About F. Jerome Tapley

F. Jerome Tapley is a Principal at Cory Watson Attorneys in Birmingham, Alabama. He concentrates exclusively on courtroom litigation, class actions, mass torts, and products liability cases.

Tapley earned his Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and his Bachelor of Science from Auburn University Montgomery. He is admitted to the Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee State Bars, the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits, and multiple federal district courts in Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and Indiana.

Tapley grew up in Alexander City, Alabama, and was the first college graduate in his family. His trial record includes a $25 million verdict for plaintiffs in an automotive defect case against Nissan in California, plus significant wins in wrongful death and environmental pollution litigation. He serves as Co-Chair of the Class Action and Consumer Fraud group and on the firm's management committee. His honors include Super Lawyers (2011-2025), Best Lawyers in America (2020-2026), and AV Preeminent peer review rating.

Proven verdicts and settlements

A federal jury in Columbus found that DuPont's C-8 contamination caused Travis Abbott's testicular cancer and awarded him and his wife $50 million. After the trial court applied Ohio's cap on his wife's loss-of-consortium damages, the enforceable judgment came to about $40.3 million, which the Sixth Circuit later affirmed.

Columbus, Ohio (U.S. District Court, S.D. Ohio) · 2020Product LiabilityRead the full story →
$25 millionVerdictTop 20 of 2017 · #20

A Los Angeles jury found a defective brake sensor in a 2004 Infiniti QX56 caused the 2012 Hollywood crash that killed a mother and her two daughters, and the $25 million verdict was later upheld on appeal.

Los Angeles, CA (Superior Court of California) · 2017Product LiabilityRead the full story →

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.

Practice areas

Education

Auburn University Montgomery
Undergraduate

Bar admissions & credentials

State Bar of Alabama
State Bar of Florida
State Bar of Tennessee
State Bar of United States Supreme Court
State Bar of U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
State Bar of U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
State Bar of U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
State Bar of U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Alabama State Bar Association
Florida Bar Association
Alabama Association for Justice (Emerging Leaders Section)
American Association for Justice

Awards & recognition

Super Lawyers (2011-2025)
Best Lawyers in America (2020-2026)
AV Preeminent (Martindale-Hubbell)
National Trial Lawyers - Top 100
National Trial Lawyers - Top 40 Under 40
B-Metro Magazine TopFlight Attorneys (2019-2021)
National Law Journal's Top 100 Verdicts of 2020

Other attorneys at Cory Watson Attorneys

View firm →

Proven verdicts and settlements from other Birmingham firms

Hare Wynn Newell & Newton
Hare Wynn Newell & Newton
$1.51 billion · Hare Wynn Serves as Co-Lead Class Counsel in $1.51 Billion Syngenta Settlement for U.S. Corn Farmers
Marsh, Rickard & Bryan
Marsh, Rickard & Bryan
$30 Million Verdict After Trauma Surgeon Started Second Elective Surgery While Gunshot Patient Bled Out
Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys
Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys
$20.73 million · Horry County Jury Returns Record $20.73 Million Against Myrtle Beach Lifeguard Contractor in Drowning of Father Caught in Rip Current
Heninger Garrison Davis
Heninger Garrison Davis
$64 million · Federal Jury Awards $64 Million to Charity Bingo Developers Blocked by VictoryLand
Hollis, Wright & Clay, P.C.
Hollis, Wright & Clay, P.C.
$10 Million Verdict for Deputy Mauled by Unmuzzled Police K-9 During Training

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.