Personal Injury, Mass Torts, and Product Liability

The firm has an extensive practice defending both self-insured and insured clients from a broad array of liability claims. The firm's defense practice ranges from single-plaintiff personal injury claims to complex multi-plaintiff and class action toxic tort claims. The firm's trial attorneys have broad experience defending a wide variety of liability claims and have been recognized among the Best Lawyers in America for their expertise in personal injury litigation. The firm's liability defense practice includes the following specialties:

Mass Torts - Many of the firm's litigators regularly handle the defense of mass tort litigation. In recent years the firm has represented clients in lawsuits involving asbestos, silica, tobacco, welding products, breast implants and other medical devices, and allegations of hearing loss. The firm also has broad experience in defense of multi-plaintiff claims and class actions alleging harm stemming from chemical spills and releases. With its experienced staff of legal assistants and litigation support software, the firm is well equipped to handle the voluminous documents that are often a key component in complex mass tort litigation.

Personal Injury - The firm's litigators regularly defend personal injury cases both as part of our insurance defense practice and on behalf of self-insured clients. The firm's personal injury defense practice ranges from defending single plaintiff claims arising from motor vehicle accidents to claims involving numerous plaintiffs resulting from fires and explosions.

Products Liability - A number of the firm's litigators actively engage in product liability defense for a broad array of clients. The firm represents manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, automobiles, turbines, electrical appliances, welding products, transmission equipment, tobacco products, breast implants and other medical devices, fertilizer, and asbestos and silica products. The firm is actively engaged in defending products liability claims in all state and federal courts in Mississippi and in other courts throughout the southeastern United States.

Medical Malpractice and Nursing Home Liability - The firm has extensive experience in the defense of medical malpractice claims. The firm is regularly engaged to represent the interests of both physicians and hospitals in courts throughout Mississippi. Additionally, a number of the firm's litigators have significant experience in the defense of lawsuits filed by or on behalf of nursing home residents alleging inadequate care.

Premises Liability - The firm's trial lawyers have defended numerous claims involving allegations against premises owners. These include claims stemming from criminal conduct committed by third parties against business invitees of the firm's clients.

Representative Matters

• Successfully defended welding rod manufacturers in the first welding fume exposure lawsuit tried in Arkansas
• Represented a large national pharmaceutical company and obtained dismissal of several hundred cases at no settlement to the client.  At their peak, there were 79 cases involving over 1100 plaintiffs.  Over 100 claims were dismissed by the Court or voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff.
• Successful defense of national creosote companies in environmental wrongful death trial in federal court.
• Obtained summary judgment from the Warren County Circuit Court in favor of Honeywell, Inc. in litigation brought by a number of workers who were injured and the estates of the workers who were killed in the explosion at Rouse Polymetric's rubber recycling facility in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The May 2002 explosion is the largest industrial accident in the history of the state. Honeywell manufactured a number of digital controllers that were located in the area of the plant where the explosion allegedly originated, and it was dismissed only nine months after being joined as a defendant.
• Obtained a dismissal with prejudice before trial of the claims of an Alabama welder against The BOC Group, Inc, Lincoln Electric Co., Hobart, Inc. and ESAB in a case that was to be the second trial in the national welding fume litigation in the MDL court in Cleveland, Ohio
• Defended multiple companies in toxic tort environmental litigation involving claims by thousands of plaintiffs alleging exposure to various wood treating chemicals.
• Succeeded in obtaining a summary judgment in an ERISA case filed in federal court by numerous plaintiffs as a putative class action against a major lending institution.  The case involved allegations of breach of fiduciary duty, misrepresentation and other statutory violations.  After substantial briefing, the court determined that all of the plaintiffs' claims should be dismissed before trial.
• Obtained a summary judgment and dismissal of all claims in a suit brought in state court against a major lending institution and one of its loan officers.  The plaintiffs in the case alleged claims of breach of contract, fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation and negligent hiring, supervision and retention. 
• Successfully defended clients in multiple Benzene personal injury cases which also resulted in the dismissal of co-defendants.
• Represents clients in multiple state and federal asbestos and drilling mud related litigation.
• Obtained a defense verdict in Hinds County Circuit Court in a medical malpractice lawsuit brought against St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital.
• Served as counsel in numerous litigated matters involving welding fumes, chemical exposure and silicone breast implants.
• Achieved dismissals in separate cases of CEO Defendant in State Court in Mississippi.
• Achieved over 10 dismissals on behalf of healthcare client in complex litigation in State Court in Mississippi.
• Achieved dismissal on behalf of oil and gas client in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Mississippi.
• Achieved dismissal on behalf of client in product liability case in the Circuit Court of Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
• Obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a healthcare client in a jury trial in state court in 2006.
• Achieved dismissal of Parent Corporation in a general liability case pending in a state court in Mississippi.

News & Events

• 2008 Chambers USA Ranks Brunini Among Top Law Firms in Mississippi
• Brunini Lawyers Named Best Lawyers in America
• Robert Gibbs and John Hall Obtain Order of Dismissal for Penn National Gaming Company
• David Kaufman Named Among Top 500 Attorneys in America by Lawdragon

Case Studies

• Case Study: Industrial Accident
• Case Study: Toxic Tort Environmental Litigation