Susman, Duffy and Segaloff, P.C.

Litigation

As head of the firm’s Litigation Department, Tom brings almost twenty years of litigation experience to Susman, Duffy & Segaloff in both the state and federal courts. Tom’s primary areas of concentration are professional liability and municipal defense. He has defended public liability claims ranging from police misconduct and civil rights violations to competitive bidding disputesand personal injury suits arising from automobile accidents and defective roadways. Tom also focuses on corporate and commercial litigation particularly claims of unfair trade practices, as well as the representation of financial institutions in defensive lender liability matters. He has personally represented Connecticut manufacturers in the defense of products liability claims and has participated with other members of the Litigation Practice Group in the defense of mass tort claims.

Tom has successfully defended legal malpractice claims in federal court with claimed damages exceeding $65,000,000.00. He has successfully handled appeals from professional liability cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Court and recently obtained a defense verdict in a legal malpractice case in state court which the plaintiff was claiming damages exceeding $4,000,000.00.

Tom is a member of the Professional Liability Section of the Defense Research Institute as well as its Business Litigation Section, the Professional Liability Underwriter’s Society, and has lectured on insurance coverage and professional malpractice issues for the National Business Institute.

In addition to his participation in the various facets of the Litigation Practice Group’s defense focus, Tom has had extensive involvement in pro bono representation of the indigent in matters ranging from civil rights litigation to the representation of consumer debtors before the United States Bankruptcy Court. In addition to his pro bono service, Tom has served as a member of the North Branford Economic Development Commission and as a member of the Board of the Gateway Community College Foundation. He is currently serving as a member of the North Branford Zoning Board of Appeals.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Bridgeport School of Law, Tom was an editor of the law review. He is a member of the New Haven County, Connecticut, and American Bar Associations and the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association.

To Email him click here: tkaton@susmanduffy.com