-injury lawsuits based on contacts with electrical transmission and distribution lines.
  • Representation of pharmaceutical company in products-liability litigation involving hormone replacement therapy drugs, including involvement in multidistrict litigation (MDL) proceeding pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.  In re: Prempro Products Liability Litigation, MDL Docket No. 4:03CV1507 WRW (E.D. Ark.).
  • Representation of food flavor manufacturer in products-liability litigation based on exposure to butter flavoring used in manufacture of microwave popcorn.
  • Co-author amicus curiae appellate briefs in U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Courts of Appeals.

Publications & Presentations

2011
Polsinelli Shughart CLE presentation, co-presented by Jim Humphrey and Mark Olthoff
2009
Polsinelli Shughart PC CLE Ethics Barn Burner
2009
Polsinelli Shughart PC Ninth Annual Business Law Institute
Co-presented Jennifer Gille Bacon.
2009
2007
Presentation at the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association CLE Seminar
2001
1998