Hiawatha Northington II is Managing Partner of the Jackson office of GRSM. His practice encompasses a wide range of complex litigation matters, including professional liability, labor and employment, and insurance defense matters in state and federal courts.
- Successfully tried to verdict case involving allegations of defective component in tire assembly
- Successfully defended surplus lines carrier and obtained summary judgment on claims of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty in lawsuit for failure to renew policy
- Successfully defended insurer against claims by State of Mississippi for reimbursement by of federal disaster relief funds used to pay victims of Hurricane Katrina
- Successfully litigated complex injury and death claims involving automotive manufacturers following post-collision and non-collision fuel fed fires
- Successfully tried to verdict case on behalf of law firm client involving allegations of breach of contract
- Successfully tried breach of contract action against the federal government for failure to honor housing development agreement following Hurricane Katrina
- Successfully secured nominal settlement for property owner in premises liability case involving shooting on premises that left plaintiff partially paralyzed
- Successfully obtained subrogation payment for employer against third party liability carrier based on prior representation of claimant employee in underlying medical negligence case of surgical error
- Obtained confidential settlement for multinational corporation in action against former attorneys for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty
- Successfully represented family land trust in action against successor multinational corporation for remediation of environmental contamination
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of bank in action alleging breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty in connection with construction loan
- Successfully defended attorneys before the Complaint Tribunal of the Mississippi Bar
- Obtained summary judgment in third-party criminal premises liability action against property owner, favorably interpreting requirements of the Mississippi Landowners Protection Act
- Obtained summary judgment in bad faith claim against insurer in action alleging unjustified delay in payment of policy limits for claim
Representative Reported Cases
- Bennett v. Hill-Boren, P.C., 52 So. 3d 364 (Miss. 2011)
- Potomac Ins. Co. of Illinois v. Adams, 997 So. 2d 238 (Miss. App. 2008)
- Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. v. Farese, 248 Fed. Appx. 555 (5th Cir. 2007)
- The Mississippi Bar v. Walls, 890 So. 2d 875 (Miss. 2004)
- Illinois Central R. Co. v. Winters, 863 So. 2d 955 (Miss. 2004)
- Illinois Central R. Co. v. Hawkins, 830 So. 2d 1162 (Miss. 2002)
- Byrd v. The Mississippi Bar, 826 So. 2d 1249 (Miss. 2002)
- Dorrough v. Wilkes, 817 So. 2d 567 (Miss. 2002)
- Fennell v. Stewart, 807 So. 2d 1262 (Miss. App. 2001)
Admissions
- Mississippi
- Texas
- Supreme Court of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi
Memberships
- Diversity Chair, Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association
- State Bar of Mississippi
- State Bar of Texas
- American Bar Association
- Magnolia Bar Association
Community Involvement
- Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc, Canton-Madison (MS) Alumni Chapter
- Founder
- Vice-Polemarch, 2002-2004
- Polemarch, 2004-2006
- Guide Right Chair, 2018-2023
- Advisor, Central Mississippi Kappa League, 2018-2023
- Jackson State University National Alumni Association, Madison County Alumni Chapter
- Past Board Member, Crossroads Film Society
- Past Board Member, The Oaks House Museum
Education
- J.D., University of Texas School of Law, 1996
- Member, The Review of Litigation
- B.B.A., summa cum laude, Accounting, Jackson State University, 1993
- Phi Kappa Phi
Honors
- 2019 Leader in Law, Mississippi Business Journal
- 2010-2012 Mid-South Rising Stars
- 2001 Lawyer of the Year, Mississippi Conference of the Branches of NAACP