Cornelius E. Coryell

Corky Coryell focuses on complex commercial litigation, representing businesses and individuals in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels. His civil litigation experience includes disputes involving non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, alleged breaches of fiduciary duty, data privacy breaches and the defense of consumer class actions.

A member of the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Service Team, Corky also handles banking litigation, trust and estate litigation, and insurance disputes, including matters involving alleged bad faith settlement practices. His clients include banks, consumer finance companies, nationwide private label credit card issuers, title insurance underwriters, and life and disability income insurance underwriters.

• Watkins v. Trust Under Will of William Marshall Bullitt by and through its Trustee PNC Bank, National Association, 2017 WL 3710088 (2019) - an action brought by the remainder beneficiary of a trust alleging that the Trustee had breached fiduciary duties by, among other things, failing to pursue development opportunities for a large tract of real property owned by the Trust and inflating the value of the property to increase trust administration fees.  After years of discovery and motion practice, the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky granted summary judgment to the Trustee on all claims.
• Pogue v. The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, 2019 WL 1376032 (2019) - a breach of contract and bad faith action brought by an insured claiming wrongful denial of claims under three policies of long-term disability income insurance.  The insurer defended on the grounds that among other things, the plaintiff's claim for benefits was excluded under the terms of the policies.  After extensive discovery and motion practice, the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky granted summary judgment to the insurer on all claims.  That ruling was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
• Lyles, et al. v. RDP Company, et al., 2017 WL 3393947 (2017) – multiple actions brought by mineral lessors against the operator of a limestone quarry claiming that their leases were unconscionable and seeking a declaration that the leases were no longer valid.  After extensive discovery and motion practice, the trial court granted summary judgment to the quarry operator on all claims, and that ruling was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
• Watkins v. PNC Bank, National Association, 2015 WL 394103 (2015) – an action brought by the remainder beneficiary of a trust alleging that the Trustee had improperly invested the trust’s assets in violation of the Prudent Investor Rule and had breached fiduciary duties by investing trust assets with an affiliated mutual fund company.  The trial court granted summary judgment to the Trustee on all claims and that ruling was affirmed by the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

• J.D., University of Kentucky College of Law, 1987
• B.S.B.A. with high honors, University of Louisville, 1984 (Finance)

• Woodward/White’s Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Banking & Finance Litigation, and Real Estate Litigation 2006-present and Personal Injury Litigation (Defendants) 2018-present
• Best Lawyers® 2017 Louisville Litigation-Banking and Finance "Lawyer of the Year"
• Best Lawyers® 2013, 2022, 2024, 2026 Louisville Litigation-Real Estate "Lawyer of the Year"
• Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers in Commercial Litigation.  Clients interviewed by Chambers USA describe Mr. Coryell as "very practical and an excellent writer; he has a real feel for strategy."
• "AV" rated in Martindale-Hubbell
• Recognized as a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation 2017-2019
• Recognized as Local Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation 2015
• Kentucky Super Lawyers® 2007-present

• Louisville and Kentucky Bar Associations
• Defense Research Institute member