Law Firm Overview

The Tom Riley Law Firm, P.L.C., began in 1980 when Tom Riley withdrew from a large Cedar Rapids defense-oriented firm, Simmons, Perrine, Albright & Ellwood, where he had been a partner since 1960 and an associate since 1954. He began his own law firm with his son, Peter C. Riley, and Peter's law school colleague, T. Todd Becker. Tom Riley's goal was to establish a Plaintiff's personal injury firm. The firm has grown to 13 trial lawyers.

In 1988, the law firm opened its second office in Iowa City, Iowa, home of the University of Iowa. Attorneys in the Tom Riley Law Firm have represented clients at trial in personal injury, wrongful death, products liability and professional negligence lawsuits throughout Iowa as well as in the majority of the 50 states. Most of the litigation in states outside of Iowa have involved claims by women or their survivors in products liability litigation involving Tampon-Toxic Shock Syndrome related cases. Tom Riley and T. Todd Becker tried the first products liability case in the nation involving Toxic Shock Syndrome that resulted in a Plaintiff's verdict. See Kehm v. Procter & Gamble , 724 F.2d 630 (8th Cir. 1983). Noteworthy cases include the DeBurkart v. Louvar , 393 N.W.2d 131 (Iowa 1986), in which the Iowa Supreme Court recognized for the first time the Doctrine of "Lost Chance". Holmquist v. Volkswagen , 261 N.W.2d 516 (Iowa App. 1977), in which the Iowa Supreme Court recognized the doctrine of Spoliation of Evidence. The book Soap Opera: "The Inside Story of Procter & Gamble" by Wall Street Journal reporter Alecia Swasy, Random House, 1993, contains a chapter on the successful Toxic Shock Syndrome lawsuit (Kehm v. Procter & Gamble ). The Right of Privacy by Ellen Alderman and Caroline Kennedy, Alfred Knopf, 1995, devotes a chapter to the $4.3 million verdict obtained by Tom Riley in favor of a young couple who celebrated their engagement night in a motel that had a two-way mirror on the wall.

Representative Cases

• Holmquist v. Volkswagen of America, Inc., 261 N.W. 2d 516; 100 ALR 3d 143 (Iowa App. 1977)
• Kehm v. Procter & Gamble, 724 F.2d 630 (8th Cir. 1983)
• DeBurkart v. Louvar, 393 N.W. 2d 131 (Iowa 1990)
• Nesler v. Fischer, 452 N.W. 2d 191 (Iowa 1991)
• Vinson v. Linn-Marr Community School District, 360 NW 2d 108 (Iowa 1985)
• Coster v. Crookham, 168 N.W. 2d 802 (Iowa 1991)
• Knickerbocker v. First National Bank of Oelwein, 827 F.2d 281 (8th Cir. 1987)

West Practice Categories

Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Products Liability Law, Professional Malpractice Law, Workers' Compensation Law