JAMES R. (JASON) COLTHARP, JR.

Mr. Coltharp's practice is concentrated upon general civil litigation, insurance defense, appellate advocacy and construction law.  He also has significant experience in liquor liability, medical malpractice defense and intellectual property law.

Licenses

He has been admitted to the Kentucky Bar and the bars of the Western and Eastern Districts of Kentucky, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Experience

Mr. Coltharp has practiced before numerous courts throughout western Kentucky, and has represented clients before the Court of Appeals of Kentucky, the Supreme Court of Kentucky, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In a recent case pending before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, he was slected to write the appellate brief on behalf of 10 other attorneys and their 38 clients, and was subsequently selected to present the oral argument on behalf of 23 attorneys and their 58 clients.

Background

Jason is a Paducah native who returned to his hometown to practice law upon graduation from law school.  He served as a law clerk to the Hon. Thomas B. Russell, United States District Judge for the Western District of Kentucky for two years before joining Whitlow, Roberts, Houston & Straub in 2003.   He became a Member of the firm in 2008.

Education                            

Mr. Coltharp is a graduate of the University of Kentucky (B.A. with honors, magna cum laude) and the University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D., cum laude). While at the College of Law, Mr. Coltharp was elected to the Order of the Coif and to the Trial Advocacy Board.  He was also a member of the Kentucky Law Journal, where he served as Notes Editor.  While serving on the Kentucky Law Journal, Mr. Coltharp authored Acting Without Just Cause: An Analysis of the Ninth Circuit's Decision in United States v. Symington, 89 Ky. L.J. 227 (2000).  As an undergraduate at the University of Kentucky, Mr. Coltharp was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa and won the University's Philo Bennett Award for the best undergraduate history paper.

Associations and Service

Jason is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association and he is a member and past Secretary-Treasurer of the McCracken County Bar Association.  Active in the community, Mr. Coltharp currently serves as secretary of the Paducah Film Society, which operates the nonprofit Maiden Alley Cinema, as vice president of the Paducah Tennis Association, as a board member of Easter Seals West Kentucky and Paducah McCracken County Growth, Inc., and as a member of the Construction Leadership Council. He is also a graduate of Leadership Paducah (Class 20) and a past president of the McCracken County chapter of the University of Kentucky Alumni Association.

Reported Cases

• Brozowski v. Johnson, 179 S.W.3d 261 (Ky. App. 2005)
• Jackson v. Tullar, 285 S.W.3d 290 (Ky. App. 2007)
• McGonigle v. Whitehawk, 481 F. Supp. 2d 835 (W.D. Ky. 2007)
• Nazar v. Branham, 291 S.W.3d 599 (Ky. 2009) (amicus curiae brief)
• Auto Owners Insurance Co. v. Consumers Insurance USA, Inc., 323 S.W.3d 781 (Ky. App. 2010)
• Shaheen v. Yonts, 394 Fed. Appx. 224 (6th Cir. 2010)

Articles and Presentations

• Kentucky Law Takes Aim At Lawsuits: What Every Builder Should Know About Kentucky's Notice and Opportunity to Repair Act
• Time Limits on Construction Suits: Statutes of Limitations, Statutes of Repose, and Contract-Imposed Deadlines to Filing Suit
• Kentucky Liquor Liability - From DeStock to Jackson (with E. Frederick Straub, Jr.)

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