What Oregon Trial Lawyers Can Learn from a 'Catnapping' Case—and a Nearly $1.4 Million Jury Verdict
- Joe Douglass, 3x Emmy-Nominated Legal Storyteller
- Jul 2
- 3 min read
When trial attorney Michael Fuller first got the email, he and his partner, Kelly Jones, both said it was “a million-dollar case.”
But it wouldn’t be easy. The insurance company’s initial offer was just $30.
The client was a tenant in a sober living house who claimed his landlord had stolen his cat. There was no hard proof—just a handwritten witness note and a deep emotional bond. So deep, in fact, that the man had the cat’s face tattooed on his wrist.
Four years later, thanks in part to Fuller’s media strategy and a pivotal twist, the case resulted in a unanimous jury verdict in Portland, Oregon: $175,000 in compensatory damages and $1.2 million in punitive damages for the intentional infliction of emotional distress.
And the cat? It was eventually found at a humane society, dropped off by the landlord’s ex-wife, wearing a disguise, using a burner phone.
In this episode of Make Your Case, Clear Eyed Media’s podcast about pivotal litigation moments, Fuller breaks down the strategy behind what he calls his favorite case—and shares insights every Oregon trial lawyer should hear.
▶️ Watch the full conversation below:
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The Underdog Lawyer’s Approach
Michael Fuller isn’t your typical Portland civil litigator. He doesn’t chase car crash cases. He keeps 20% of his calendar open for emerging legal issues in the community. And he’s built a reputation for taking on cases most firms won’t touch, including this one.
In his Make Your Case interview, Fuller talks about:
Why he filed the lawsuit within 24 hours of meeting the client
How he used media attention strategically to surface a new witness
The surprise sworn affidavit that flipped the case—and nearly collapsed the defense
His firm, Underdog Law Office, has litigated everything from class actions involving bankrupt Oregon universities to civil rights claims stemming from police abuse during 2020 protests.
The Value of Oregon Jury Insight
One of the standout moments in the case came during jury selection in Multnomah County.
Rather than burying facts that might prejudice jurors—like the client’s recovery from heroin addiction or visible tattoos—Fuller leaned in. He addressed them head-on and framed the case around trust, betrayal, and redemption.
For trial lawyers preparing for emotional distress cases in Oregon, it’s a masterclass in how to:
Use voir dire to weed out biased jurors (or even flip assumptions)
Shape case narratives around human themes, not just legal elements
Increase the likelihood of punitive damages under ORS 31.730
Speed vs. Strategy: Why Many Oregon Civil Cases Stall
The cat case took more than four years to reach trial. Part of that delay came from COVID. But Fuller says many civil cases in Oregon drag because of insurance defense strategy.
Trial lawyers are trying to move, he explained. Insurance companies want to stall, and the defense attorneys bill by the hour.
His response? A “West Coast offense” litigation model:
File early
Serve all discovery with the complaint
Keep pressure on through repeated motions to compel and requests for sanctions
It’s an approach that might feel aggressive, but it’s built for cases where delay favors the defense.
What Oregon Trial Lawyers Can Take from This
Whether or not you’d ever take on a missing cat case, Fuller’s approach has broad application. His strategy taps into some of the most searched concerns trial lawyers have in Oregon:
How do I prove non-economic harm?
What’s the cap—or risk—on punitive damages?
Can I ethically use media coverage to help surface new evidence?
How do I persuade juries in largely urban counties like Multnomah?
How to identify and address juror biases
And more fundamentally:
“Is this a story that deserves to be told to a jury?”
About the Podcast
Make Your Case is a podcast from Clear Eyed Media, where we talk to trial lawyers about the most impactful cases of their careers—and the strategies that led to major results.
I’m Joe Douglass, a former investigative journalist and founder of Clear Eyed Media. Our team helps attorneys present their cases more effectively through video storytelling—whether for settlement, mediation, or trial.
If you’re a trial lawyer with a case worth sharing, email me at joe@cleareyedmedia.com.
