Mary Tullis

Mary Wu Tullis has a diverse litigation and counseling practice, handling contractual disputes, tax liability litigation, product liability litigation, and labor and employment issues for financial institutions, health care entities, insurance companies, and businesses. She also frequently counsels clients through contract negotiations and advises on risk exposure.

Ms. Tullis assists companies and individuals with their business goals and interests, and regularly defends them in a variety of business-related litigation matters in state and federal courts.

Specifically, Ms. Tullis has represented financial institutions and businesses with commercial disputes, and defended them in consumer-related litigation and class actions alleging federal law claims, such as violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA); the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA); and the Securities Exchange Act,  and state law claims, such as breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion of negotiable instruments, price discrimination, and unfair trade practices. She is also a member of the Firm’s Broker-Dealer/Registered Investment Adviser Industry Service Team.

In addition, Ms. Tullis has experience assisting clients in defending claims and regulatory actions related to Immigrant Investor Program (EB-5) offerings. Ms. Tullis has counseled hospitals and health care providers in credentialing and staffing disputes, HIPAA compliance and other regulatory issues. She also has trial experience in health care liability actions against hospitals.

Additionally, Ms. Tullis regularly represents insurance companies in bad faith insurance defense matters, and offers insurance coverage opinions and analysis. She also has represented governmental entities in a variety of litigation involving state and federal constitutional claims, employment discrimination claims, and governmental tort liability claims.

Ms. Tullis is the current President of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Memphis Bar Association.  In 2016, she was appointed to a three-year term by the Mayor of Memphis to the Minority Business Development Oversight Commission, which was established to monitor, grow and maintain the progress of minority and women-owned business enterprise initiatives and programs for the City of Memphis.

EDUCATION:

• University of Alabama School of Law, J.D., 2012, magna cum laude
• Vanderbilt University, B.A. Public Policy and Psychology, 2009, cum laude

ADMISSIONS:

• Tennessee, 2012
• United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, 2013
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, 2014
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 2015
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 2018

Representative Matters:

• Successfully challenged state of West Virginia’s assessment and refund denial of state use taxes paid by interstate rail carrier client as violation of the dormant Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution in multiple administrative and court proceedings, including successful opposition of West Virginia’s Petition for Certioari to the Supreme Court of the United States.
• Won summary judgment on an Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) claim on behalf of municipal school district and successfully argued affirmance before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
• Won dismissal of a putative class action on behalf of a national grocery retailer alleging violation of Arkansas price discrimination statute.
• Won summary judgment on behalf of a national insurance company against allegations of agent misconduct in the application process in breach of insurance contract and bad faith insurance dispute.
• Successfully secured a defense verdict and subsequent denial of motion for new trial on behalf of a hospital in health care liability action.

Professional Honors & Activities:

• Member – City of Memphis Minority Business Development Oversight Commission (2016 – present)
• Associate Member − Leo Bearman, Sr. American Inn of Court (2015 − present)
• Member − Tennessee Bar Association
• Member − Memphis Bar Association
• Board Member − Young Lawyers Division of the Memphis Bar Association (2013 − present)