Mr. Stutzman has practiced with CWP for over two decades. He has been a member of the firm since 2013.
Mr. Stutzman has been recognized for his appellate advocacy skills and was named as a Mid-South Super Lawyers Rising Star in appellate litigation for nine consecutive years. His diverse practice ranges from representing city and county governments in Mississippi Chancery Court to representing international insurers and reinsurers in jurisdictions throughout the United States. He often assumes the lead role in drafting complex briefs and motions before trial and appellate courts. These efforts have saved CWP’s insurance clients hundreds of millions of dollars.
Mr. Stutzman regularly participates in the trial of municipal annexation cases and assists municipal clients in appellate litigation before the Mississippi Supreme Court. He has argued cases to Mississippi appellate courts, the Delaware Superior Court Complex Commercial Litigation Division, the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and various other trial courts in numerous jurisdictions.
Community Involvement
• Member/Volunteer, Holy Trinity Anglican Church
• Member, Board of Directors for the Mississippi Heritage Trust
• Former officer, Woodland Hills Conservation Association
Presentations
• “Municipal Planning Considerations: Common Comprehensive Planning, Annexation, and Zoning Issues”
July 2025, Mississippi Municipal Attorneys Association Summer Meeting
Co-presenter
• “Mississippi Appellate Procedure: Your MAP in a GPS World”
September 2023, Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association Lunch and Learn
Representative Decisions
• McDonnel Group, LLC v. Starr Surplus Lines Insurance Company, 126 F.4th 1100 (5th Cir. 2025) (affirming grant of summary judgment in favor of builder’s risk insurers with respect to flood deductible interpretation and calculation)
• McDonnel Group, LLC v. Great Lakes Insurance SE, 923 F.3d 427 (5th Cir. 2019) (affirming dismissal of action against builder’s risk insurers in favor of arbitration)
• Nottingham Construction Company v. City of Waveland, 291 F. App’x 665 (5th Cir. 2008) (affirming dismissal of improper bidding practice claims against municipality)
• ETC Northeast Pipeline, LLC v. Associated Electric and Gas Insurance Services Limited, No. 21C-10-177-MMJ CCLD, 2023 WL 6641815 (Del. Super. Ct. Sept. 5, 2023) (dismissing statutory bad faith claims against insurers)
• In the Matter of the Enlarging, Extending, and Defining the Corporate Limits and Boundaries of the City of Laurel, 302 So. 2d 1208 (Miss. 2020) (affirming grant of annexation in favor of municipality)
• In the Matter of the Enlarging, Extending, and Defining the Corporate Limits and Boundaries of the Town of Leakesville, 283 So. 3d 70 (Miss. 2019) (affirming grant of annexation in favor of municipality)
• In the Matter of the Enlarging, Extending, and Defining the Corporate Limits and Boundaries of the City of Madison, 983 So. 2d 1035 (Miss. 2008) (affirming grant of annexation in favor of municipality)
Professional Affiliations and Achievements
• American Bar Association
• The Mississippi Bar
• Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit
• Capital Area Bar Association
• Mississippi Municipal Attorneys
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• Mid-South Super Lawyers – Rising Star
• Martindale-Hubbell – AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating
• Mississippi Bar Leadership Forum 2016
