Matthew J. Jankowski is a trial attorney who specializes in handling both civil defense litigation and employment law matters. His civil defense practice focuses on diverse areas of law including heavy trucking, wrongful death, premises liability, product liability, food contamination, automobile defense, insurance coverage, bad faith, real estate E&O and agency matters, community association law, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
In employment law, Matt has defended cases involving allegations of racial discrimination, national origin discrimination, gender discrimination, hostile work environment, age discrimination, and sexual harassment in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Indiana Civil Rights Commission. His experience with municipal matters ranges from employment law matters including civil rights violations, to land use, zoning, and general liability.
Matt joined KPD in 2004, after having obtained extensive insurance defense and valuable trial experience in the central Indiana legal community since his admission to the bar in 1998. He has continued to add to that experience, and to date, has tried more than 50 jury cases to verdict, along with a significant number of bench trials and arbitrations. Matt has also served as lead counsel on numerous appeals arising from both motion practice and jury verdicts rendered at the trial court level, defending the interests of his clients on topics including expert witness bias, premises insurance coverage, medical malpractice, and contractual indemnity.
- Indiana State Bar Association
- Indianapolis Bar Association
- National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association (NNRDA)
- Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS), Midwest Chapter
- South Central Human Resources Association (SCHIRA)
- In a discrimination claim, based on age and race, Matt conducted a timely investigation, establishing that the alleged dates of discrimination were inconsistent with the date of discharge, and therefore established that the employee had been terminated from her at-will employment based on her lack of appropriate financial background. The case was negotiated for a nominal settlement with little litigation expense for the client.
- In recent trials, Matt successfully defended two different U.S. based corporations in suits brought in Indianapolis, Indiana (Marion County). In the first trial, the plaintiffs had claimed that a popular adjustable mattress manufacturer had delivered a mattress to their home that was infested with bedbugs. Matt used expert witness testimony to convince the jury that it was virtually impossible for the insects to have been introduced to the plaintiffs’ home in the manner that they claimed. He established a more likely means of manifestation not involving the manufacturer that the jury found persuasive. The jury returned a defense verdict in less than 20 minutes. In the second, the plaintiffs claimed that an employee of an aerospace company had struck the rear of their vehicle while in the course and scope of his employment, resulting in permanent injuries to the plaintiff’s wife. Matt again used expert witness testimony to not only contest the way the plaintiff’s wife claimed that she was injured, but also the nature and extent of those injuries. Though the plaintiffs had demanded $750,000 to resolve their claims prior to trial, the jury returned a verdict awarding them only $25,000.
- Other recent jury trial successes in personal injury cases include obtaining a verdict well under the amount demanded of his client in Wright v. Maurer and obtaining a defense verdict in favor of his client in Jones v. Sterrett, both in Marion County, Indiana.
- In the personal injury case of Lowe v. Speer, the plaintiff sought $300,000 for injuries sustained in a collision which he claimed was the result of Matt’s client pulling out in front of his vehicle. Based on concerns about liability, the plaintiff was offered $70,000 prior to trial. After a four-day jury trial, Matt was able to obtain a defense verdict for his client.
- Please click here for a summary of jury cases tried by Matt during his time at KPD.