2015 Elite Trial Lawyers: Products Liability Firm of the Year
Motley Rice has been honored as the top Products Liability law firm as part of The National Law Journal’s 2015 Elite Trial Lawyers competition. Motley Rice was one of five firms previously announced as a finalists in the category and was also named to the Elite Trial Lawyers Top 50. Announced on December 8 in New York, Motley Rice was recognized for its role in a variety of litigation over the past year, including:
- A record $100 million jury verdict against Boston Scientific in a transvaginal mesh case for client Deborah Barba who has suffered several permanent and serious injuries caused by its TVM products. Note: In October 2015, Judge Mary Johnston affirmed the jury’s findings of defect failure to warn and punitive damages, and reduced the verdict to $10 million.
- Helping reach a $500 million settlement against Travelers for victims of asbestos exposure. Attorneys with Motley Rice LLC have played a central role in the litigation against Travelers for its alleged breach of duty to the injured asbestos victims for more than 20 years.
- Achieving a $100 million aggregate settlement, the first of its kind, with Lorillard Tobacco Company, Philip Morris USA, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, for hundreds of individual smokers who are part of the Engle-progeny tobacco cases pending in the Florida federal district court.
- Leadership on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for MDL 2179 (In re Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon”), including Motley Rice co-founder Joe Rice serving as co-lead negotiator for the Business and Economic Loss Settlement Agreement, the largest civil class action settlement in U.S. history.
“It was an honor to accept this award on behalf of the firm as it is a testament to the long hours and dedication of all our attorneys and staff,” said Motley Rice member attorney Don Migliori. “I take great pride in being part of such a passionate team that works steadily to seek the truth and justice for our clients.”
Methodology and About the Elite Trial Lawyers
According to the National Law Journal, the 2015 ALM honorees were derived from research, analysis and nomination vetting, including examining ALM’s Verdict Search to identify the top verdicts and settlement amounts, as well as the firms that represented the most cases from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015. The qualifications are as follows:
- Over $40 million in awards during this period; or
- 4 or more cases totaling over $15 million in awards during this period.
The editorial staff of The National Law Journal also vetted numerous nomination submissions, including self-nominations for accomplishments from the same time period across seven categories of plaintiff lawyers, based on particular types of cases. Those practice areas were:
- Employment
- Medical malpractice
- Products liability
- Special litigation
- Securities
- Motor vehicle