Product Liability and Casualty Litigation
BTNL defends manufacturers, distributors, and premises owners in high-exposure product liability and casualty litigation where risk, reputation, and financial consequences converge. From the outset, we approach each matter with a trial-ready strategy — identifying technical fault lines, shaping expert narratives, and isolating the causation and damages issues that drive juror decision-making. Our focus is not simply to respond to allegations, but to build a defense posture that reduces exposure, sharpens leverage at critical inflection points, and positions the case for decisive resolution — whether through summary judgment, strategic settlement, or trial.
We have more than seventy years of combined experience handling lawsuits involving product liability, electrocution and electrical contact, premises liability, toxic torts, and vehicular/trucking accidents. These cases often involve catastrophic injuries and loss such as paralysis, loss of limbs, disfigurement, and death, making them extremely challenging and at times, high profile litigation for the client.
- Representation of one of the world’s largest electrical engineering companies, including:
- Lawsuit seeking damages for fire at electric power station in Pennsylvania;
- Obtained favorable settlement following three-week jury trial arising from serious personal injury claims during use of cargo gantry crane at port in New Jersey;
- Fire claims arising from burned luxury yachts in South Florida and industrial facilities in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina;
- Investigation and defense following explosion at Texas industrial facility;
- Defense of wrongful death product liability case in Georgia involving hollow composite insulator;
- Defense of arc flash burn injury lawsuits in Alabama, Georgia, and Pennsylvania;
- Defending personal injury cases involving electrical cabinets in motor control rooms at Alabama and Georgia steel mills and Georgia power plant; and
- Personal injury case involving industrial pulp dryer at Alabama paper mill.
- Obtained defense verdict in wrongful death case against railroad maintenance and construction contractor after locomotive derailment in an industrial railyard killed a switchman. Plaintiff asked the jury for $15 million in closing argument. Following a seven-day trial with 12 witnesses, the jury found for our client on all of plaintiff's claims.
- Obtained defense verdict in federal wrongful death lawsuit arising out of a Sea Doo accident on Smith Lake. The decedent's mother sued our client alleging he was the driver of a Sea Doo that crashed into a dock, killing her daughter. After a trial lasting 6 days, the jury answered a special interrogatory finding our client was not the driver and then rendered a verdict in our client's favor on all claims.
- Representation of tractor and construction equipment manufacturers, including the world's #1 selling farm tractor in product performance cases. In two cases, we have obtained defense verdicts for well-known manufacturers in cases filed by Alabama farmers claiming breaches of various warranties relating to farm tractors.
- Investigation and defense of leading Italian manufacturer of industrial batch compounding systems following devastating plant fire in Tennessee and in Mississippi personal injury lawsuit.
- Representation of the leading manufacturer of well-known orange plastic safety fencing for building and construction sites in an Alabama personal injury case. After a week of trial, Plaintiff obtained a verdict for only half of the damages requested in closing argument. Following an appeal, the case was settled for a confidential amount significantly below the jury verdict.
- Representation of a leading German diesel engine manufacturer in commercial and product liability litigation matters in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi.
- Defense of personal injury and wrongful death cases in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi filed against manufacturers of agricultural tractors and implements, heavy trucks, and construction equipment.
- Successful defense of German manufacturer of industrial gang rip saws in Alabama personal injury lawsuit.
- Defense of Canadian manufacturer of water park feature in Florida lawsuit alleging personal injury on a Carnival cruise ship.
- Representation of leading manufacturer of refuse vehicles, onsite commercial and industrial trash compactors, balers, and recycling equipment in lawsuits in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.
- Obtained dismissal of well-known German manufacturer of concrete pumping systems in serious Alabama injury lawsuit.
- Obtained summary judgment in wrongful death case filed against a heavy truck manufacturer. Plaintiff's decedent was killed after he fell off the rear riding step on a refuse truck. The court dismissed Plaintiff's claims following a successful Daubert challenge of Plaintiff's expert's qualifications. Beam v. McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc., 2010 WL 1069616 (N.D. Ala. March 24, 2010).
- Achieved favorable jury verdict in serious personal injury case in Louisiana federal court in case where paramedic plaintiff claimed soft-tissue back injury, sexual dysfunction, and neurogenic bladder.
- Obtained summary judgment for electric utility in case where two construction workers were killed when their crane made contact with a power line. McGregory v. Lloyd Wood Const. Co., 736 So. 2d 571 (Ala. 1999).
- Gained dismissal of a Swiss automation system manufacturer in a significant product liability lawsuit in Alabama. Ex parte Güdel AG, 183 So. 3d 147 (Ala. 2015).
- Obtained summary judgment for electric utility in a wrongful death case where plaintiff contacted an energized power line with a cotton picker.
- Defense of a personal injury lawsuit against the Swiss global leader in the manufacturer of looms and other equipment for the ribbon and narrow fabric industry.
- Defense of a leading isotank container operator from Germany in a serious chemical burn injury case filed in Georgia.