- Laura Landenwich is a founding member of Adams • Landenwich • Lay and practices law in both Kentucky and Indiana. Laura received her Juris Doctor from the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, and her undergraduate degree from Indiana University. She focuses her law practice on employment discrimination and civil rights litigation, representing clients who have been the victims of bigotry, ignorance, and the abuse of power. Laura argued the Kentucky marriage equality cases at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in August 2014, which later led to the landmark Supreme Court opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges. Among her recent notable cases, in January 2023, Laura obtained a jury verdict on behalf of a woman who was sexually assaulted in a Kentucky hotel. Sainato v. Marriott. She successfully represented a disabled inmate who spent several days in an Indiana jail without bedding, access to a toilet or sink, or medical care. Jones v. Millspaugh (2021). Laura also represented the family of an Indiana man arrested on a misdemeanor charge who died in a county jail after his complaints of chest pain were repeatedly ignored. Sweet v. Noel (2020). She vindicated the First Amendment rights of a state employee who was fired after participating in teachers’ protests at the Kentucky Capitol in Cooke v. Bevin (2019). She defended Planned Parenthood from penalties imposed by a Kentucky governor in an effort to restrict access to reproductive healthcare in Cabinet v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky (2019). Along with the ACLU of Kentucky, she represented Kentucky couples who were denied marriage licenses by a county clerk following the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision in Miller v. Davis (2017). Notable Decisions Gentry v. Floyd County, 313 F.R.D. 72 (S.D. Ind. 2016) Miller v. Kim Davis, et al, 123 F. Supp. 3d 924 (E.D.Ky 2015) Obergefell v. Hodges, 135 S.Ct. 2584 (2015) Love v. Beshear, 989 F. Supp.2d 536 (W.D.Ky. 2014) Bourke v. Beshear, 996 F. Supp.2d 542 (W.D.Ky. 2014) Benjamin v. J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, 305 S.W.3d 446 (Ky. App. 2010) Recent Verdicts and Settlements Sainato v. Marriott Int’l, Inc., et al. In 2023, Laura Landenwich and Garry Adams obtained a jury verdict in the amount of $1.17 million on behalf of their client, who was raped while on a business trip. Ms. Sainato’s harrowing story was the subject of an award-winning podcast, Dig: Prosecution Declined.
- Towhidlou v. McDonough, et al. An Iranian-American employed by the Veterans Administration was summarily fired following anti-Iranian tweets by former President Trump and the assassination of a high-ranking Iranian General. In 2023, the VA agreed to rescind its designation of the plaintiff as an insider threat and pay $100,000 in compensation.
- Johnson v. Staffen Builders, LLC, et al. A Kentucky family purchased property with a concealed leaking septic system. Following a lawsuit, the seller’s insurance company paid the family $300,000 in 2022.
- Jones v. Millspaugh, et al. A disabled inmate spent several days in the Clark County, Indiana Jail without bedding, access to a toilet or sink, or medical care. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana denied the Clark County Sheriff’s motion for summary judgment, and the county agreed to pay $300,000 to resolve the claims against it in 2021.
- Gentry v. Floyd County, Indiana, et. al. Laura represented a class of pre-trial detainees who were subjected by Floyd County Jail to a practice known as “stripping out.” The Plaintiffs alleged that their clothing was forcibly removed by jail staff, often in conjunction with tasers and pepper spray, and were held without clothing or blankets in a padded cell for hours at a time. In April 2016, the class was certified by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision. On August 2, 2017 the Court approved a final settlement in the amount of $1.23 million.
v. Jamey Noel, et al. Laura Landenwich represented a retired fire captain who suffered a seizure and head injury in the Clark County Indiana Jail following a drunk driving arrest. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana granted Defendants’ motion for summary judgment, and Landenwich appealed the ruling to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Following briefing and oral argument, the Defendants settled the case for $175,000.00 in 2020. Estate of Christopher Sweet v.Jamey Noel, et al. Laura Landenwich represented the estate of thirty-seven year old Christopher Sweet. Mr. Sweet died in the Clark County Indiana Jail after he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge. The Estate alleged that Sweet told jail staff he took medication for high blood pressure and made several reports of chest pain before collapsing in a holding cell. Sweet was survived by his parents and two minor children. The Clark County Sheriff settled claims against the county defendants for $750,000.00 in 2020. Cooke v. Matthew Bevin, et al. Laura Landenwich and Ted Walton represented a state employee who was terminated in retaliation for her advocacy on behalf of Kentucky teachers. The complaint alleged that government officials tracked and interrogated visitors to the capitol building in Frankfort who were protesting proposed pension legislation. Following Bevin’s loss in the 2019 election, the state agreed to settle the case for $158,200.00. Gentry v. Floyd County Indiana, et al. Laura Landenwich and Ted Walton represented a class of pre-trial detainees who were subjected by Floyd County Jail to a practice known as “stripping out.” The Plaintiffs alleged that their clothing was forcibly removed by jail staff, often in conjunction with tasers and pepper spray, and were held without clothing or blankets in a padded cell for hours at a time. In April 2016, the class was certified by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision. On August 2, 2017 the Court approved a final settlement in the amount of $1.23 million. Ledford v. Eye Mart Family Vision Care, et. al. In October, 2012, Laura Landenwich and Thomas Clay represented the defendant Eye Mart in this case in which the Plaintiff alleged a sexually hostile work environment. The Defendant counterclaimed for funds the Plaintiff embezzled from the business while working as its office manager. The jury gave the Plaintiff nothing on her claims, and the Defendant was awarded $890,001. Nessler v. Netherwood. In January, 2012, Laura Landenwich represented a real estate agent against a former seller to recover her unpaid commission. Landenwich obtained a $115,000 judgment for the Plaintiff. Recognition 2020 Super Lawyer 2019 Louisville Bar Association Section of the Year, Human Rights Chair 2019 Super Lawyers Rising Star 2018 Super Lawyers Rising Star 2017 Super Lawyers Rising Star 2016 Super Lawyers Rising Star 2016 Top Lawyer, Louisville Magazine 2015 Louisville Metro Council Certificate of Merit for commitment to the fight for civil rights 2015 Fairness Campaign Champion of Fairness Award 2015 National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers 2015 Super Lawyers Rising Star 2015 Dr. James R. Ramsey LGBT Leadership Award 2014 Super Lawyers Rising Star 2014 Top Lawyer, Louisville Magazine Community Involvement Louisville Bar Association Pro Bono Consortium Lawlapalooza — Battle of the Bands to Benefit the Ellen B. Ewing Foundation Professional Associations Kentucky Bar Association Louisville Bar Association Kentucky Justice Association American Association of Justice American Bar Association MothersEsquire Areas of Practice EMPLOYMENT CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND GOVERNMENT MISCONDUCT PERSONAL INJURY FRAUD
