Focus Areas
Commercial & Industrial Products
- Serves as national trial counsel for a manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment in product liability actions involving meat choppers, meat mixer-grinders, commercial dough mixers, tenderizers, slicers, and other commercial appliances.
- Serves as national trial counsel for a manufacturer of commercial vehicle cabs and chassis used for garbage trucks and other municipal vehicles.
- Represents a manufacturer of industrial hoses and conveyor belts in commercial and product liability actions throughout the United States.
- Defended a manufacturer of aerial work platforms and man-lifts in multiple product liability actions in Ohio.
- Defended a manufacturer of fire extinguishers and commercial fire suppression systems against multiple wrongful death and property damage claims in Ohio.
- Defended manufacturers, installers, and servicers against product liability and negligence claims relating to elevators, escalators, and material lifts.
- Defended a manufacturer of interior wall finish material in product liability actions involving mold-related property damage and business interruption claims arising from construction of hotels and a nursing facility.
Aviation
- Obtained a defense verdict at trial on behalf of a manufacturer of de-icing equipment in a product liability action involving a Cessna 208B aircraft.
- Obtained a defense verdict at trial on behalf of a manufacturer of exhaust system components in a wrongful death action arising from a Grumman AA-5 aircraft accident
- Defended a manufacturer of de-icing equipment against claims arising from 29-person fatal crash of EMB-120 Brasilia aircraft, resulting in defense verdict at trial.
- Defended a manufacturer of GPS systems against wrongful death actions arising from a mid-air collision and other general aviation aircraft accidents.
- Represented a manufacturer of jet engine fuel spray nozzles in prosecution of commercial damage claim against supplier of super alloy forgings.
- Prosecuted commercial action on behalf of aviation component-part manufacturer against heat treat provider to recover damages paid in settlement of underlying aircraft product liability suit.
- Defended a manufacturer of landing gear components for C-130 aircraft in commercial dispute, and prosecuted counterclaim.
Specialty Plastics
- Defended commercial action against manufacturer of plastic colorant used to manufacturer an automobile interior component following recall of hundreds of thousands of units.
- Defended commercial action against a manufacturer/seller of PVC compound used to manufacture plumbing valves in wake of nation-wide recall of valves.
- Prosecuted commercial action on behalf of a manufacturer/seller of NSF pipe compound and defended counterclaim.
- Prosecuted commercial action on behalf of a manufacturer/seller of vinyl window and door compound and defended counterclaim.
- Prosecuted commercial action on behalf of a buyer of color pigment for use in manufacturing plastic pipe for fire suppression equipment.
- Represented a specialty paint manufacturer in a multi-jurisdiction commercial dispute involving allegation of bacterial contamination in paint.
- Defended a plastic formulator in a multi-jurisdiction dispute pertaining to water heater dip-tubes, with alleged damages in excess of $300 million.
Automotive
- Defended a domestic automobile manufacturer in dozens of actions in Ohio against personal injury and fire damage claims involving allegations of airbag non-deployment, seatbelt failure, brake failure, wheel-off, transmission explosion, car jack collapse, wiring failures, and other alleged design, manufacturing, and warning defects.
- Defended a manufacturer of commercial ‘yard mule’ trucks in personal injury product liability action.
Risk Mitigation & Avoidance Counseling
- Assisted clients in conducting product liability risk assessments of multiple consumer and commercial products, including commercial hoses and conveyors, welding equipment, fall arrest equipment, and medical devices.
- Drafted warnings and instruction materials for consumer and commercial products, including a wide variety of household products, personal care items, consumer electronics, machinery, and industrial materials.
- Advised clients on warranties and commercial terms and conditions in multiple industries, including the plastics, chemical, paint, adhesive, construction product, and industrial hose industries.
- “Supreme Court’s Personal Jurisdiction Limits Could Lead to More Companies Being Sued in Their Home States,” Thompson Hine Product Liability Update, June 2017
- “Your Most Potent Weapon Against Failure-To-Warn Claims,” Law360, November 2015
- “6 Tips To Avoid Failure-To-Warn Claims,” Law 360, February 21, 2013
- “Conducting A Product Liability Risk Assessment,” Law 360, June 8, 2012
- “Practical Tips on the Spoliation Defense,” DRI’s For The Defense, December 2007
- “He Did What?! Things You Never Thought You Had to Warn People Not to Do,” presenter, Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, October 2, 2014
- Claims-Handling Workshop, presenter, Thompson Hine seminar, August 22, 2014
- “Protecting Yourself Against Emerging Legal Threats,” moderator, Thompson Hine CLE program, December 13, 2012
- “Understanding Product Liability Risks Along the Medical Device Industry Supply Chain,” presenter, Plastic News’ Plastics In Medical Devices Conference, June 12, 2012
- “Are You Covered? Emerging Legal Threats and Their Coverage Issues,” moderator, Thompson Hine CLE program, December 20, 2011
- “On What Terms? Best Practices for Reducing Warranty and Product Liability Risk,” presenter, Thompson Hine CLE program, December 9, 2011
- “In-House Counsel and Claims Officer Think Tank – Managing Litigation, Containing Costs, and Formulating Defense Strategy,” moderator, American Conference Institute’s Forum on Defending and Managing Aviation Litigation, June 23, 2011
- “Effective Electronic Case Management,” presenter, Network of Trial Law Firms’ Emerging Responsibilities of In-House Counsel (November 6, 2009) and Litigation Management in a New York Minute (August 6, 2010) conferences
- “Efficient Case Management,” presenter, Best Practices in Mass, Complex and Toxic Tort Litigation, Thompson Hine CLE program, November 12, 2009
- “Motion Law: From Basic to Advanced Procedures in Ohio,” Lorman CLE Presentation, May 2006
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2016 to 2025 for Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Litigation-Defendants
- Named a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer, 2023 & 2024
- Selected to the Ohio Super Lawyers list, 2013-2024
- Listed as a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation, 2017-2019, 2021-2024
- Listed as a Litigation Future Star by Benchmark Litigation, 2012 to 2016
- Recognized as a BTI Client Service All-Star, 2014
- Selected to the Ohio Rising Star list, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
- Honored with the Burton Award for Legal Achievement, 2008
Professional Associations
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- Judge John M. Manos Inn of Court
- Ohio State Bar Association
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
Education
- The University of Iowa College of Law, J.D., 1999, with high distinction,
Order of the Coif
- The University of Iowa, B.A., 1995,
Communications
Bar Admissions
- Ohio
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Benchmark Litigation Recognizes Thompson Hine’s Litigation and Labor & Employment Practices and 24 Firm Litigators,
Thompson Hine LLP
, December 1, 2020