The Mass Tort and Class Actions Group has decades of experience in litigating a variety of complex mass tort and class and collective action matters. We have been active on a national scale, serving as counsel for many diverse entities. We coordinate discovery, develop overall litigation and settlement strategy, and coordinate the activities of local counsel around the country. Additionally, we perform internal investigations of facts, document review, employee and ex-employee interviews and site/product histories, as well as developing and managing document libraries with comprehensive litigation support, targeting favorable laws, providing regulatory advice, and developing experts. 

Our mass tort practice includes the defense of claims for exposures to asbestos-containing products, silica, benzene, chromated copper arsenate, NORM, mold, mercury, lead, phenylpropanolamine, organic solvents, polyvinyl chloride, as well as a variety of other agents. Our clients include manufacturers, oil and energy related entities, railroads, premise owners, executive officers and distributors. We have extensive experience in state and federal courts litigating cases under state law, general maritime law, Jones Act, FELA and CERCLA. 

Our experience in asbestos litigation is particularly extensive. Since the inception of the litigation in Louisiana, we have been at the forefront of the defense effort. We have defended a wide range of asbestos-containing products including insulation, refractory, gaskets, packing, brake and other friction materials, as well as premise owners and executive officers. We have been lead counsel in thousands of lawsuits and tried numerous cases to verdict in Louisiana and in other states, successfully obtaining defense verdicts in pleural, asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma claims. As a result, we have participated in most Louisiana appeals of significance relating to asbestos and other occupational exposures. 

Over the years, we have acquired an extensive expert and fact deposition and trial testimony bank. We also have a large library of a variety of literature involving occupational diseases. We maintain product information which encompasses numerous manufacturers and distributors and every major and most minor sites in Louisiana. We also have a library of case law, motions, memoranda, and other pleadings concerning recurrent issues which permits us to present a cost-effective, vigorous defense. 

Through our vast experience, we can provide significant cost savings to clients as we have no learning curve in developing defense strategies and we are able to access data bases, medical materials, medical experts, toxicology experts, and industrial hygiene experts. Additionally, due to the representation of numerous clients, we have developed a cost effective strategy with the use of joint representation agreements. 

The firm has extensive experience in defending corporate clients in class and collective actions/litigation. We have acted as counsel in numerous class and collective action/litigation cases in federal and state courts throughout the country. We are equally adept at opposing class certification to the highest court of appeal and settling class and collective actions/litigation to minimize exposure when circumstances warrant. Because the class certification decision generally occurs early on in the case, it is imperative for a defendant to gain a competitive advantage over the opponent early on. It is our philosophy to immediately minimize the risks presented by a class action filing by removing to federal court, filing dispositive motions, and/or striking class and collective action/litigation allegations. In all cases, we develop a plan of action with the client, and then work to implement the plan of action in all out effort to serve the client‘s best interests. 

We have particular expertise in functioning as national coordinating counsel in situations involving duplicative or “copycat“ class action filings in multiple jurisdictions. Our experience with repetitive class and collective action/litigation filings and other large filings have allowed us to acquire and gain technical expertise in case-management technology.

We regularly employ top of the line database technology to our class action cases to compile evidence on class members, manage class discovery and pleadings, and minimize administrative expense to the client. The database technology we use is compatible with that used by most clients to maintain records and other law firms that represent co-defendants in class and collective action/litigation cases so that work and case organization is streamlined. We employ several legal assistants with extensive experience in relevant database technology.