Product Liability and Toxic Tort

“Six weeks prior to trial, we had to switch counsel. We were left without an established lawyer in Texas, and there wasn’t an option of continuance. The case had been pending for years, with well over 50 depositions, both here and in Italy, involving a product line we’re not accustomed to defending. We went with the local office of one of our national teams, BakerHostetler. They came in and hit it out of the park.”

“What I found was a remarkably calm, even-keeled—but very hardworking—approach that really resonated with me. You would not have known that these guys had just had the case for six weeks. They were going about their business as if they’d had the case from the start.”

— Caterpillar in-house counsel

Product liability and toxic tort litigation can hurt a company’s bottom line, as well as its ongoing reputation among consumers. BakerHostetler’s Product Liability and Toxic Tort team understands that the future of your business is on the line when it comes to product liability issues.

Represented manufacturer in catastrophic injury case involving alleged defects in product’s electronic control system, shifting, steering, seatbelt, and safety systems design and implementation. Plaintiff asserted product liability claims of design, manufacture, and marketing defects, as well as breach of warranty, negligence, and gross negligence.
Represented manufacturer in litigation involving alleged defects in engines of 12 commercial vehicles. Plaintiff asserted claims of products liability, breach of warranty, and breach of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Represented manufacturer in litigation involving alleged defects in fuel system and fuel lines after a fire in school system’s bus fleet. Plaintiff asserted claims of products liability design defects as well as breach of warranty, negligence, and gross negligence.
Represented manufacturer in catastrophic injury case involving alleged defects in hydraulic system. Plaintiff asserted product liability claims of design, manufacture, and marketing defects, as well as breach of warranty, negligence, and gross negligence.
Represented Bayer for more than 20 years in pesticide products liability cases, including crop damage and toxic tort cases, as well as class actions.
Serve as national product liability counsel for world’s largest concrete products equipment manufacturer, defending it against defect claims by catastrophically injured plaintiffs.
Represented a manufacturer of marine steering systems in multiple actions involving alleged design and manufacturing defects. In one case, we successfully obtained summary judgment for the client where a quadriplegic plaintiff was injured in a high-speed boating accident, and product compatibility and design defects were alleged. In another action, we successfully obtained defense verdict where product components were at issue, in which a finding of liability could have exposed the client to a recall of hundreds of thousands of previously sold steering systems.
Serve as national coordinating counsel for a major automotive components manufacturer, managing the assignment of counsel and overseeing all pleading and discovery matters related to asbestos litigation.