Kimberly B. Sheridan - Vernis & Bowling

Kimberly B. Sheridan, Esq.
Managing Attorney
Vernis & Bowling of Atlanta, LLC 30 Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30341
Phone: (404) 846-2001
Email: KSheridan@Georgia-Law.com
Fax: (404) 846-2002
Website: www.national-law.com
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Verdicts and Dispositions

Brittney Slade v. Eric Branam and Lori Branam
Kimberly Sheridan, Michael Becker and law clerk, Turner LaFiandra-McCall (Atlanta, GA) (Premises Liability) obtained Summary Judgment in the State Court of Hall County, Georgia. Plaintiff fell down Defendants’ stairs and alleged that the stairs posed a hazard.

The Plaintiff filed suit on a premises liability theory, claiming that she sustained injuries after falling down the stairs at Defendant’s Airbnb rental. In her deposition, Plaintiff stated that she took off her shoes and socks and walked up the stairs barefoot after entering the house, admitting they she placed her feet on each step and looked at the steps while walking up them with her luggage. When descending the stairs, Plaintiff did not use the handrail, lost her footing approximately halfway down and fell. Plaintiff alleged that the stairs were a static hazardous condition in that they were too steep and not compliant with building codes, alleging in her complaint only that there was “…a dangerous condition (to wit: unsafe stairs).” Plaintiff also paid an expert to inspect the stairs and draft a report.

First, the Defense argued that that Plaintiff was on notice of any alleged hazard because she traversed the stairs prior to her fall. Second, the Defense argued that the Plaintiff could not maintain her claim because there was no evidence the Defendants had knowledge of an alleged hazard. Third, the Defense argued that there was no competent evidence on whether a hazard existed. Last, the Defense argued that an alleged hazard was open and obvious to the Plaintiff. There is no duty to warn of the obvious.

The court granted the motion and entered Judgment in favor of the Defense.
Jane Doe v. Stablegold Hospitality, LLC, Affordable Hotel, LLC, and Taurus Protection Agency, LLC
Michael Becker and Kimberly Sheridan (Atlanta, GA) (Premises Liability/Negligent Security) obtained a Dismissal in the State Court of DeKalb County. Plaintiff was assaulted outside of a hotel and her room was robbed.

The Defense argued that there was no evidence of Plaintiff’s room being robbed because Plaintiff was unconscious at the alleged time, that Plaintiff’s security expert affidavit was based on uncertified or unsworn police reports that were not produced, and that the same affidavit failed to show proximate cause because it only contained summary legal conclusions about foreseeability rather than examining any role of the defendant’s security failures. The Defense also pointed out that Plaintiff’s other expert affidavit only spoke to how Plaintiff’s memory could be affected by trauma, which impermissibly served as an expert opinion on how credible the Plaintiff was.

Last, the Defense argued that even if improvements were made that it would not have prevented the acts, pointing out that Plaintiff forgetting to lock her door or her invitation of the perpetrators inside were equally (if not more) likely to be the case with what little evidence the Plaintiff presented. The only evidence the jury would have considered would be impermissible speculation regarding security failures.

The court granted the motion and entered judgment in favor of the Defense.
Qur’an Abdul Khaliq v. Office Depot
Michael Becker and Kimberly Sheridan (Atlanta, GA) (Premises Liability/Slip and Fall) obtained a Dismissal in Federal Court. Plaintiff Qur’an Abdul Khaliq filed suit for injuries allegedly sustained in a slip and fall at Office Depot. She alleged a concussion, alleged a brain injury, and injuries to her teeth and knee and claimed damages for lost income, medical expenses, and pain and suffering.

Plaintiff filed suit shortly before the statute of limitations and failed to correctly serve the complaint until after it expired. After removing to federal court, the Defense filed a motion to dismiss based on defective service and the statute of limitations. The Court granted the motion and entered judgment in favor of the Defense.
George Nelson vs Bonefish Grill LLC
Kimberly Sheridan (Atlanta, GA) (Premises Liability) recently obtained a Motion for Summary Judgment for Bonefish Grill. The Plaintiff filed suit on a premises liability theory, claiming he sustained back, shoulder, elbow and head injuries following a fall on his way to the bathroom at Bonefish Grill. We deposed the Plaintiff and filed a Motion for Summary Judgment based on his testimony. Specifically, he testified he noticed the restaurant floors were shiny and slick on his way into the restaurant and when he got up from his booth to go to the bathroom, he noticed again they were shiny and slick. We argued in our motion that if a hazardous condition existed, Plaintiff had equal knowledge of it and was thus, precluded from recovery under Georgia law. We further argued that if there was any hazard, Plaintiff assumed the risk when he continued to walk on the floor. Under Georgia law, a plaintiff who voluntarily exposes himself to the risk has failed to exercise ordinary care for his safety and cannot recover. The Judge agreed and granted Bonefish Grill Summary Judgement on all counts in the Complaint.
Smith v. Cornelius, et. al.
Kimberly Sheridan and Michael Becker (Atlanta, GA) (Commercial Auto) obtained Summary Judgment for an employer in a commercial automobile claim. Following a serious motor vehicle accident, Plaintiff/passenger Kelsey Smith filed a lawsuit against the driver of her vehicle, Keegan Lenderman, and the driver of the other involved vehicle, George Cornelius. Smith and Lenderman both alleged significant injuries in the crash. Plaintiff also sued, and Lenderman likewise crossclaimed against Elite Comfort Solutions, which they alleged employed Cornelius at the time of the accident. Discovery revealed that Elite retained Mr. Cornelius, an Illinois attorney, to be their outside general counsel as an independent contractor. At the close of discovery counsel moved for Summary Judgment arguing that Mr. Cornelius was not their employee but rather an independent contractor, and therefore Elite was not responsible for his conduct under a vicarious liability theory. Following extensive briefing and oral arguments, Judge Shawn Bratton concluded that Cornelius was not Elite’s employee as clearly set out in his retainer agreement and granted Elite’s motion for Summary Judgment. Plaintiff and crossclaim plaintiff did not appeal.
Cooks v. Holt, et. al.
Kimberly Sheridan and Michael Becker (Atlanta, GA) (Commercial Auto) obtained a Dismissal for youth group Young Life in a bus crash case. Plaintiff Medgar Cooks was driving Young Life Campers in a chartered bus when it broke down. His chartering company sent a relief driver from a separate bus chartering company, Travis Holt, who picked up Plaintiff and the campers and drove them to Young Life’s camp in Jasper, Georgia. After unloading the campers, Holt crashed the bus with Plaintiff inside as a passenger, allegedly causing him injuries. Plaintiff sued Young Life on the theory that Holt was its employee and/or agent. However, counsel’s investigation revealed that Young Life’s relationship to all of the other parties in the case was that of an independent contractor, and Holt was an independent contractor of another independent contractor, further insulating Young Life from liability. Counsel sent to the plaintiff a frivolous and abusive litigation warning threatening to seek damages and fees if the Complaint was not dismissed within 30 days. Counsel simultaneously sent a statutory offer of settlement pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 9-11-68 in the amount of $50.00; and filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. Thanks to an aggressive up-front defense, Plaintiff opted to dismiss his case against Young Life voluntarily rather than risk an award of attorney’s fees and expenses under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-68 or a subsequent abusive litigation suit.
Siegel v. Segal
Kimberly Sheridan and Michael Becker (Atlanta, GA) (Premises Liability) obtained a Dismissal for homeowner Katherine Segal in a dog-bite case. According to the allegations of Plaintiff Siegel’s complaint, Ms. Segal re-homed her dog, Scout, to a new owner, Kristina Thrower. Five months later, Plaintiff Siegel was visiting Thrower’s home when Scout allegedly bit her in the face, allegedly causing injuries and scarring. Plaintiff Siegel sued Scout’s former owner, Defendant Segal, on a dog-bite/failure to warn theory. Counsel filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. Counsel argued that under O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7, which governs liability for owners or keepers of dogs, liability lies only against the current owner or keeper of a dog, not against former owners or keepers. Rather than respond to the motion, Plaintiff dismissed her lawsuit. Plaintiff did not renew the suit and the dismissal is therefore final
Dycus v. Member Select Insurance Company
Kimberly Sheridan and Michael Becker (Atlanta, GA) (Commercial Auto/Coverage) obtained Dismissal of a direct action against MemberSelect Insurance Company in a commercial motor vehicle claim. Plaintiff alleged he was injured by Reverend Gaines, who was returning from a religious conference and pulling a trailer of parishioners’ luggage and insured by an MSIC personal lines policy. Plaintiff alleged that because his vehicle and trailer together exceeded 10,000 pounds, and because he was operating his vehicle “for hire,” Rev. Gaines was a motor carrier and filed a direct action against MSIC. Plaintiff refused a tender of the policy limits, opting instead to advance a novel theory that MSIC should have known that their insured would be, at times, a motor carrier and therefore should have sold him a commercial liability auto policy with the statutorily required limits rather than a personal lines policy. Following discovery counsel moved for summary judgment arguing that if Rev. Gaines was “for hire,” coverage was wholly excluded by the business use exclusion in his personal lines policy; alternatively, if he was not “for hire,” then he did not meet the statutory definition of a motor carrier and therefore a direct action against MSIC was not authorized by law. Faced with committing to either position, Plaintiff dismissed MSIC.

Areas Of Practice

American with Disability Act Claims (A.D.A)
Appellate Practice
Automobile Liability (PIP/PD/BI/UM)
Bad Faith/Extra Contractual Litigation
Civil Litigation
Condominium and Homeowners' Association Litigation
Coverage & Declaratory Judgment Actions
Cyber Security & Data Privacy
Director & Officer Liability (D&O)
Employment Law/Employment Litigation
First and Third Party Property and Casualty Claims
Government Law
Labor and Employment Law
Liability Defense
Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution
Medical Malpractice
Premises Liability
Product Liability
Professional Liability/E & O
SIU/Suspicious & Fraudulent Claims
Trucking
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Liability
Wrongful Death

Bar & Court Admission

Georgia Bar
U.S. District Courts for the Northern District
U.S. District Courts for the Middle District Courts of Georgia
U.S. District Court of Appeals of Georgia
Supreme Court of Georgia

Education

Graduate:
The University of Georgia School of Law, J.D., cum laude
Honors: Notes Editor, Journal of Intellectual Property Law

Undergraduate:
University of Georgia, B.A. in Political Science and English

Memberships

Georgia Bar Association
Georgia Defense Lawyers Associations
American Bar Association

Reported Decisions

State v. Williams, 225 Ga. App. 736 (1997)
Hicks v. State, 231 Ga. App. 552 (1998)
Outside the Box Innovations, LLC v. Travel Caddy, Inc., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 100640, (N.D. Ga 2006) Outside the Box Innovations, LLC v. Travel Caddy, Inc., 455 F. Supp. 2d 1374 (N.D. Ga 2007)

Kimberly B. Sheridan was born in Frankfurt, Germany where her father was serving in the Army. She grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, but left South Carolina to attend college in Georgia. She fell in love with the State of Georgia and stayed to pursue her life long goal of being an attorney. While attending law school at the University of Georgia, Kimberly worked in the Prosecution Clinic, a program that allowed her to try cases before graduating. Kimberly also participated in the Public Interest Practicum representing women and children who were abused and neglected. Both experiences created a passion for litigation and for being in the courtroom advocating vigorously for her clients.

Kimberly believes in the legal system and works hard to defend her clients’ rights with integrity, diligence and hard work. Kimberly has been a trial lawyer in Atlanta since receiving her Juris Doctorate degree in 1996. She began her legal career as criminal defense attorney and Plaintiff’s lawyer before becoming a prosecutor with the District Attorney’s Offices in Fulton and Gwinnett counties providing her with tremendous experience litigating and trying cases. In 2001, Ms. Sheridan shifted from criminal law and applied her substantial experience in the courtroom to civil defense litigation. Kimberly has handled many jury and bench trials. She has defended and deposed numerous parties, witnesses, and experts and drafted and argued countless motions. Kimberly has also written and won many appellate arguments.

Kimberly Sheridan is the Managing Attorney for Vernis and Bowling of Atlanta, LLC. With two (2) decades of trial experience, she has developed a diverse litigation practice that includes automobile liability, premises liability (including slip & fall and negligent security), trucking litigation, products liability, employment defense and wrongful death. With an extensive knowledge of both the law and its practical application, Kimberly works with clients to resolve complex disputes per mediation, negotiated settlement, or trial resolution. She is admitted to practice in Georgia and the U.S. District Courts in Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Georgia.

Outside of work, Kimberly enjoys spending time with her husband and five children. Kimberly is an avid painter and has sold her paintings throughout Georgia.

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