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Product Liability
Our Product Liability practice has
significant experience in national and local representation of clients in product
liability cases. The group's lawyers have handled dozens of major tort and product
liability cases through jury trial.
We represent a number of clients, such as Kawasaki Motors
USA, Ingersoll-Rand Company, Lorillard Tobacco Company, and United Industries
Corporation, on a national basis.
Geographic Breadth
Our Product Liability
practice has handled lawsuits across the country—from Montana to Texas and New
Jersey to Guam. Attorneys have entered their appearance for trials in the
states and territories of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Wisconsin, and Guam. Our lawyers regularly represent manufacturers from all
over the world in Missouri and Illinois, particularly the challenging venues
of Madison and St. Clair Counties in Illinois, and the City of St. Louis in Missouri.
The firm is proud of its track record in these courts that are known for favorable
outcomes for plaintiffs.
Industry and Subject Matter Experience
We have defended claims in a wide variety of fields and covering many issues, such as:
- all-terrain vehicles
- labeling
- automobiles
- ladders
- bio-mechanics/human factors
- mining equipment
- chemicals
- medical devices
- construction equipment
- motorcycles
- consumer products
- personal watercraft
- electrical components
- pharmaceuticals
- elevators/escalators
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- power tools
- fabrics
- recreational vehicles
- farm equipment
- repetitive trauma
- flammable vapors
- shock absorber design
- forklifts
- tires
- hearing loss
- toxicology
- industrial equipment
- trucks and trailers
- insecticides
- warnings & instructions
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Philosophy
The Product Liability practice group has found that
success in product liability cases arises from basic principles. First, the
simple story that persuades a jury emerges from the counsel's mastery of
the scientific, technical and legal issues in the case—a complete knowledge of
a case's complexity illuminates the winning simplicity. Second, by showing
more persistence and preparation than the opponent,lawyers can win a case that would otherwise be
lost.
The Product Liability practice group was responsible for the defense in
the trial and success of the longest jury trial in history—a 65-plaintiff product
liability/toxic tort case tried in St. Clair County, Illinois. From that experience—and
many others—we forged the philosophy of technical mastery, persistence, and preparation,
and this philosophy has successfully guided our practice for more than
20 years.
Clients have various approaches to product liability litigation: defend
cases vigorously defend vigorously only those cases that are likely to
encourage "copy cat" litigation and defend and settle cases in the
most cost-effective way. Our Product Liability practice group can, and does, implement
whatever philosophy the client brings to litigation. We are most proud, however, of
our willingness and ability to take cases to trial—and win—when other
counsel would be reluctant to do so.
Class Actions
The Product Liability attorneys work with the firm's
Class Action practice group on class action matters throughout the country.
The Class Action practice group has extensive experience in a wide range of
class action litigation. If a product liability case involves a class action
request, the Firm has expertise to bring to bear on those issues.
Representative Clients
- American Cyanamid
- Baldor Electric Co.
- Emerson Electric Co.
- Federal Signal Corp.
- Honda North America, Inc.
- Ingersoll-Rand Co.
- Johnson & Johnson
- Kawasaki Motors USA
- Lorillard Tobacco Co.
- United Industries Corp.
- Yamaha Motor Corp., USA
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