Bob Cheeley | Richards v. U.S. Xpress | $15 million verdict

This week Steve and Yvonne interview Bob Cheeley of Cheeley Law Group, LLC (https://cheeleylawgroup.com/).

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Guest Bio:

Robert D. Cheeley

“I’m just a small town country lawyer” is the way Bob Cheeley refers to himself. Having grown up in Buford, Georgia in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Bob grew up wanting to help people, just as his parents, Selma Medlock Cheeley and his father, Joseph E. Cheeley, Jr. modeled for him. Bob’s mother would never miss the opportunity to help out a family in need with a meal, clothing and Christmas gifts. Mrs. Cheeley served on the Buford City School Board during integration of the schools when Bob was in middle school. Bob’s father, Joe, was a lawyer in Buford for over 60 years after graduating from the University of Georgia in 1952. While in law school, Joe would earn money as the Sanford Stadium announcer on game days. Joe also served as State Court Judge in Gwinnett County for 20 years.

Bob grew up driving tractors and working on the family farm. Later, Bob worked in his father’s law office in the summers during college and law school. It was during this time that Bob realized his calling to become a trial lawyer with a desire to help people who had been wronged, either to their person or their business.

Like his father, Bob is a “Double Dawg,” having achieved two degrees from the University of Georgia, a degree in political science in 1978 and his Juris Doctorate from the School of Law in 1982. Bob has been advocating for the rights of Georgia residents who have sustained serious and catastrophic injuries his entire career. Bob has also represented business owners who have been the victim of breaches of fiduciary duties by a partner. Bob is the founding member and the managing partner of Cheeley Law Group, LLC, located in Alpharetta. Over the course of his career, Bob has secured over six hundred million ($600,000,000) dollars in jury verdicts and settlements. Most of these have been against insurers and publicly traded corporations, including trucking companies which caused injuries and deaths on the highways. Bob has also achieved justice for people who have suffered catastrophic injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, due to automobile product defects in vehicles manufactured by companies such as General Motors, Toyota Motor Company, Suzuki Motor Company, Nissan Motor Company, and Ford Motor Company, among others. One of the most notable cases which Bob tried with his former law partner is Moseley vs. General Motors which resulted in a verdict of $105 million dollars in Atlanta in 1993. The subject vehicle was a 1982 model Chevrolet pickup truck equipped with two “side saddle” fuel tanks, located just inside the sheet metal on each side of the truck. Bob tracked down a former GM fuel system engineer named Ron Elwell who was retired. Moseley aired live on Courtroom TV and is recognized throughout the nation as a landmark win which advanced automotive fuel system design safety.

Some of Bob’s other noteworthy cases include three settlements totaling $45 million against US Xpress trucking company arising out of a tragic collision in 2015 I-16 when one of its tractor trailers ran into the rear of two vehicles carrying seven Georgia Southern nursing students, resulting in 5 deaths and 2 injuries. Only one of those cases went to trial, Richards vs. US Xpress, which involved a mild traumatic brain injury and PTSD suffered by the plaintiff. The defendants’ insurer, AIG, was intent on saving as much of the remaining policy limits as possible and offered only $1 million before trial. The jury returned a verdict of $15 million.

Bob has other notable wins at trial including a $4o million dollar verdict against Toyota when the highest offer pretrial was $10,000. Bob is licensed to practice in Georgia, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bob has been a long-standing member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice. He also served as a board member of the Attorneys Information Exchange Group. Bob also serves on the board of directors of The Piedmont Bank in Peachtree Corners, Ga.

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Free Resources:

Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1

Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2