Products Liability

Miles & Stockbridge's products liability practice includes trial and appellate counsel, regulatory representation and risk-management advice for a broad range of manufacturing, real estate, professional services and other clients. We focus on defense representation in the mid-Atlantic region, but have litigated matters for clients from coast to coast. The product liability concerns of our clients involve disputes that can threaten the future of entire product lines, or of the business itself. Our objective in every matter is to combine vigorous courtroom advocacy with solid technical knowledge and innovative defense strategies to defend our clients and ensure their business objectives. And, in today's high profile regulatory environment, we combine our technical product knowledge with our extensive experience with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other agencies to evaluate product safety issues and act appropriately, on a world-wide basis if necessary.

Four key characteristics define our lawyers" national reputation for successful product liability defense:

Breadth of Product Experience

• We act as national products liability counsel for The Black & Decker Corporation, one of the world's largest manufacturers of power tools and small electrical appliances, and represent a number of other household appliance makers. We supervise hundreds of cases and try significant cases for catastrophic claims, including electrical injury cases, from coast to coast. Our clients also include industrial machinery manufacturers, manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and a variety of consumer product manufacturers.

Breadth of Representation

• Aggressive, effective products liability litigation defense is the foundation of our practice. We have won defense verdicts and summary judgment dismissals and secured favorable settlements in even the most complex and emotional liability cases. We have supervised dozens of recalls required by the Consumer Product Safety Act, and have assisted our clients in recalling products sold worldwide. Our work in mass tort, toxic tort and class action litigation is unsurpassed, typified by our success at securing precedent-setting decisions on behalf of our clients in "sick building" claims and our successful defense of asbestos claims. And when it is in the best interests of our clients, we skillfully pursue dispute resolution through arbitration and mediation.

Innovative Strategies

• Our lawyers consistently use a thorough understanding of the Daubert rules regarding expert testimony to protect our clients from pseudoscientific allegations and attack the claims of plaintiffs' experts, while relying on the effective defense provided by our own network of expert witnesses to structure cases for summary judgment motions. We are nationally recognized for our in-depth skill at fire litigation defense, having established national precedent on preservation of fire scenes for defense investigation. We are also known for working with our experts to create scientific defenses based on materials and forensic science; chemistry and physics analysis; mathematical modeling; and similar techniques.

Proactive Counsel

• Our insurance and risk-management lawyers perform risk assessments and liability policy audits for clients to advise them proactively on coverage and define the limits and extent of their coverage if they are sued. We also undertake forensic policy investigation to obtain insurance coverage for clients in connection with mass tort and environmental claims. We use our substantial experience with "sick building" cases to assess indoor environmental conditions and advise building owners and managers on procedures to handle complaints and take remedial actions. And as part of our counsel on regulatory compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and other federal agencies, we advise on such proactive measures as advisory filings on litigation results, voluntary product recalls, and effective product warning labels.

For more information on the Products Liability practice of Miles & Stockbridge, please contact Timothy L. Mullin, Jr. via telephone at (410) 385-3641 or via email at tmullin@milesstockbridge.com.

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