W. Curtis Anderson

W. Curtis Anderson is a partner with Downey & Cleveland, LLP in Marietta, Georgia.

Curtis concentrates his litigation practice in the areas of automobile liability, medical malpractice, and premises liability.

He brings to the table more than 30 years of trial experience.

During his career, he has served as lead counsel in more than 150 jury trials, securing outstanding results for his clients.

Curtis is frequently called on by one of the largest auto insurers in the country to handle large exposure cases in courts across Georgia, such as those involving catastrophic injury and wrongful death. He also serves as trial counsel for the largest healthcare system in metropolitan Atlanta in slip-and-fall and medical malpractice actions.

Curtis also has extensive experience with claims involving allegations of extra-contractual exposure and Georgia law related settlement offers, and he is frequently relied upon by clients and colleagues for advice in these areas. Along with his defense practice, Curtis is requested by colleagues across the aisle to assist at trial on plaintiff’s cases.

In addition to his trial work, Curtis has handled dozens of appeals before the Georgia Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Georgia.

Along with his litigation practice, Curtis has been a featured speaker at Continuing Legal Education seminars, most recently on the topics of UM law and the defense of a personal injury case.

Legal Assistants

Maribeth Gibbs
770-422-3233, ext. 1242
maribeth@downeycleveland.com

Jamie Loux
770-422-3233, ext. 1239
jamie@downeycleveland.com

Representative Results

Trial Courts

Superior Court of Paulding County
Defense verdict obtained for teen client accused of striking and killing a pedestrian while she was driving home from work, but evidence demonstrated the plaintiff was walking in the middle roadway at night and could not be seen despite the defendant’s exercise of due care
Superior Court of Cobb County
Defense verdict obtained in wrongful death case in favor of hospital system that provided medical care at county jail because the evidence demonstrated the inmate’s death did not result from medical malpractice
State Court of Cobb County
Representing UM carrier, limited total damages to $300,000 in admitted negligence auto case in which the plaintiff presented $298,578 in medical expenses and her attorney asked the jury to award $1.8 million
Superior Court of Dade County
Obtained defense verdict in case involving plaintiff who underwent neck surgery after an auto accident and presented $77,000 in medical expenses to jurors
State Court of Cobb County
In an auto case involving four plaintiffs, jury awarded $10,000 to each plaintiff and apportioned 25 percent fault to a non-party, rejecting request by plaintiff’s counsel to award $218,000 in damages
State Court of Fulton County
Limited total jury award to $14,627 in rear-end auto case involving plaintiff who claimed past medical expenses of $14,353 and lost wages of $27,000
State Court of Gwinnett County
Rejecting request by plaintiff’s counsel to award $1.2 million in damages, the jury limited award to $12,500 in auto case where the plaintiff introduced into evidence $36,146 in past medical expenses and $250,662 in future medical expenses

Appellate Courts

Supreme Court of Georgia
Affirming the trial court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s renewal action in a medical malpractice case because it was barred by the statute of repose [pdf – appellate opinion]
Georgia Court of Appeals
Reversal of trial court in favor of hospital system because it could not be vicariously responsible for an employee’s alleged sexual assault of a patient [pdf – appellate opinion]
Supreme Court of Georgia
On writ of certiorari, obtained reversal of jury’s award of $22 million in a medical malpractice case because jurors were improperly instructed on principles of ordinary negligence [pdf – appellate opinion]
Georgia Court of Appeals
Reversal in favor of mental health facility based upon statute of limitations in malpractice action by patient who alleged improper treatment led to her suffering hallucinations about being the victim of satanic rituals and the development of multiple personality disorder [pdf – appellate opinion]
Georgia Court of Appeals
Affirming dismissal of plaintiff’s suit against auto insurer as an improper direct action and imposing sanctions for frivolous appeal [pdf – appellate opinion]

Practice Areas

View All Practices

Credentials

Education

Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Georgia, 1988
Juris Doctorate, cum laude, University of Georgia, 1991

Court Admissions

Georgia State and Superior Courts
Georgia Court of Appeals
Supreme Court of Georgia
United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Professional Memberships

Cobb County Bar Association
Georgia State Bar Association
Georgia Defense Lawyers Association
Defense Research Institute
Association of Defense Trial Attorneys