Paynter Law is proud to announce Stuart M. Paynter’s selection as a North Carolina Lawyers Weekly 2019 Leader in the Law. This award honors North Carolina legal professionals who have “gone above and beyond in their profession and their community”. The 2019 award recipients will be honored at a ceremony in Greensboro on October 25, 2019.
Stuart Paynter is the owner of Paynter Law and lives in Hillsborough, NC. He started the firm over a decade ago in Washington, DC and now operates offices in Washington, DC; Hillsborough, NC; and Raleigh, NC.
Stuart has represented Plaintiffs in groundbreaking litigation around the country. In 2018, he had a verdict on the National Law Journal’s Top 100 Verdicts. Notable verdicts and settlements include:
- $60 million settlement. As one of the Court-appointed lead counsel, Stuart achieved a $60 million settlement on behalf of student athletes whose names and likenesses had been used in videogames produced by Electronic Arts. $20 million of that amount was paid directly by the NCAA representing one of the first, if not the first, time that the NCAA has ever paid a student athlete for the use of his or her name, image, or likeness.
- $383.5 million jury verdict. Stuart was co-lead trial counsel in three consolidated wrongful death cases against DaVita, Inc. alleging fraud and improper administration of dialysis. The 2018 jury verdict included over $300 million in punitive damages.
- $21.5 million confidential settlement. Working with Virginia barred co-counsel, Stuart achieved a $21.5 million settlement in a trade secret case. The client, a small software company, had alleged that a large Fortune 500 company had stolen its software. Stuart replaced a well-respected D.C. firm that had been handling the case on an hourly basis. The settlement result was approximately 20 times what the defendant had previously been willing to pay and nearly double the last demand of prior counsel.
Professional Membership & Contributions
Stuart is a member of the NC Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the NC Advocates for Justice. He was recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2013-2016 and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer every year since 2017. He has presented throughout the country at seminars and CLEs on various topics including intellectual property, lithium-ion battery litigation, trademarks and unfair competition, and punitive damages strategies, among others.
In addition to his private practice, Stuart also co-teaches a seminar course at Duke Law on Antitrust and Sports.