Testimonials
“Michael represented me on a complex False Claims Act case. I was extremely pleased with the quality of his representation. My case was complicated because I was a federal employee who claimed that the agency for which I worked, the Minerals Management Service, was corrupt and had prevented me from recovering certain oil royalties due from the Kerr-McGee Oil and Gas Corporation. Michael filed a False Claims action on my behalf and led the team of lawyers that pursued this case for two and a half years before trial, through a jury trial and then through a series of trial court motions and appeals that lasted for another four and half years.
Michael’s pre-trial work was excellent – Kerr-McGee filed several motions in an attempt to have the case dismissed and Michael and my team successfully defended those motions. Michael spear headed the discovery practice and the preparation of our experts through which we developed a solid case. We tried the case for six days in Denver before a twelve-member federal jury. After deliberating less than four hours, this jury agreed with us and awarded the United States precisely the amount I believed Kerr McGee owed, $7,555,886.28. Our efforts won me a commendation from the United States House of Representatives, which commendation acknowledged that I had accomplished something the administration had failed to do: hold oil companies accountable.
Surprisingly, a little over a month after the jury trial, the trial judge changed his mind and threw the case out ruling the court had no jurisdiction. My legal team then brought in an excellent appellate lawyer, Sean Connelly, to handle the appeal. Sean did a tremendous job and was successful in getting the jury verdict reinstated. Upon remand to the trial court, Kerr-McGee still fought to have the jury verdict thrown out. Michael and my team successfully defended against Kerr-McGee’s motions and eventually the $7.5M jury verdict was converted into a judgment in the amount of $22,931,658.78. Upon my request, Michael worked to achieve a complete settlement of my case and he was successful in achieving a settlement that paid out $26M.
The pursuit of my case took over seven years. In the end, I was grateful to Michael in many respects, including: (1) he stayed the course for the long haul; (2) he never pressured me to settle too early; (3) he was willing and prepared to go to court; (4) he worked closely with me on the discovery and the depositions; (5) he always kept me informed; (6) he always made me feel respected, important and relevant; (7) he understood the issues totally; (8) he was assertive and aggressive in pursuing my case; (9) his courtroom presentations were amazing; and (10) he dealt with the Department of Justice and the oil companies very effectively.”
-Bobby L. Maxwell
“I injured my back at work for Lockheed Martin (called Martin Marietta at the time) on November 1, 1991. I continued to work until March 25, 1992 when I couldn’t get out of my chair to go home at the end of the day.
I was advised by the Personnel Department at Lockheed Martin that I would need an attorney to seek a worker’s compensation claim.
Sometime within the next month I contacted Michael S. Porter esq. to represent me in a worker’s compensation claim against Lockheed Martin.
Mr. Porter worked very diligently on my case and helped me to get the proper medical attention that I required. He also worked on getting my claim through the bureaucracy of the Worker’s Compensation system.
We finally wound up going to court and on approximately March 17, 2005 my attorney Mike Porter received documentation from the Insurance Carrier for Lockheed Martin that I had been judged to be Permanently Totally Disabled and they sent the information on how much my PTD benefits would be.
Although this was essentially the end of my attorney’s involvement in the case he offered that he would be available pro bono anytime I needed legal help in the future regarding my case.
Just this year (2018) I have needed legal help because the insurance carrier for Lockheed Martin would not permit another back surgery that is required to relieve tremendous pain in my back. I contacted Mr. Porter and he helped me with the legal requirements of the request for a further back surgery. He has stayed with me all these years even though my case was officially “closed” back in 2005.”
-Bruce H. Robson
“Mike Porter represented my wife and I in 2000-2002 after my wife was seriously injured in an auto accident. She sustained a very bad brain injury, and was hospitalized from the date of the accident (late August) to early in December.
During this time Mike attended each of the weekly team meetings (doctors and rehab staff) and was hands on throughout her recovery process. He was generous with his time and a very present ally in our time of crisis. Mike’s presentation of our case to the insurance company was exhaustive in its detail.
Fortunately for us his work resulted in a settlement that allowed us to focus on my wife’s wellness and recovery without having to be stressed about finances.
Mike Porter is a very good person and an excellent attorney. Our gratitude to him for his help cannot be expressed in words.”
-Wes Tuthill
“Mike, hope this card finds you well. It is hard to believe a year has passed since this workers’ compensation case was finally settled. We can’t thank you enough for the decades of labor and excellent guidance you provided. Without your efforts, Larry’s health would have been even more negatively impacted, not to mention the financial disaster you mitigated. Your management of this case was a blessing and we are forever grateful! Thanks for finding Neil for us, he was wonderful.”
-Larry and Linda Hendrix, December, 2018