Matthew D. Barrett, P.C. Attorney At Law

574-516-6188

Matthew D. Barrett, P.C. Attorney At Law

The Initial Consultation Is Free. Call Today 574-516-6188

Matthew D. Barrett, P.C. Attorney At Law

The Initial Consultation Is Free. Call Us Today 574-516-6188

An AdvocateThat’s Here For You

Matthew D. Barrett

Headshot of Matthew D. Barrett

Contact Me:

(574) 516-6188

Practice Areas

  • Automobile Accidents
  • Semi-Truck Accidents
  • Wrongful Death
  • Motorcycle Accidents
  • Moped Accidents
  • Dog Bites
  • Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Construction Injuries
  • Pedestrian Accidents
  • Bus Crashes
  • Three-Wheeler, Four Wheeler and ATV Accidents
  • Airplane/Boat/Train Crashes
  • Birth Injuries
  • Nursing Home Injuries
  • Pharmacy Mistakes
  • Burns/Fires/Explosions
  • Dismemberment
  • Slip and Fall
  • Drowning
  • School and Playground Injuries
  • Sex Abuse at School/Daycare
  • Daycare Injuries
  • Defective Products
  • Civil Rights/Police Misconduct
  • Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist Claims
  • Insurance Bad Faith
  • Insurance Claims
  • Felonies
  • Misdemeanors
  • Drunk Driving/OWI/DUI
  • Minor Consumption
  • Driving While Suspended/Without a License
  • Marijuana/All Other Drug Offenses
  • Battery
  • Domestic Battery
  • Criminal Confinement
  • Disorderly Conduct
  • Robbery
  • Theft
  • Sex Crimes
  • Trespass
  • Arson
  • Firearm Offenses
  • Forgery
  • Fraud
  • Homicide – Murder/Manslaughter
  • Habitual Traffic Violator
  • Traffic Offenses
  • Bond Reduction

Education

  • Valparaiso University School of Law, Valparaiso, Indiana
    • J.D. - 2002
    • Honors: Special Commendation for Pro Bono Externship
    • Honors: Honor Papers in Pretrial Skills and Advanced Appellate Advocacy
  • Indiana University - Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana
    • B.A. - 1998
    • Honors: Dean's List (4 Semesters)
    • Major: English Literature
    • Minor: History

Classes & Seminars

  • Featured Speaker, "Civil Rights and DWI", Crown Point, Indiana, 2004
  • Lecturer, Topics In Medical Malpractice Law, Health Careers Exploration Class, Century Career Center, Logansport High School, 2006

Pro-Bono Activities

  • Participant, Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee, Literacy Volunteers of Cass County, 2005
  • Judge, Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee, Literacy Volunteers of Cass County, 2006
  • Chief Organizer and Tour Guide, Law Day at Cass County Courthouse, 2006
  • Member, Cass County Community Foundation Scholarship Committee, 2008
  • Volunteer, Muscular Dystrophy Fundraiser, 2008
  • Tour Guide, Law Day at Cass County Courthouse, 2008
  • Board of Directors, Cass County Historical Society, 2010 to 2011
  • Founder, Indiana State Trooper Daniel R. Barrett Memorial Scholarship

Published Works

  • "Failing to Provide Police Protection: Breeding a Viable and Consistent 'State-Created Danger' Analysis for Establishing Constitutional Violations Under Section 1983", 37 Valparaiso University Law Review 1, Fall, 2002
  • "Preparing Your Client for Deposition Testimony", American Bar Association - The Young Lawyer, July/August, 2005
  • "How to Deal With an Objection of Privilege Based on Indiana's Peer Review Statute During the Course of Pre-Trial Discovery", Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, VERDICT, 2005
  • "And Just Where Do You Think You're Going?": Police Detention of Passenger Who Walks Away From Vehicle During Traffic Stop, Res Gestae, March, 2006
  • "Indiana's New 'Communication of Sympathy' Statute: Saying 'I'm Sorry' In the Context of Medical Malpractice and Other Personal Injury Accidents", Indiana Lawyer, (Vol. 17, No. 8) June/July, 2006
  • "Groundless Cases Still Get Into Court", Indiana Lawyer (Featured Interview), (Vol. 17, No. 10) July/August, 2006
  • "A Brief Review of What Types of Claims Fall Within and Outside the Scope of Indiana's Medical Malpractice Act", Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, VERDICT, 2006
  • "A Modest Proposal: Submitting a Joint Discovery Plan In Federal Court", American Bar Association - The Young Lawyer, September, 2006
  • "Waiver of Right Forms Under Miranda: Not a Ritual of Words to be Recited by Rote According to Didactic Niceties", Open Court, Newsletter of the Criminal Justice Section, Indiana State Bar Association, Vol. XI, No. 1, December, 2006
  • "Recovering Damages for Tortious Injury to Historic Buildings and Other 'Special Purpose' Property In Indiana: Drawing the Line Between Fair Market Value and Cost Repair' In Cases of Permanent Damage", Res Gestae, December, 2006
  • "A Case of Bad Breath: Does the Odor of an Alcoholic Beverage, By Itself, Establish Probable Cause for a Police Officer to Offer Chemical Test In the Context of DWI Offenses?", Open Court, Newsletter of the Criminal Justice Section, Indiana State Bar Association, Vol. XII, No. 1, May, 2007
  • "Supreme Court Clarifies Five Exceptions to Nonliability Involving Personal Injury Claims Asserted by a Contractor's Employee", Indiana Civil Litigation Review (publication of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana), Vol. 3, No. 2, May, 2007
  • "Brendlin v. California: Supreme Court Holds That a Passenger Is "Seized" for Fourth Amendment Purposes and Can Challenge Legality of a Traffic Stop", Open Court, Newsletter of the Criminal Justice Section, Indiana State Bar Association, Vol. XII, No. 2, October, 2007
  • "The Attorney Commitment In Traumatic Brain Injury Cases", American Bar Association - The Young Lawyer, November, 2007
  • "Federal Preemption of State Law Claims Involving Class III Medical Devices", Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Trial Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1, Winter, 2007
  • "Calm the Child Witness", TRIAL, Journal of the American Association for Justice (formerly American Trial Lawyers Association), February, 2008
  • "Coughing It Up: Indiana Supreme Court Holds That Police Chokeholds Are Unreasonable Searches and Seizures", Open Court, Newsletter of the Criminal Justice Section, Indiana State Bar Association, Vol. XIII, No. 1, February, 2008
  • "Reducing the State's Cut: Amending Indiana's Split-Award Statute In Punitive Damage Cases", The Indiana Litigator, Newsletter of the Litigation Section, Indiana State Bar Association, Summer, 2008
  • "Representing Children In Cases Involving Wrongful Death of a Parent", Res Gestae, July/August, 2008
  • "Estoppel to Extend Insurance Coverage Based on Bad Faith", Indiana Civil Litigation Review (publication of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana), Vol 5., No. 2, November, 2008
  • "Holding a Surgeon Liable for Medical Negligence of Another Under the 'Captain-of-the Ship' Doctrine", Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, VERDICT, 2010
  • "Recovery for Separate Acts of Negligence Under Indiana Medical Malpractice Act", Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, VERDICT, 2011

Professional Associations

  • Cass County Bar Association, Member
  • Indiana State Bar Association, Member
  • Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, Member
  • American Association of Justice, Member
  • The National Trial Lawyers, Member
  • Brain Injury Association of Indiana, Member
  • Civil Justice Foundation, Member
  • Open Court, Newsletter of the Criminal Justice Section - Indiana State Bar Association, Editor, 2007 to 2008
  • Logansport-Cass County Chamber of Commerce, Member
  • Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Life Member
  • Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Life Member
  • Elite Lawyers of America, Life Member
  • National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, Member
  • Rue Ratings’ Best Attorneys of America, Member
  • Cass Circuit Court, Judge, pro tempore, 2009

Current Employment Position

  • Attorney

Bar Admissions

  • Indiana, 2003
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Indiana, 2003
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of Indiana, 2003
  • U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit, 2004
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 2003
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 2005
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 2006

Honors

  • Honors Paper in Pretrial Skills, Criminal Pleadings and Advanced Appellate Advocacy
  • Ranked upper 1/3 in Legal Writing and Research
  • Special Commendation for 41 hours of Pro Bono Externship
  • Harrison Legal Writing Award (First-Place Recipient)
  • Harrison Legal Writing Award (Second-Place Recipient)
  • Award, Rue Ratings’ Best Attorneys of America
  • Award, “Top 10 Under 40” in Indiana, National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys

Representative Cases

  • Richard v. State, 820 N.E.2d 749, 2005, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Masick v. McColly Realtors, Inc. and Saxon Drywall, 858 N.E.2d 682, 2006, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Cincinnati Insurance Co. v. Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex, Inc., et al., 2006 WL 299064, 2006, N.D. Ind.
  • Ryan-Louie v. DeFazio, 2007 WL 433067, 2007, N.D. Ind.
  • Wheeler v. Lawson, 2007 WL 844870, 2007, N.D. Ind.
  • Walker v. Martin, et al., 862 N.E.2d 330, 2007, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Beatty v. Martin, et al., 868 N.E.2d 73, 2007, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Bob Anderson Pontiac d/b/a Mike Anderson Chevrolet of Merrillville, Inc. v. Indiana Department of Workforce Development, 867 N.E.2d 282, 2007, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Cincinnati Insurance Co. v. Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex, Inc., et al., 2007 WL 2609829, 2007, N.D. Ind.
  • Putman v. Lima Auto Mall, Inc., 2008 WL 2444677, 2008, N.D. Ind.
  • Wheeler v. Lawson, 539 F.3d 629, 2008, 7th Cir.
  • Hunt v. State, 902 N.E.2d 911, 2009, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Hartoin v. State, 908 N.E.2d 711, 2009, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Robinson v. State, 910 N.E.2d 270, 2009, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Miller v. State, 916 N.E.2d 193, 2009, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Bell v. State, 915 N.E.2d 1048, 2009, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Holmes v. State, 923 N.E.2d 479, 2010, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Van Orden v. State, 924 N.E.2d 226, 2010, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Miller v. State, 924 N.E.2d 680, 2010, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Patterson v. State, 926 N.E.2d 90, 2010, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Skinner v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company d/b/a Metlife, 2010 WL 2175834, 2010, N.D. Ind.
  • State ex rel. Berkshire v. City of Logansport, 928 N.E.2d 587, 2010, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Snowberger v. State, 938 N.E.2d 294, 2010, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Fording v. State, 941 N.E.2d 565, 2011, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Rush v. State, 941 N.E.2d 569, 2011, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Ogle v. State, 943 N.E.2d 445, 2011, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Vazquez v. State, 944 N.E.2d 10, 2011, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Miller v. State, 944 N.E.2d 578 , 2011, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Crowder v. State, 945 N.E.2d 829, 2011, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Justice v. State, 946 N.E.2d 93, 2011, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Downs v. State, 950 N.E.2d 376 , 2011, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Patton v. State, , 972 N.E.2d 418 , 2012, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Barrett v. City of Logansport, et al., 961 N.E.2d 70 , 2012, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Mateo v. State, 974 N.E.2d 602, 2012, Ind. Ct. App.
  • State v. Gonzalez-Vazquez, 984 N.E.2d 704 , 2013, Ind. Ct. App
  • Lewis v. New Prime Inc, No. 1:10-cv-1228-WSD , 2013, N.D. Ga. – Atlanta Div.
  • Phillips v. Mills, 42 N.E.3d 174, 2015, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Vance v. Phillips, 42 N.E.3d 174, 2015, Ind. Ct. App.
  • Torres-Reynoso v. State, 42 N.E.3d 586, 2015, Ind. Ct. App.