John Foley
John graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1973 and obtained his law degree from Boston University in 1977. He is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. In the Supreme Court, he successfully represented two Rhode Island residents whose right to sue a police officer for false arrest was recognized by the Supreme Court over the officer’s claim that he had immunity from the lawsuit.
From 1991 to 1998, John played a major role representing clients in litigation against the banking officials, accountants, and attorneys who were alleged to have contributed to Rhode Island’s credit union banking crisis that shut down the state’s credit union system on New Year’s Day, 1991. This litigation resulted in settlements totaling $180 million, which money was used to reduce the cost to the taxpayers of Rhode Island to bail out the credit union depositors.
In 1993, John’s skill and experience as a trial lawyer in personal injury litigation earned him membership in the Rhode Island chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. This national organization of trial lawyers restricts its membership to only those attorneys who demonstrate a high level of skill, a record of trial experience, and a reputation for high ethical standards and integrity. John is one of only 30 lawyers in Rhode Island who have qualified for membership in ABOTA. He has also been included in The Best Lawyers in America since 2006, and has been named a Rhode Island and New England Super Lawyer since 2008.
Local lawyer organizations frequently call upon John to present lectures to his Rhode Island colleagues on topics related to his expertise in personal injury litigation. John has presented lectures on behalf of the Rhode Island Bar Association, the Rhode Island Association for Justice, and Roger Williams University School of Law, among others, on such topics related to personal injury litigation as the Rhode Island Wrongful Death Act, evidence, proof of damages, and the use of technology in the courtroom.
John has represented clients in situations covering virtually the entire gamut of personal injury and wrongful death cases. His experience includes automobile, truck, motorcycle, and bicycle crashes, medical malpractice claims against doctors, hospitals, nurses, dentists, and medical technicians, all kinds of slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall injuries, product liability claims against manufacturers for defects in products such as cars, airplanes, pharmaceuticals, and home products, injuries occurring on navigable waters (so-called “maritime” or “admiralty” cases), and injuries caused by animals who were not properly controlled by their owners.
John lives in Tiverton, Rhode Island, where he is active in community affairs.
