David E. Hudson

Partner

— Hull Barrett, PC

David E. Hudson

Partner

Augusta,

GA

Office

Biography

David earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude at Mercer University in 1968 and his law degree cum laude at Harvard Law School in 1971.

David’s first legal employment was as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Griffin B. Bell, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, from 1971-1972.

He then served as a Captain teaching law in the Military Police School and trying court martial cases at Fort Gordon from 1972-1974.

Since then, David has been a trial lawyer in the Augusta law firm of Hull Barrett.

David’s service to the Southern District of Georgia and the State Bar has included Chair of the Civil Justice Reform Committee from 1992-1994, and then as the initial Chair of the Southern District Advisory Committee in 1990 and a Member of the Committee since that time.  Member and Chair of the Georgia Board of Bar Examiners, 1994-1998.

David practices in the area of general civil litigation with an emphasis on business and commercial disputes, media law and construction law. He has been a trial lawyer since 1974, and has represented clients at the trial court level in Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, and New York. He has also argued numerous appeals in the appellate courts of Georgia, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits, and a case before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Experience

  • Argued Lewis v. Brunswick Corp. at the United States Supreme Court, 522 U.S. 978 (1997). Whether personal injury in a boating accident was preempted by federal law. Settled after argument. 523 U.S. 1113 (1998).
  • Argued and obtained a ruling overturning class certification in an environmental contamination case before the Georgia Supreme Court. See 295 GA 524 (2014).
  • Argued and obtained reversal of class certification in a hospital billing case. See 326 GA App. 833 (2014).
  • Obtained a $10 million jury verdict for a company in a dispute over a business acquisition.
  • Defended media companies against libel, slander and privacy claims in three jury trials and in numerous summary judgment proceedings, and in numerous appeals. See 299 Ga. App. 267 (2009); 289 Ga. App. 136 (2007); 281 Ga. App. 563 (2006), as examples.
  • Defended the right of a public hospital to use Georgia’s hospital lien law. See 325 Ga. App. 349 (2013).
  • Obtained summary judgment for a general contractor against a supplier’s lien claims. See 263 Fed. Appx. 806 (11th. Cir. 2008).
  • Successfully defended a county government against First Amendment retaliation claims. See 294 F.3d 1294 (11th Cir. 2002).
  • First Amendment challenge to trial court refusals to allow press and camera coverage. See 279 Ga. 735 (2006); also 280 Ga. App. 634 (2006).
  • Successfully represented a newspaper before the Georgia Supreme Court in preserving county legal organ status. See 274 Ga. 353 (2001).
  • Successfully maintained a newspaper’s right to distribute shopper newspapers against an anti-litter ordinance. See 271 Ga. 92 (1999).
  • Successfully represented classes of mobile home purchasers who were overcharged interest and fees. See 260 Ga. 271 (1990); 256 Ga. 790 (1987).
  • Obtained insurance coverage for environmental claims under a business’ general liability policies. See 259 Ga. 333 (1989).
  • Successfully challenged on First Amendment grounds Georgia law requiring per se closure of juvenile court proceedings. See 253 Ga. 467 (1984).
  • Challenged refusal of a public hospital to provide executive salaries under the Georgia Open Records Act. See 252 Ga. 19 (1984).
  • Defended commercial real estate developers against an attorney fee claim and lien and prevailed on appeal. See 262 Ga. App. 598 (2003).
  • Obtained summary judgment for a public employer in a sexual harassment case. See 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS (S.D. Ga. 2008).
  • Represented parties in numerous alternative dispute resolution proceedings such as mediations.
  • Obtained summary judgment for a business partner facing allegations of breaching fiduciary duties to a minority owner. See 2016 Ga. Lexis 799.
  • Represented Georgia’s Medical College hospitals and clinics in corporate reorganizations and restructuring in 2000 and 2010.
  • Represented business owner in buy-out and corporate restructuring of a construction company. (2013).
  • Represented an insurance agency in the acquisition buy-out of a partner’s interest. (2012).
  • Represented owners, contractors and subcontractors in numerous contract negotiations over project documents for offices, schools, commercial buildings and manufacturing facilities. (1976-2016).
  • Represented numerous employers and employees in negotiations and business litigation over enforcement of non-compete agreements (1976-2016).
  • Represented numerous landlords and tenants in lease negotiations and drafting.

Practice Areas

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediation & Arbitration
  • Appellate Law
  • Business Disputes, Commercial & Securities Litigation
  • Class Action Lawsuits & Multi District Litigation
  • Communications Law and Media Law
  • Construction Litigation
  • Copyright
  • Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace
  • Employment Litigation
  • Health Care Law
  • Infringement Claims
  • Insurance Law
  • Intellectual Property Litigation
  • Non-Compete Agreements
  • Probate Administration
  • Products Liability, Personal Injury and Torts

Education

  • Mercer University, 1968, A.B., History and Political Science (Honors: Summa Cum Laude, Student Government President, Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award winner)
  • Harvard Law School, 1971, J.D. (Honors: Cum Laude)

Bar Admissions

  • State Bar of Georgia
  • David is admitted to practice before the District Courts of Georgia and the Second Fifth and Eleventh Circuit U.S. Courts of Circuit of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court

Professional Memberships

  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers, State Chair 2010-2012
  • Augusta Bar Association
  • Georgia Board of Bar Examiners, Appointed Member by Supreme Court of Georgia (1994-1998); Past Chair (1998)
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, Chairman Emeritus for the Lawyers Advisory Committee, Past Chair Civil Justice
  • Reform Committee (1992-1994)
  • Mercer University Trustee, Former Executive Committee Chairman and Board Chairman
  • Morris Museum of Art Trustee
  • National Science Center Foundation Trustee
  • Richard B. Russell Foundation Trustee
  • Walter F. George Foundation Trustee
  • Calico Carnival for East Georgia Easter Seals, Inc. Board Member

Awards & Recognition

  • Bet-the-Company Litigation – Best Lawyers in America® – 1993-2026
  • Commercial Litigation – Best Lawyers in America® – 1993-2026
  • First Amendment Law – Best Lawyers in America® – 1993-2026
  • Litigation – Construction – Best Lawyers in America® – 1993-2026
  • Litigation – First Amendment – Best Lawyers in America® – 1993-2026
  • Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants – Best Lawyers in America® – 1993-2026
  • Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism Benham Award (2009)
  • Georgia Super Lawyers – Business Litigation (2004-2015)
  • Top 100 Georgia Super Lawyers (2005-2007, 2015)
  • Georgia Trend’s – 100 Most Influential Georgians (2006)
  • Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite – General Practice/ Trial Law (2012)
  • Martindale-Hubbell® AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
  • 2025 Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating: Highest Possible Rating in Both Legal Ability & Ethical Standards
  • Augusta Bar Association – 18th Annual Robert L. Allgood Service Award

Publications

  • Freedom of Speech to Augusta University Journalism Department
  • Yearly legal updates to Georgia Press Association
  • Frequent speeches to media groups in Georgia, Florida, Texas and Alaska
  • Speeches to contractor associations
  • “Georgia Sunshine Laws Handbook 2012” Georgia Press Association, June 2012.
  • “Duty and Friendship: Judge John Sammons Bell and Judge Anthony A. Alaimo.” Georgia Bar Journal. Vol 15, No. 6. 2010.
  • “Judge Griffin B. Bell – A Great American, “Americus Time Recorder”, January 8, 2009
  • “When the Sky Did Fall: Argument Before the United States Supreme Court,” Georgia Bar Journal, Vol. 3:6, p. 49, June 1998

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