Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys
Biography
Nick Deets has been a partner with Hovde Dassow + Deets in Indianapolis since 2001. His primary areas of practice are personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability and wrongful death. He has tried more than 80 jury trials to verdict.
Nick was named the Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association in 2010, Best Lawyers, 2017 Lawyer of the Year, Plaintiff’s Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions (Indianapolis), Best Lawyers, 2019 Lawyer of the Year, Plaintiff’s Personal Injury (Indianapolis), and Best Lawyers, 2020 Lawyer of the Year, Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice (Indianapolis). He has been recognized as an Indiana Super Lawyer by Indianapolis Magazine every year since 2006 and has been listed in Best Lawyers, Personal Injury Plaintiffs, every year since 2010. Nick has been named to the Top 50 Lawyers in Indiana list from 2020 to present. He is a Fellow and State Committee Member of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is a Fellow and past State President of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, and is AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell. In addition to trying more than 80 jury trials to verdict, he has argued before the Indiana Supreme Court 6 times, and currently serves as a member of the Indiana Supreme Court Rules Committee.
Education
- Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Bloomington, Indiana
- J.D. - 1993
- Honors: cum laude
- Honors: Member, American Bar Association Moot Court Team
- Purdue University
- 1989
- Honors: B.S.I.M.
Published Works
- Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Law, Practice Tips and Application, National Business Institute (2007)
- Opening Statements, Indiana Trial Lawyers Annual Institute (2008)
- Effective Closing Arguments on behalf of the Plaintiff, Indianapolis Bar Association (2011)
- Partial Settlements in Cases Involving Vicarious Liability, Verdict Volume 32, No. 3 (2011)
- Partial Settlements in Cases Involving Vicarious Liability, Indiana Trial Lawyers Annual Institute (2011)
- Admissibility of Contract Terms and Policy Limits in Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Trials, Indiana Trial Lawyers Annual Institute (2014)
- Effective Closing Arguments on behalf of the Plaintiff, The Allen County Bar Association (2011)
- State Court Venue under Indiana Trial Rule 75, Verdict Volume 37, No. 3 (2016)
- Employing Indiana’s Lien Reduction Statute to Maximize Your Client’s Recovery, Indiana Trial Lawyers Annual Institute (2016)
- Trial of the Wrongful Death Case – Plaintiff’s Perspective on Maximizing Damages, Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum (2018)
- The Care and Feeding of Experts, Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum (2019)
- “Ordinary Negligence v. Medical Malpractice”, Indiana Medical Malpractice Update, Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum (2022)
- Indiana Trial Lawyers’ Association, Annual Institute, Chair (2019)
- Maximizing Recoveries in Cases with Multiple UIM Policies, Indiana Trial Lawyers Annual Institute (2020)
- Complying with the Legal, Ethical, and Practical Issues in Discovery, Handling Blanket Objections and Privilege Logs. Verdict, Volume 40, No. 3 (2022)
- Is Your Case Ordinary Negligence or Medical Malpractice? Verdict Volume 40, No. 4 (2022)
Representative Cases
- Glover v. Allstate Insurance Co., 153 N.E.3d 1114 (Ind. 2020)
- Miller v. Patel et al., 174 N.E.3d 1061 (Ind. 2021)
- Tyus v. Indianapolis Power & Light Co., 134 N.E.3d 389 (Ind. Ct. App. 2019), trans. denied.
- NCAA v. Finnerty, 191 N.E.2d 211 (Ind. 2022)
- Cadorath Aero., LLC v. Ricks, 133 N.E.3d 782 (Ind. Ct. App. 2019)
- Campbell Hausfeld/Fetzer Co. v. Johnson, 109 N.E.2d 953 (Ind. 2018)
- Scribbles v. Wedgewood, 101 N.E.3d 844 (Ind. Ct. App. 2018), trans. denied.
- Angel Shores Mobile Home Park v. Crays, 78 N.E.3d 718 (Ind. Ct. App. 2017)
- Staples the Office Superstore, Inc. v. Wright, 95 N.E.3d 212 (Ind. Ct. App. 2017)
- ABC Radiology, P.C. v. Gearhart, 69 N.E.3d 545 (Ind. Ct. App. 2017), transfer denied.
- Shelton v. Kroger Ltd. Partnership I, 58 N.E.3d 229 (Ind. Ct. App. 2016), trans. denied.
- Eads v. Turner, 44 N.E.3d 842 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015)
- Inman v. State Farm Mutual Ins. Co., 981 N.E.2d 1202 (Ind. 2012)
- Kosarko v. Padula, 979 N.E.2d 144 (Ind. 2012)
- Brown-Day v. Allstate Insurance Co., 915 N.E.2d 548 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009), trans. denied.
- Burnett v. Columbus McKinnon Corp., 405 N.Y.S.2d 405 (4th Dept. 2009)
- Barnett v. Clark, 889 N.E.2d 281 (Ind. 2008)
- Allstate Ins. Co. v. Keltner, 842 N.E.2d 879 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006)
- State Farm Ins. Co. v. C.W., 2010 WL 597930 (N.D. Ind. 2006)
- Allstate Ins. Co. v. Tozer, 298 F.Supp2d 765 (S.D. Ind. 2005)
- Jennings v. St. Vincent Hospital & Health, 832 N.E.2d 1044 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005)
- Turner v. Buske Lines Inc., 2006 WL 566108 (S.D. Ind. 2006)
- Knox v. American General Life Ins. Co., 2003 WL 22056301 (S.D. Ind. 2003)
- Kincaid v. State of Indiana, 757 N.E.2d 713 (Ind. Ct. App. 2001)
- Potts, M.D. v. Williams, 746 N.E.2d 1000 (Ind. Ct. App. 2001)
- Sales v. State of Indiana, 714 N.E.2d 1121 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999)
- Christian v. State of Indiana. 710 N.E.2d 582 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999)
Professional Associations
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow, State Committee Member
- International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
- American Board of Trial Advocates, Indiana Chapter, Past President
- Indiana College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
- Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Directors, Amicus Curiae Committee
- Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow
- Indiana State Bar Association, Life Fellow
- Indiana Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
Practice Areas
- Personal Injury
- Medical Malpractice
- Wrongful Death
- Product Liability
- Insurance Coverage
Honors
- Best Lawyers in America, Mass Torts, Lawyer of the Year, 2017
- Best Lawyers in America, Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice, Lawyer of the Year, 2019
- Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, 2010
- Recognized as an Indiana Super Lawyer by Indianapolis Monthly, 2006 - Present
- Recognized as an Indiana Super Lawyers Top 50 Indiana Super Lawyers 2020 - Present
- Top 10 Indiana Super Lawyers, 2024
- Best Lawyers in America, Plaintiff’s Personal Injury, 2010 - Present
- Martindale-Hubbell, AV Preeminent Rating
- Purdue Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award, 1989
- IHSAA Keesling Mental Attitude Award, 1985
Bar Admissions
- Indiana, 1993
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Indiana, 1993
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Indiana, 1993
- U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 1993
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2003
Past Positions
- ICE MILLER in Indianapolis, IN, Associate, 1993 to 1995
- Coffield, Ungaretti & Harris, Chicago, IL, Clerk 1992, 1993
- Honorable Michael S. Kanne of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Clerk, 1992