Thomas C. Sand

Court Admissions

Oregon Supreme Court, 1977
U.S. District Court, District of Oregon, 1977
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1984
U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, 2012
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington, 2012

Tom Sand was the Managing Partner of Miller Nash Graham & Dunn from 1999 through 2008. An attorney with the firm since 1977, he focuses his practice on general trial practice and civil litigation, with emphasis on securities, employment, and other commercial matters. Tom has successfully tried numerous jury cases in several different state and federal courts, and has argued and won appeals in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Oregon Supreme Court, and the Oregon Court of Appeals. In addition, he has handled hundreds of arbitrations and served as an arbitrator under the auspices of self-regulatory organizations in the securities industry. He is also retained as a mediator to assist parties in resolving their disputes.

Recognition includes:

Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
Oregon Super Lawyers Magazine Top 50 (2006-present); Top 10 (2008, 2013)
Best Lawyers in America for Bet-the-Company Litigation (2006-present)
Recognized as a "Leader in Their Field" in Chambers USA for General Litigation
2004 Distinguished Graduate, Lewis & Clark Law School

Representative Experience

Norman G. Lewis v. Washington State University, et al.

Our client, a state university, won a decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit which held that a tenured professor failed to establish a constitutionally protected property right to continue as Project Director of a federal grant.

Schilling Livestock v. Sterling Bank

Our client won a unanimous defense award from a panel of three arbitrators after two weeks of hearings on investor claims for securities violations arising from tenant-in-common investments.

Sibley v. Portland Public School District

Our client Portland Public School District won a jury verdict after a four-week trial, defeating claims by a former administrator who alleged “whistleblower” retaliation, defamation, “false light,” battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress when her position was eliminated after she raised concerns about safety in special education programs.

Boyer v. Salomon Smith Barney.

Our client, a broker-dealer of investment securities and commodities, won a jury verdict after a six-day trial. The case was brought by a commodities trader alleging claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, statutory violations, and negligence seeking compensatory and punitive damages for losses incurred in connection with trading contracts for future delivery of crude oil and natural gas. The plaintiff appealed, and the Oregon Court of Appeals split five votes to five. The Oregon Supreme Court unanimously affirmed in favor of our clients the broker-dealer and its agents.

Sulzer Pumps v. Pacific Indemnity, et al.

We successfully resolved long-tail insurance coverage for superfund environmental claims after 18 months of litigation in two states that included winning Oregon's first recorded antisuit injunction prohibiting insurers from continuing with a duplicative action brought by them in another state seeking a declaratory judgment of no coverage.

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