T. David Hoyle

David is currently co-lead counsel in In re New Indy Emissions Litigation, C/A No. 0:21-cv-01480-SAL (D. S.C.) which alleges that the daily lives of tens of thousands of residents are impacted by emissions of hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and other toxic air pollutants from a pulp and paper mill in Catawba, South Carolina. 

David plays a leading role in litigation involving per- and poly-fluroalkyl substances or PFAS. These synthetic chemicals are “forever chemicals,” which do not biodegrade and are extremely persistent in the environment. David has taken dozens of liability depositions concerning the alleged concealment of these hazards. He leads the 3M Discovery Team for the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in In re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2873, involving AFFF firefighting suppressant products. In addition, David represents governmental entities and water providers in the MDL.

David has also litigated complex personal injury cases involving catastrophic burns, brain injury, loss of limb and paralysis, as well as wrongful death cases resulting from negligence, fires, industrial accidents and defective products. He previously represented governments and businesses affected by the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 

David began his career at Motley Rice working on behalf of victims suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases and continues to represent Canadian provincial workers’ compensation boards concerning third-party asbestos claims. He has also litigated chemical exposure cases involving methylene chloride, benzene, and more than a dozen other chemicals as a leader of Motley Rice’s toxic tort practice. 

For more than 15 years, David’s wide-ranging curiosity, genuine empathy, and versatile litigation skills have made him comfortable in a variety of settings and allowed him to handle all aspects of litigation, from initial client meetings to first chairing jury trials and making appellate oral arguments. An AV® rated attorney in Martindale-Hubbell®, he has also negotiated the resolution of numerous cases with a focus on the clients’ goals and changing defendant conduct. Following the conviction of a South Carolina child predator, David litigated sexual abuse survivor claims against the predator’s former employer, Pinewood Preparatory School, negotiating a resolution that includes the implementation of a new Child Protection Policy that includes the enforcement of stricter procedures and a decade of outside monitoring. David also litigated the claims of a rape survivor against the owner of a self-storage facility and negotiated a resolution that included the business changing its security practices.

David has presented at seminars on a diverse range of topics, such as the economic loss rule in environmental cases, PFAS litigation, trends in federal practice, ethical issues involving social media, NFL concussion litigation, and asbestos disease awareness. He is the author of "Seal of Disapproval: International Implications of South Carolina's Notary Statute," 3 S.C.J.Int'l. L. & Bus. 1 (2006).
 
David currently serves in a leadership role for the South Carolina Association for Justice. Active in his community, he has served on the Board of Directors for the Lowcountry Autism Foundation and volunteered for more than 10 years with the Lowcountry AIDS Legal Clinic. He is a former member of the Ecclesiastical Court of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, and is an appointed member of The Episcopal Church Province IV Court of Review.