Industry attorney John W. Grund passes away at 62

By | December 31, 2012

John W. Grund passed away suddenly on Dec. 24, 2012. He was 62. A Denver native, John grew up in Littleton, graduating from Littleton High School in 1968. He attended Pomona College, earned his Master's degree from the University of Washington, and his law degree from the University of Colorado Law School, where he would find his true avocation and a stellar career in insurance defense litigation. John founded and served as managing shareholder of Grund and Dagner, P.C., a Colorado law firm specializing in amusement industry cases. He was also a vice president at International Amusement & Leisure Defense Association, Inc. Earlier in his career, he was a partner in the Denver firms of Tilly & Graves, P.C.; Montgomery, Green, Jarvis, Kolodny & Markusson, P.C.; and Grund & Breslau, P.C. John sat on the Colorado Supreme Court Committee on Civil Pattern Jury Instructions (since 1987) as an appointed member and chaired the subcommittee responsible for Product Liability, Professional Malpractice, and Insurance Bad Faith. He co-authored the four-volume Personal Injury Practice — Torts and Insurance and contributed three chapters to Colorado Courtroom Handbook for Civil Trials. Well-respected and admired by his peers, John was the first recipient of the John W. Grund Excellence in Leadership Award, 2001; first recipient, President's Professionalism Award, 2010; DRI Service Award Recipient, March 12, 1999; Colorado Super Lawyer, 2007-Present; and selected to The Best Lawyers in America, in the specialty of Insurance Law, 2007-Present. John overcame many obstacles resulting from a trampoline injury in 1967 that left him a partially-recovered quadriplegic. He met these physical challenges head-on and enjoyed many years of skiing as part of the Winter Park program for skiers with disabilities. "John was the bravest, smartest and happiest person that I have ever known," said Lary I. Zucker, Esq., Marshall Dennehey. John is survived by his wife, Kyle; three children, Brandon, Kelly, and Eric; grandson, Liam; his mother, Molly Grund; and siblings, Steve and Chery. In lieu of flowers, John's family is in the process of establishing a scholarship fund in his honor. Please contact John's law firm, Grund · Dagner, P.C., for additional details. A celebration of his life is pending.