Product Liability / Mass Tort Litigation

The Williams Mullen Product Liability/Mass Tort practice group offers the rare combination of National Coordinating Counsel (“NCC”) experiences and savvy trial skills. Our clients span a wide range of industries including manufacturers and distributors from the asbestos; medical device; pharmaceutical; lawn care, construction, and safety equipment; water craft; firearm; and foam-related product industries; as well as petroleum and insurance industries.

The Williams Mullen Product Liability/Mass Tort practice group offers the rare combination of National Coordinating Counsel (NCC) experience and savvy trial skills. Our clients span a wide range of industries, including manufacturers and distributors from the following industries:

• asbestos
• medical device
• pharmaceutical
• lawn care, construction, and safety equipment
• water craft
• firearm
• foam-related product
• petroleum
• insurance 

Handling Product Liability Cases from California to Maine, and Everywhere in Between
The Product Liability/Mass Tort Group handles cases around the country as both NCC and trial counsel. We have been counsel of record from San Diego to Maine and 44 jurisdictions in between. We work closely with a network of local counsel that are skilled in tort defense and experienced in local practice. We have also developed an excellent working relationship with plaintiffs’ attorneys in this arena, which has helped us bring the best overall results to our clients in the appropriate cases.

An Experienced Team of Product Liability Law Practicioners
Our attorneys are frequent speakers on products liability and mass tort litigation and have presented to national and international conferences. However, our experience is the best indicator of our abilities and we have received national recognition for our trial work.

Representative Experience

Serve as National Coordinating Counsel for

• The nation’s largest medical product distributor in nearly 200 cases (MDL 1148)
• A safety equipment distributor facing over 20,000 silica claims (MDL 1553)
• An oil refiner facing 37 MTBE contamination claims (MDL 1358)

Toxic Tort

• Tried mold claim to defense verdict in Northern Virginia. This was the first of multiple claims. All remaining claims non-suited after the defense verdict
• Tried friction product asbestos case to defense verdict in Tidewater Virginia. This was the first of many cases. After the defense verdict, many other cases were non-suited.
• Represent multiple industrial and commercial equipment manufacturers and distributors in regional asbestos and silica litigation
• Represented multiple apartment complexes in defense of mold claims brought by tenants
• Represented municipality in defense of claims brought by 213 plaintiffs under Virginia Multiple Claimants Litigation Act for injuries allegedly caused by exposure to chemical produced as by-product of chlorination of drinking water
• Represent real estate company in multiple childhood lead paint exposure cases
• Represent hotel corporation in occupational lead paint exposure case

Product Liability

• Represent major retailer in a $10,000,000 claim for injuries to a child due to defective product sold in its store
• Represented international manufacturer of housing products, glass, and high performance materials in product liability litigation
• Represented national distributor of construction materials in product liability litigation
• Represented theme park owners in defense of multiple injury claims allegedly caused by defective design or operation of rides, water attractions, and other facilities
• Represented homeowner in claim for fire damage caused by improperly grounded and bonded electrical and gas lines during home construction
• Represented nursing home operator in claim for water damage caused by failure of dry pipe fire suppression system
• Represented furniture manufacturing facility for fire damage caused by failure of roofing system 
• Represented manufacturer of home fire safety products in defense of claims related to product quality
• Represented Sears, Roebuck and Company in a product liability action where plaintiff claimed $2,000,000 for injuries sustained in an accident with a table saw 
• Represented Skil Corporation in a product liability action where plaintiff claimed $100,000 for injuries sustained in an accident with a circular saw
• Represented Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Emerson Electric Company in a product liability action where plaintiff claimed $1,200,000 for injuries sustained in an accident with a radial arm saw
• Represented recreational boating products manufacturer in traumatic amputation case
• Represented penile implant manufacturer in defect/explant case
• Represented PPA manufacturer in catastrophic stroke case
• Represented ephedra distributor in wrongful death case
• Represent farm equipment manufacturer in defective hay bale spear case
• Represented spa manufacturer in toxic bromine exposure case
• Defended world’s largest manufacturer of screw augers in Richmond federal court
• Defended international manufacturer of heavy construction equipment in products liability cases
• Defended gun manufacturer
• Defended ammunition manufacturer
• Defended conveyor belt manufacturer
• Defended manufacturer of home heating and air conditioning systems in cases
• Represented lawn equipment manufacturers and distributors in amputation and other serious injury claims
• Represented polyethylene foam manufacturer in cases involving outgassing of blowing agent and product quality issues
• Represented manufacturer and distributor of furniture and supplies for educators in federal court case in which plaintiff was paralyzed when a stacking chair he was sitting in collapsed as a result of allegedly defective welds.
• Represented ladder manufacturer in federal court case in which the plaintiff claimed serious personal injury when a ladder she was working on collapsed as a result of allegedly defective weld.