William C. (Sonny) Barnes, Jr.
Sonny Barnes entered the practice of law at Turner Padget in 1997, after serving on active duty as an Army officer followed by two years in the private sector. Since then, he has developed a practice focused on insurance litigation and personal injury defense. Sonny has extensive jury trial experience and has appeared in state and federal courts in all regions of South Carolina. Sonny maintains an active litigation practice in which he defends businesses and individuals. These cases range from automobile accidents and premises liability claims to breach of contract and malpractice actions. He also directly represents a number of insurance carriers, providing them with coverage analysis, advising them on claims handling issues, pursuing declaratory judgments for them, and defending them on allegations of breach of contract and bad faith claims handling. Sonny is a South Carolina native with strong ties to the Pee Dee region of the state. In addition to his work with Turner Padget, he has been a soldier in the U.S. Army since entering West Point in 1984. Sonny continues to serve as a JAG officer in the Army Reserve, as part of the 12th Legal Support Organization at Fort Jackson, S.C.
“I approach the practice of law from a very practical viewpoint. I try to handle cases in the manner that I would want an attorney to handle my case if I were paying for his or her services.”
Representative Matters
Professional Liability
- Acted as lead counsel and obtained a defense verdict for a physician in a medical malpractice trial in which the plaintiff alleged that the doctor had improperly administered medications, causing her to develop hepatitis.
Insurance
- Obtained a summary judgment in a case successfully argued before the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for a life insurer in a case involving the interpretation of a policy exclusion.
- Successfully represented an automobile insurer in a case involving the rights of underinsured motorist carriers to contest liability.
- Prevailed on a summary judgment for an automobile insurer in a case involving stacking of underinsured motorist coverage.
- Defended a property and casualty insurer in a case in which the plaintiffs focused almost exclusively on allegations of institutional bad faith.