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About Forest Horne

Forest has been practicing law for more than thirty years. He spent the first six years of his career as a partner with a large “defense” law firm mainly defending large corporations in civil lawsuits. Seeing the inequalities that existed in the justice system between wealthy and powerful companies and regular people, Forest was motivated to change his law practice, join Martin & Jones, and help level the playing field for ordinary, hard-working men and women and their families.

With the experience Forest gained from defending lawsuits, he now represents people who have been severely injured or families of those killed due to the negligence of others. Forest has tried lawsuits for his clients to successful jury verdicts in numerous states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Texas. He has also successfully represented clients in lawsuits filed in other states including New Jersey, Tennessee, Ohio, Alabama, Minnesota, Florida, Utah and Illinois. Forest has argued appellate cases in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Forest has obtained verdicts or negotiated settlements for his clients from corporations in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, medical, railroad, and trucking industries. He continues to represent clients in a wide variety of cases, including asbestos disease, defective drug, professional negligence, and the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA).

Forest was lead counsel in a case in which he won what was reported to be the single largest FELA asbestos disease verdict in the country on behalf of a CSX railroad worker who contracted the asbestos related lung cancer, mesothelioma. Forest has also obtained other verdicts or negotiated settlements for his railroad worker clients against various railroads in numerous states.

Forest has been chosen by his peers as a Best Lawyer in America for more than a decade, and has the further honor of being named Lawyer of the Year 2020 for Product Liability Litigation. Forest also received the distinction of Lawyer of the Year in 2018 and 2012. He has also been chosen by his peers annually for inclusion in North Carolina Super Lawyers since 2010. Forest has achieved the highest attorney rating, “AV,” by Martindale-Hubbell, an independent legal services company whose peer-review attorney ratings service is an objective indicator that an attorney has the highest ethical standards and professional ability. What these accolades and ratings do not show is Forest’s commitment to and compassion for his clients.

Forest has held leadership positions in the NC Advocates for Justice, and NC Bar Association and has been a speaker at seminars sponsored by these and other legal organizations. He is a Senior Fellow of The Trial Lawyer Honorary Society of the Litigation Counsel of America.

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$9,250,000 for Worker Burned in Explosion

Worker Burned in Explosion

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$1,750,000 Settlement for Man Critically Injured in High Speed Collision

Forest Horne and Hunt Willis obtained a settlement of $1,750,000 in a case involving a collision at...

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Couple Injured in Crash with Dump Truck Receive $1.13 Million Settlement

Attorneys Hunt Willis and Forest Horne obtained a $1.13 million settlement for a husband and wife...

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$900,000 Settlement for Nurse Injured in Collision with Commercial Truck

Forest Horne and Hunt Willis obtained a settlement of $900,000 from a commercial trucking...

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$7.5 Million Jury Verdict For CSX Railroad Worker Who Developed Asbestos-Related Mesothelioma

CSX Railroad Worker Who Developed Asbestos-Related Mesothelioma

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$3 Million Settlement for Family of Man Killed by Truck Driver

Attorneys Forest Horne and Hunt Willis obtained a $3 million settlement for the wife and children of...

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$6.9 Million Recovery For Victim Paralyzed In Tractor Trailer Collision

Victim Paralyzed In Tractor Trailer Collision

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$1.58 Million Settlement For Worker Knocked From Roof By Swinging Truss

A construction worker was knocked from a roof he was building by roof trusses that were being swung...

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$1.6 Million for Chemical Plant Worker Who Died at 69

Our client worked at a chemical plant in the 1960s and 1970s. During that time, he was exposed to...

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Improperly Secured Dump Truck Gate Kills 71-year-old Driver; Insurance Company Settles For $470,000

A 71-year-old man was driving when an improperly secured gate on a dump truck came loose causing him...

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$5 Million Settlement For Forklift Mechanic Left For Dead By Trucker On I-95

Forklift Mechanic Left For Dead By Trucker On I-95

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Jury Awards $2.52 Million To Permanently Injured 76-year-old Man

Martin & Jones represented a 76-year-old gentleman who was driving to work at 6:00 am in the...

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$2 Million For Railroad Worker Who Developed Mesothelioma

Our client worked for various railroads from the 1950s into the 1980s. As a brakeman, he was exposed...

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Jury Compensates Man $3.35 Million for Injuries Suffered in Tractor-Trailer Accident

On December 12, 2010, then 56-year-old Everett Jerome Gardner was heading south on NC Highway 77...

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Forest Horne Accepted Into American Board of Trial Advocates

April 7, 2020

Partner Forest Horne has been accepted into the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). ABOTA is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Seventh Amendment, which guarantees the right to civil jury trials. Members in this prestigious invitation-only group must have tried a minimum of ten civil jury trials […]

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Education

  • Campbell University School of Law, Raleigh, NC
  • University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Bar Admissions

  • North Carolina
  • Georgia
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina
  • U.S. District Court Middle District of North Carolina
  • U.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit

Classes Seminars

  • Speaker, Practical Skills Course on Personal Injury Law, North Carolina Bar Association
  • Speaker, Business Torts, North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers
  • Speaker, Premises Liability, National Business Institute

Honors Awards

  • Lawyer of the Year 2020, 2018 and 2012
  • Best Lawyer in America, 2008 – Present
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2010 – Present
  • “AV,” by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Senior Fellow of The Trial Lawyer Honorary Society of the Litigation Counsel of America

Professional Associations Memberships

  • American Association for Justice
  • North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Auto-Torts Co-Chair
  • American Bar Association
  • North Carolina Bar Association, Alternative Billing Commission
  • Wake County Bar Association, Communications Committee
  • NC Advocates for Justice
  • Trial Lawyers Honorary Society of the Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow
  • American Board of Trial Advocates

Past Employment

  • Manning, Fulton & Skinner, PA, Partner
  • Manning, Fulton & Skinner, PA, Associate
  • Attorney General’s Office for the State of North Carolina, Department of Labor, Clerk
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