Biography
Kumen L. Taylor is a partner of the Firm practicing primarily in civil and commercial litigation, employment litigation and real estate litigation. Kumen, born in Tucson, Arizona, and raised in Arizona and Southern California, lived for two years in Central America, where he became fluent in Spanish. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish, with a minor in Latin American studies, from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. While attending Weber State, he earned numerous academic honors, including graduating magna cum laude in the top 10 percentile of his graduating class, and as the top graduate of his class from the College of Humanities, Foreign Language Department. Kumen continued his studies at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University where he graduated cum laude. While there, he was honored with an academic scholarship and membership on the National Moot Court Team based on his legal writing and oral advocacy skills.
Kumen began his legal career in Idaho Falls, Idaho, practicing almost exclusively in civil litigation. In 1998, Kumen moved to Utah and accepted a position as Associate Corporate Counsel over litigation in the legal department of the nation’s largest retail distributor of diesel fuel. Kumen has successfully handled multiple jury and bench trials. He is a seasoned and successful litigator. Kumen is licensed to practice law in Nevada, Utah, and Idaho.
Personal Background
Kumen’s community involvement includes serving as Scoutmaster, Varsity Coach, Explorer leader, Webelos leader and Cubmaster in the Boys Scouts of America. He has also worked with youth organizations in his local church congregation. He and his wife, Connie, are the proud parents of five boys and five girls.
Representative Engagements
- Cases that Kumen has successfully tried include wrongful termination, premises liability, auto accident, insurance bad faith, trespass, property damage, business liability, homeowner’s liability and product liability cases. Kumen has argued the following cases:
- Fennell v. Green, 2003 UT App 291, 77 P.3d 339 (construction defect)(reported opinion);
- Goehring v. Flying J Inc., Idaho Supreme Court No. 26373 (argued May 15, 2001) (Dismissed on procedural grounds by district court)(affirmed on appeal by the Idaho Court of Appeals, July, 2001, unpublished opinion);
- Landvik v. Herbert, 130 Idaho 54, 936 P.2d 697 (Ct. App. 1997)(Business liability; Employer vicarious liability; personal injury; Rule 11 sanctions)(reported opinion);
- Bear Island Water Association v. Brown, 125 Idaho 717, 874 P.2d 528 (1994)(Real estate easements; attorney fees for frivolous appeals)(reported opinion).
- Kumen briefed the following appellate cases: Goehring v. Flying J Inc., U.S. Court App., 9th Cir. No. 01-36066 (Appeal by Plaintiffs from order granting summary judgment)(Product liability, failure to warn, negligence);
- Intermountain Constr., Inc. v. City of Ammon, 122 Idaho 931, 841 P.2d 1082 (1992)(governmental immunity from tort liability under Idaho Tort Claims Act, I.C. § 6-904)(reported opinion);
- Harris v. State, 123 Idaho 295, 847 P.2d 1156 (1992)(vicarious liability claim against state for negligent failure to supervise juvenile placed in the care and custody of Department of Health and Welfare)(reported opinion);
- United States v. O’Donnell – unpublished 9th Circuit Court of Appeals opinion (appeal of conviction on multiple counts of mail fraud and filing fraudulent tax returns);
- Rife v. Long, 127 Idaho 841, 908 P.2d 143 (1995)(Appellate defense of order granting summary judgment on negligence claim against school district, arising out of injuries to student leaving school grounds)(reported opinion);
- Pocatello Fed. R. R. Credit Union v. Dairyland Ins. Co., 129 Idaho 444, 926 P.2d 628 (1996)(Appeal concerned whether a lienholder was entitled to actual notice, as opposed to mailed notice, of the cancellation of insurance policy before termination of the endorsement naming lienholder as additional insured)(reported opinion).
- In JD2, Inc. v. Ahern Rentals, Inc. (California State Court Case Number FCS031679), Kumen Taylor and Chris Orme defeated Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment on the issue that Plaintiff fully indemnified and defended Ahern in an underlying wrongful death lawsuit and that the Court did not have jurisdiction of the matter as it was an issue of insurance. The Court further rebuffed Plaintiff's attempts to have the Court stripped of jurisdiction by finding that the Plaintiff "ignored" the fact that Ahern's claims for indemnity and defense were based on the terms of the rental contract and not related to any insurance contract.
- Kumen Taylor and Chris Orme successfully defended the firm’s client in a recent personal injury matter. After a hotly contested trial, the judge returned a defense verdict in favor of Mr. Taylor and Mr. Orme’s client on all counts. The plaintiff sued the defendant asking for $3.2 million dollars in damages. The plaintiff claimed defendant failed to exercise due care in maintaining the restaurant in a reasonably safe condition and that this failure led to her back injuries. Mr. Taylor and Mr. Orme successfully argued over the period of two weeks that the plaintiff was not credible in her description of the accident, cause of the accident, injuries, or claims for damages. The Court further found that Mr. Taylor and Mr. Orme’s client made every effort to keep its premises reasonably safe, and to warn its patrons. This victory is one of many for Mr. Taylor and Mr. Orme who both have an outstanding record in civil trials. Kori Wiggins v. Apple Nevada, LLC, Case No. A-10-609760-C (Eighth Judicial District, NV 2012).
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