Brown Readdick Bumgartner Carter Strickland & Watkins

Terry Readdick

Terry Readdick was born in Brunswick, Georgia. After graduation from Glynn Academy, he attended Georgia Tech and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management, in 1971. He then attended the University of Georgia Law School and graduated in 1974. In law school, he was the principal oralist on the National Moot Court Team, which won the Southeastern Regional Competition and participated in the National Finals. He was also a member of the International Law Moot Court Team, and as a result of those activities, was elected to the Order of Barristers. In the summer of 1973, he obtained a Certificate in an international study program at The Hague, the Netherlands.

After graduation from law school, he returned to Brunswick in 1974 and practiced for four years with Taylor, Bishop & Lee, a partnership consisting of A. Blenn Taylor, Jr., James A. Bishop, and Thomas J. Lee. In 1978, he joined the firm of Dickey, Whelchel, Miles & Brown, which has now evolved to Brown, Readdick, Bumgartner, Carter, Strickland & Watkins.

Mr. Readdick’s law practice is entirely devoted to civil litigation, and approximately three-fourths of his practice consists of the representation of local governments. He has represented approximately forty cities and counties in South Georgia in a variety of employment, civil rights and other issues. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Georgia Bar Association, and the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association, as well as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Mr. Readdick recently served as Chair of the Investigative Panel of the State Bar of Georgia, which investigates and responds to grievances filed against attorneys,as well as a member of the Court Advisory Committee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. He is an avid classical pianist, and has regularly performed in the Golden Isles area. He has been involved in many local and state arts organizations, and is a past-president of the Glynn County Mozart Society, and the Golden Isles Chamber Music Festival.

He lives on St. Simons Island, with his wife, Jenifer.

Trial and Appellate Experience:

Mr. Readdick has tried in excess of one hundred jury trials, in the Superior Courts of twelve counties, and in federal courts of the Southern and Middle Districts of Georgia.

He has sixty-one reported appellate cases, in both federal and state appellate courts, and twenty-one reported U. S. District Court cases, arising out of motions for summary judgment. Significant appellate decisions include the following cases:

Falken v. Glynn County, Georgia, 197 F.3d 1341 (11th Cir. 1999). The plaintiffs were emergency medical service employees, who sought overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act, contending that their hours were not exempt from overtime under the provisions of the Act. The District Court entered judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, and the Eleventh Circuit reversed. In a case of first impression within the Eleventh Circuit, the Court held that even though a majority of the plaintiffs’ calls were medical, the County was entitled to claim an exemption for that time, as firefighter activities.
Waters v. Glynn County, Georgia, 237 Ga. App. 438 (1999), cert. denied (September 10, 1999). The plaintiff was a former Glynn County employee who was held by the Court to have been improperly dismissed. In a case of first impression, the Court of Appeals held that the plaintiff’s claim for back pay and other damages was barred by the doctrine of sovereign immunity.
Camden County, Georgia v. Haddock, 271 Ga. 664 (1999). In this case, Camden County was sued by a former employee who never received written notice of the reasons for her termination, or the procedure for appeal, as required under the County’s personnel policies. In considering a claim under Georgia’s State Due Process clause, the Supreme Court held that State Due Process requires no more than federal Due Process, such that if a later remedy was provided which met federal Due Process requirements, the defective nature of the earlier procedures did not afford the plaintiff a claim.
Merrow v. Hawkins, 266 Ga. 390 (1996). In this case of first impression, the Georgia Supreme Court held that “actual malice,” as defined under the official immunity provision of the Georgia Constitution, requires a deliberate intention to do wrong, and not merely gross negligence or a reckless disregard for the consequences. The Supreme Court reversed the trial court’s finding of a lesser standard of liability.
Atlanta Journal & Constitution v. City of Brunswick, Georgia, 265 Ga. 413 (1995). In this case involving the City of Brunswick, the Atlanta Journal & Constitution sought injunctive relief against the City to obtain access to police incident reports under Georgia’s Open Records Act. The trial court held an ex parte hearing, excluding the plaintiffs and their counsel, and determined that certain information contained in the incident reports could be excluded from disclosure. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the ex parte hearing was a proper procedure, and that the City could refuse to disclose certain categories of information from the incident reports, where the disclosure would reveal confidential information or endanger the lives of individuals.