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J Philip Davidson

J. Philip Davidson

Member

Philip has represented clients in litigation, arbitration and mediation in more than 30 states and he has tried numerous civil jury trials, including high-exposure personal injury and wrongful death cases.

overview

J. Philip Davidson contact information

Phone: 316-660-6205
Fax: 316-264-1556

Email: pdavidson@hinklaw.com
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As leader of Hinkle Law Firm LLC’s  Transportation, Food, Beverage and Hospitality, Insurance, and Construction litigation practice groups, Mr. J. Philip Davidson handles the defense of a full range of property and casualty, motor carrier/transportation,  construction (including blasting and explosives liability),  industrial, products, health care, and professional liability matters.

Philip has represented clients in litigation, arbitration and mediation in more than 30 states and he has tried numerous civil jury trials, including high-exposure personal injury and wrongful death cases. He is a frequent presenter and industry consultant in transportation industry/motor carrier safety/litigation.

He leads the firm’s Critical Occurrence Response Team which provides early investigation, planning, and legal management services to clients responding to catastrophic events such as transportation/motor carrier incidents, falls from height, fires, electrocutions, carbon monoxide exposures, explosions, product liability (industrial and consumer), building failures, food borne illness outbreaks, workplace investigations, claims against clergy and religious entities, mass torts and governmental inquiries/enforcement actions.

Philip has served as national coordinating/trial counsel for several clients including food ingredient manufacturers and national restaurants in claims involving food borne illness (listeria, salmonella, e-coli) and diacetyl exposure/popcorn worker’s lung. Philip also served as national coordinating and trial counsel to The International Pizza Hut Franchise Holders Association. Mr. Davidson is a member of the International Association for Food Safety (IAFS) and the steering committee of the Hospitality Practice Group of ALFA International. In addition, he has experience in food and feed ingredient contamination by adulteration or inclusion of unintended foreign substances; alleged contamination in municipal water and consumer point of use water purification systems; and, non-FDA approved supplements and off-label non-medical naturopathic modalities such as chelation therapy. Philip has extensive experience in liability claims including wrongful death allegations involving the provision of security, third-party criminal conduct and customer safety involving retailers, travel companies and tour directors, banks, hotels, shopping centers, restaurants and bar/taverns owners and operators. He represents motor carriers in relation to the Food Safety Modernization Act in the transportation of human and animal food and cross-contamination claims involving food and beverages ingredients.

With bar admissions in the state courts of both Kansas and Missouri, Philip is a Litigation Counsel of America Fellow and is annually elected to both Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.

J. Philip Davidson Badge

Presentations

Davidson is a frequent lecturer to the insurance industry as well as client industry professional and trade organizations.

The following is a partial list of presentations given by Davidson:

  • Fleet Fatigue Risk Management and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. American Trucking Association Management Conference and Exhibition. Las Vegas, Nevada – October 2012.
  • Fleet Fatigue Risk Management and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. American Trucking Association General Counsel  Conference. San Francisco, California – July 2012.
  • Transportation Safety Issues and Regulatory Update. ALFA Transportation Practice Group event. Amelia Island, Florida – May 2012

Significant cases

  • Progressive Cas. Ins. Co. v. Lancer Ins. Co., 83 P.3d 1270, 2004 WL 292120 (Kan. App., Feb. 13, 2004)
  • Narron v. Cincinnati Ins. Co., 78 P.3d 1188, 32 Kan. App.2d 28 (2003)
  • Beck v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Inc., 273 Kan. 668 (2002)
  • Howell v. Kansas Newman College, Inc., 268 Kan. 698 (2000)
  • State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. Martinez, 26 Kan. App.2d 869 (2000)

Representative Clients

General:

  • INVISTA
  • Nies Homes, Inc.
  • Star Lumber and Supply Co., Inc.

Healthcare:

  • The Dental Center
  • Guide One
  • Health Care Stabilization Fund
  • Hutchinson Clinic
  • KAMMCO
  • Preferred Health Systems, Inc.
  • Southwest Medical Center
  • Via Christi Health Systems, Inc.

Insurance:

  • Allied Insurance Nationwide
  • Amerisure
  • The Cincinnati Insurance Companies
  • CNA
  • Electric Insurance Company (a GE company)
  • IMA, Inc.
  • Lancer Insurance Company
  • State Farm Fire & Casualty Insurance Company
  • West Bend Insurance Company

Transportation/Logistics:

  • A.T.T.I.C
  • Combined Transport Inc.
  • Con-way, Inc.
  • DART Transit, Inc.
  • Forward Air, Inc.
  • International Pizza Hut Franchise Holders Association
  • New Prime
  • Prestige Bus Charter

Affiliations, Activities & Honors

  • American Bar Association
  • Litigation Counsel of America 
  • Defense Research Institute
  • Kansas Association of Defense Counsel
  • Kansas Bar Association
  • Super Lawyers
    —  2005, 2006, & 2009 – Present (Civil Litigation Defense)
  • Best Lawyers
    — 2008 – 2018 & 2021 – Present (Construction Law)
    — 2011 – Present (Litigation – Construction)
    — 2018 – Present (Insurance Law)
    — 2021 – Present (Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Insurance, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants)
  • Best Lawyers ‘Lawyer of the Year’
    —  2019 (Insurance Law)
    —  2023 (Construction Law)
  • Missouri Bar Association
  • Trucking Industry Defense Association (T.I.D.A.)
  • ALFA International
  • Transportation, Construction, and Insurance Practice Group Steering Committee
  • Wichita Bar Association
  • Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, Disciplinary Board
  • The International Society of Explosives Engineers
  • St. John’s Episcopal Church, Former Sr. Warden, Chairperson of Capital Campaign and Rector Search Committee

Education 

  • Washburn University School of Law, J.D., 1990
  • University of Kansas, B.G.S., political science, 1987

Bar Admissions 

  • Kansas Supreme Court
  • Missouri Supreme Court
  • United States Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit
  • United States District Court, District of Kansas
  • United States District Court, Western District of Missouri