Our Attorneys : Donald C. Thomas

Donald C. Thomas

Of Counsel
Email Address: Click here to send email
Legal Assistant: Dru Lippert

Mr. Thomas has been with the firm since 1985. His practice focuses primarily on Litigation Law, defending tort lawsuits in the fields of personal injury, automobile and other products liability, premises liability, and property damage, as well as representing insurers in UIM, bad faith and declaratory judgment actions. He has acted and assisted as local counsel on behalf of such companies as General Motors and Toyota. He is counsel to the state-mandated property/casualty insurance guaranty association, and he is both counsel and administrator for the state-mandated life and health insurance guaranty association. He has drafted bills making significant changes to the Alaska Insurance Guaranty Association Act and the Alaska Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association Act. His work has taken him throughout the State of Alaska, where he has resided since 1965.

Mr. Thomas's personal interests include family, travel, motorcycling, reading, and listening to Teaching Company lectures.


WORK EXPERIENCE:

Delaney Wiles, Inc.
Anchorage, Alaska - 1985 to Present

Alaska Superior Court
Anchorage, Alaska - 1984 - 1985
Law Clerk to The Honorable Milton M. Souter


REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS:

Maasen v. R&R Scaffold Erectors, Inc.: obtained defense verdict in jury trial regarding claims for personal injuries arising from the plaintiff's fall off of scaffolding.

C&D Moonlighting, Inc. v. Gamel: obtained defense verdict in jury trial involving a claim for property damage. The plaintiff used an expert at trial, whereas the defendant did not.

Makarka v. Great American Insurance Co.: obtained summary judgment for insurer in negligence case where the insured had confessed judgment in the amount of $1.5 million and then assigned its claims against the insurer to the plaintiffs in exchange for a covenant not to execute. The issue was whether the insurer properly denied coverage on the basis that the alleged negligent act did not occur within the policy period. Summary judgment was upheld on appeal, 14 P3d 964 (Alaska 2000), which Mr. Thomas defended.

Planck et al. v. Isbell: negotiated resolution, prior to the filing of a lawsuit, of all claims in a complex personal injury matter where there were numerous injured claimants whose total claims exceeded the available insurance limits.


REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS:

Alaska Insurance Guaranty Association
Alaska Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association
Alaska Commercial Company
AIG Insurance
The Hertz Corporation
IFG Companies
Metropolitan Group Property & Casualty Insurance
New York Life
Sentry Insurance


PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Member - Alaska Bar Association
Member - American Bar Association, Section on Litigation
Defense Counsel of Alaska


CONTINUING EDUCATION:

  • Evidence in Trial Practice in Alaska, 1991
  • Civil Practice and Litigation in Federal and State Courts
  • ALL/ABA, Scottsdale, Arizona, 1992
  • Emerging issues in Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation, TIPS/ABA, 1996 Annual Legal Seminar, National Organization of Life and Health Insurance
  • Guaranty Association, 1993 to Present