Faculty Profile: John Spragens

John T. Spragens represents plaintiffs in class action and whistleblower litigation against corporations that manufacture dangerous and defective products, conspire to fix prices, and misuse taxpayer funds. He has represented families of deceased smokers in trials in Florida federal court against the tobacco companies for their 50-year conspiracy of misrepresenting the dangers of smoking cigarettes and for intentionally engineering the design of cigarettes to make them more addictive. In 2014, a jury found that Philip Morris should pay his gravely injured client $27 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

John is a 2012 graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, where he served as Executive Editor of the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review. After graduating from law school, John served as a law clerk for United States District Judge Kevin H. Sharp and as a litigation associate at Bass, Berry & Sims, where he worked on whistleblower claims, corporate investigations and white collar criminal defense.

Prior to attending law school, John served as communications director for United States Congressman Jim Cooper and as a reporter for the Nashville Scene. He graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College in 2004.