Products Liability

High-stakes litigation is on the rise in the world of product liability actions. When you find your company facing this kind of problem, you need a team that’s been there. Alston & Bird’s products liability lawyers are “litigation stoppers” and use our extensive experience and technical and scientific know-how to gain critical leverage in these cases; our success at excluding scientific evidence has proven decisive in a number of Daubert victories. We are experienced litigators who try cases all the way to the verdict, but we also know that’s not the best choice in every circumstance. The products liability lawyers at Alston & Bird provide in-depth analysis of the risks and potential costs so you can decide the best course of action. When settlement, arbitration, or mediation offers a better chance of a favorable resolution, we have a long track record of negotiating positive outcomes.

Products liability is a diverse area of law reflecting an array of possible issues, and we have helped clients in industries as varied as automotive, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, chemicals, and consumer products achieve outcomes that not only preserved their place in the market, but prevented future litigation on the same issues. We defend every type of product liability case from individual personal injury to false advertising, diminished value, and product warranty class actions. Our experience in federal and state courts, including California courts, means that our nimble, detail-oriented teams are uniquely positioned to manage your matter in a focused and cost-efficient way. We also understand the crisis-management requirements that a product recall or regulatory enforcement action can create, and our lawyers excel in limiting the damage these events can cause.

In products liability cases, your business goals have to be front and center. Our lawyers understand that your brand’s needs drive the legal strategy, and we work with you to find the most satisfactory conclusion to your case.

Automobiles

• Lead counsel for Porsche in the Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Emissions MDL.
• Lead counsel for Mazda in the Takata Airbag MDL, which arose from the largest recall in automotive history. 
• National trial and coordinating counsel for a manufacturer of trucks and trailers in products liability cases involving serious injuries or death. 
• Defending a leading global manufacturer of automobile safety equipment in wrongful death cases involving alleged defects in the company’s airbag system and seatbelts. 
• Lead defense counsel for Ford in consumer class actions related to alleged spontaneous shattering of panoramic sunroofs. 
• Lead class action defense counsel to Toyota in the Unintended Acceleration MDL, which was the largest mass tort litigation in the country and consisted of over 200 class actions and individual economic-loss cases and more than 100 individual products liability cases.
• Advising a non-U.S.-based company on the products liability risks of selling autonomous vehicles in the U.S.

Telecommunications

• National counsel to one of the nation’s largest wireless carriers in MDL and state-court litigation alleging that cell phones cause cancer. 
• National litigation counsel for a leading telecommunications provider; defended more than 20 putative consumer class actions alleging that defects in the company’s wireless device caused personal injury or property loss. 
• Product liability counsel to a leading wireless carrier.

Manufacturing and Mining

• Lead counsel for a foreign manufacturer in the Chinese Drywall MDL involving products liability claims asserted by thousands of homeowners.
• National trial and regional coordinating counsel for a Fortune 50 chemical company in the defense of its legacy asbestos matters.
• National trial and coordinating counsel for a global industrial minerals company in mass tort litigation alleging that talcum powder causes cancer.
• National counsel for a leading appliance manufacturer in products liability litigation involving catastrophic personal injury and serious property damage allegedly caused by the company’s line of consumer and commercial appliances.
• Lead counsel for a global electronics and information technology company in a consumer fraud and products liability class action and related litigation involving allegedly defective computers and computer components.
• Class action and trial counsel for a global manufacturer of water distribution components in multiple class actions, coordinated mass actions, and false claims act matters.