J. Matt Thornton is an associate in the Litigation Group. Matt's practice focuses on commercial litigation in both federal and state courts, including individual actions and class action defense, privacy and cybersecurity matters, product liability and mass tort, and disputes implicating the First Amendment.
Matt is involved in all aspects of his cases and prides himself in providing creative, business-oriented solutions for his clients. Among other things, Matt has extensive experience briefing dispositive motions, defending discovery disagreements, handling third-party discovery disputes, arguing substantive motions in court, preparing witnesses to give testimony, taking and defending depositions, negotiating individual and class action settlements, spearheading mediation, and maintaining clear, concise, and timely communications with clients.
Representative Litigation Matters
In recent years, Matt has:
- Defended numerous lawsuits involving allegations of negligence, fraud, conspiracy, and violations of myriad statutes, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act;
- Assisted clients in responding to data breaches, including a "phishing" scam that required notification to individuals residing in 30 states, and helped navigate the resulting litigation;
- Defended a mobile advertising company in a multi-million dollar breach of contract dispute;
- Represented large corporations in a putative class action alleging, among other things, wage and hour violations and violations of the TCPA;
- Favorably settled an age discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by a serial litigant;
- Facilitated for an employer the favorable settlement of a former employee's retaliation claim;
- Represented a development company in a dispute over earnest money;
- Defended a large trust from a family member's unlawful attempt to reach the trust's assets;
- Aided the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition in its efforts to ensure the public's right of access to government records is not arbitrarily ignored;
- Obtained clemency for an inmate sentenced to years in prison under outdated and discriminatory sentencing guidelines for possessing a small amount of crack cocaine; and
- Represented, pro bono, a disabled individual in a landlord/tenant dispute resulting in a highly favorable settlement for the client.
In law school, Matt served as a Judicial Intern for Justice Gregory Hobbs, Jr. of the Colorado Supreme Court.