Joe focuses his practice on commercial litigation matters. He handles a  variety of matters at the trial court and appellate levels involving contract and lease disputes, coal supply agreements, force majeure provisions, non-competition employment cases, creditors' rights, FDCPA/FCRA compliance and FDCPA/ FCRA/TCPA defense litigation, residential and commercial construction defect disputes and product liability cases.

He has extensive experience in insurance matters, issues coverage opinions for several national insurance companies and has defended complex insurance coverage and bad faith disputes under auto, property, CGL, D&O, E&O, and occupational accident insurance policies.

Joe has appeared before the Sixth and Eleventh circuit courts of appeal and in federal and state courts in North Carolina, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio and South Carolina and has arbitrated complex commercial cases in numerous states in the southeast. He has handled multi-million dollar serial litigation and class action lawsuits involving hundreds of parties and witnesses and also provides advice and litigation services to a variety of businesses on general commercial matters, including bankruptcy, the UCC, lender liability claims and close corporation shareholder disputes.

Additionally, Joe serves as the firm's Kentucky ethics partner.

Representative Cases

Malagese v. Fifth Third Bank, N.A., No. 3:17-CV-00489-GNS-RSE, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91483 (W.D. Ky. May 26, 2020)(granting Fifth Third summary judgment in a putative nationwide class action)

Cooper v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 798 F. App'x 870 (6th Cir. 2020)(affirming summary judgment for Portfolio Recovery in FDCPA litigation)

Williams v. Midland Funding, No. 5:18-cv-530-JMH-MAS, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150082 (E.D. Ky. Sep. 4, 2019)( granting summary judgment for Midland Funding in FDCPA litigation)

Vasquez v. Paso Fino Horse Ass'n, Civil Action No. 5: 18-366-DCR, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136919 (E.D. Ky. Aug. 14, 2019)(awarding Paso Fino Horse Assoc. $130,000 in attorney’s fees)

Vasquez v. Paso Fino Horse Ass'n, Civil Action No. 5: 18-366-DCR, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 106883 (E.D. Ky. June 26, 2019)(granting Paso Fino Horse Assoc. summary judgment)

Stavens  v. Stikovac, No. 2016-ca-001371-mr, 2018 Ky. App. Unpub. LEXIS 776 (Ct. App. Nov. 2, 2018)

Ham v. Midland Funding, LLC, No. 5:17-CV-00145-TBR, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57440 (W.D. Ky. Apr. 4, 2018)

Conway v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., No. 3:13-cv-007-GFVT, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143647 (E.D. Ky. Sep. 5, 2017)

Stratton v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 706 F. App'x 840 (6th Cir. 2017)

Chacon v. Unifund CCR, LLC, 228 So. 3d 575 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2017)

Evans v. Midland Funding, LLC, No. 3:16-CV-00421-GNS-DW, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54382 (W.D. Ky. Apr. 10, 2017)

Gray v. Midland Funding, LLC, No. 5:16-CV-00036-TBR, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 51376 (W.D. Ky. Apr. 4, 2017)

Stennett v. Midland Funding, LLC, No. 3:16-CV-00656-CRS, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47320 (W.D. Ky. Mar. 29, 2017)

Unifund CCR Partners v. Harrell, 509 S.W.3d 25 (Ky. 2017)

Conway v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 840 F.3d 333 (6th Cir. 2016)

Stratton v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35773 (E.D. Ky. Mar. 21, 2016)

Malone v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 151498 (W.D. Ky. Nov. 3, 2015)

Malone v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 308 F.R.D. 518 (W.D. Ky. 2015)

Harrell v. Unifund CCR Partners, 2015 Ky. App. Unpub. LEXIS 736 (Ky. Ct. App. Feb. 6, 2015), currently on appeal before the Kentucky Supreme Court

Conway v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 77421, 2015 WL 3756410 (E.D. Ky. June 15, 2015), currently on appeal before the Sixth Circuit

Stratton v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 770 F.3d 443 (6th Cir. Ky. 2014)

Conway v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 13 F. Supp. 3d 711 (E.D. Ky. 2014)

Wiehebrink v. Midland Funding, LLC, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 168431 (W.D. Ky. Dec. 4, 2014)

Nawab v. Unifund CCR Partners, 553 Fed. Appx. 856, (11th Cir. Fla. 2013)

Barrett v. Fifth Third Bank, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 174514 (W.D. Ky. Dec. 11, 2013)

Stratton v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 167636 (E.D. Ky. Nov. 26, 2013)

King v. Credit Card Receivables Fund Inc., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 155376 (S.D. Fla. Oct. 1, 2013)

LeBlanc v. Unifund CCR Partners, 601 F.3d 1185 (11th Cir. Fla. 2010)

Sweazy v. Great Am. Ins. Group, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 100353 (W.D. Ky. Sept. 23, 2010)

Amaya v. Pollack & Rosen, P.A., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16732 (S.D. Fla. Feb. 25, 2010)

Leone v. Credit Card Receivables Fund, Inc., 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 131479 (S.D. Fla. Nov. 4, 2009)

Pack v. Unifund CCR Ptrns, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117481 (M.D. Fla. Feb. 22, 2008)

Hahn v. Auto-Owners Ins. Group, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70299 (E.D. Tenn. Sept. 27, 2006)

Whitehurst v. Hurst Built, 577 S.E.2d 168 (N.C. Ct. App. 2003)

Cincinnati Gas & Elec. Co. v. Westinghouse Elec. Corp., 1998 U.S. App. LEXIS 21692 (6th Cir. Ohio Sept. 1, 1998)