Asbestos Litigation

The clear choice for asbestos litigation

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Overview

MG+M is an established leader in the field of asbestos defense. Over the past quarter-century, we have defended household-name companies in products and premises cases in all 50 states, as well as Guam, American Samoa, the Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. We serve as National Coordinating Counsel, National Trial Counsel, National Settlement Counsel, National Discovery Counsel, Regional Coordinating Counsel, and Local Counsel. In these capacities, we have successfully represented defendants at all stages of litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country and abroad. All told, our attorneys have collectively investigated, litigated, directed strategy for and resolved literally hundreds of thousands of asbestos claims, without ever taking a “cookie cutter” approach.

Dedicated to optimal outcomes
In the overwhelming majority of our cases, we have obtained voluntary dismissals, summary judgments, and favorable settlements. We have also taken scores of cases to verdict. We work tenaciously to achieve optimal case resolutions using all the tools at our command, including early evaluations, thorough investigation, “good company story” development, corporate and expert witness development, effective cross examinations, motion practice, and jury selection.

Investigations that win cases
Our extensive case work-ups and vigorous investigations are the stuff of legend. More than a decade ago, we moved away from defending asbestos cases based solely on medical and/or industrial hygiene defenses. Instead, we attack the credibility and product identification evidence of plaintiffs’ witnesses, and affirmatively develop evidence of alternative exposures and causation. In the face of our overwhelming fact evidence, even the most aggressive asbestos plaintiffs’ law firms often back down. Our innovative approach has enabled us to win dismissals and verdicts in many cases and resolve others for low values.

A fully-integrated team
Although we have partners located and practicing in several different offices, we work collaboratively as a unified team. As a result, we develop collective institutional knowledge that is used to benefit all our clients. In addition, our team approach ensures that the best- qualified attorney will handle each aspect of your case, without the internal competition and territoriality often present in large law firms.

Team
Partner
San Francisco
415 527 2806
Mary Katherine
Back
mback@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Chicago
312 625 4993
Alexander J.
Baker
abaker@mgmlaw.com
Partner
New York
212 364 2310
Raghu
Bandlamudi
rbandlamudi@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Boston
617 670 8525
Stephanie M.
Batchelder
sbatchelder@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5224
John D.
Beckham
jbeckham@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New Orleans
504 535 2869
Vikram S.
Bhatia
vbhatia@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Chicago
312 668 1148
Alex P.
Blair
ablair@mgmlaw.com
Managing Partner
Wilmington
302 504 6802
Amaryah K.
Bocchino
abocchino@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New Orleans
504 620 3044
Alexandra D.
Bourbon
abourbon@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5186
Branden D.
Brooks
BBrooks@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Wilmington
302 657 2100
Ryan W.
Browning
rbrowning@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Chicago
312 625 4994
Pamela R.
Budreau
pbudreau@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Miami
305 537 3444
Amanda R.
Cachaldora
acachaldora@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5174
Ashlyn D.
Calhoun
acalhoun@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Chicago
312 668 1156
Michael H.
Cantieri
mcantieri@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New York
212 364 2301
Uri S.
Carni
ucarni@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New York
212 364 2315
Joseph
Celotto
jcelotto@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Boston
617 670 8444
Alicia
Chouinard
AChouinard@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Miami
305 537 3414
Melanie E.
Chung-Tims
mchungtims@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Wilmington
302 504 6800
Jason A.
Cincilla
jcincilla@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Miami
305 537 3419
Susan J.
Cole
scole@mgmlaw.com
Partner
New Orleans
504 535 2874
Natasha A.
Corb
ncorb@mgmlaw.com
Partner
San Francisco
415 527 2805
Jennifer A.
Cormier
jcormier@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Providence
401 443 2102
Kenneth R.
Costa
kcosta@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5332
Robert C.
Creighton
rcreighton@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Chicago
312 754 2488
Anthony
Danhelka
adanhelka@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New Orleans
504 620 3040
Arielle
Day
aday@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New Orleans
504 535 2882
Diana
Dilday
ddilday@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Boston
617 670 8621
Erika
Doherty
edoherty@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Chicago
312 376 1944
Nancy
Dueñez
nduenez@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Dallas
618 607 5304
David J.
Fisher
dfisher@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Los Angeles
213 694 4204
John
Flynn
jflynn@mgmlaw.com
Partner
New Orleans
337 842 2500
David R.
Frohn
dfrohn@mgmlaw.com
Partner
New York
769 280 1340
Christian H.
Gannon
CGannon@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Walnut Creek
925 947 1300
Mary Kay
Glaspy
mglaspy@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Walnut Creek
925 947 1300
David M.
Glaspy
dglaspy@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Los Angeles
213 694 4205
David R.
Gold
dgold@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New York
212 364 2306
Ingrid
Golemi
igolemi@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Miami
305 537 3415
Kaylin S.
Grey
kgrey@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Boston
617 670 8519
Brian D.
Gross
bgross@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Providence
401 443 2106
Kevin W.
Hadfield
khadfield@mgmlaw.com
Partner
San Francisco
415 527 2763
Stephen V.
Harrington
sharrington@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Hattiesburg
601 255 0259
Adam
Hays
ahays@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Chicago
312 668 1147
Aerial I.
Henderson
ahenderson@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Boston
617 670 8521
John T.
Hugo
jhugo@mgmlaw.com
Partner
New York
212 364 2311
Anna
Hwang
ahwang@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Chicago
312 668 1158
William R.
Irwin
wirwin@mgmlaw.com
Of Counsel
Los Angeles
213 694 4214
Charles W.
Jenkins
cjenkins@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Boston
617 670 8522
Tracy A.R.
Jolly
tjolly@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Dallas
415 527 2828
Brent M.
Karren
bkarren@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Los Angeles
213 929 1907
Alan
Khlevnoy
akhlevnoy@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Miami
305 537 3412
Rebecca
Kibbe
rkibbe@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5209
Fluffy
Kilburn
fkilburn@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Wilmington
302 504 6794
Joe J.
Klusman
JKlusman@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Chicago
312 668 1152
Dragana
Kovacevic
dkovacevic@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Chicago
312 668 1157
Timothy L.
Krippner
tkrippner@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5301
John J.
Kurowski
jkurowski@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5303
Candice C.
Kusmer
ckusmer@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Wilmington
302 504 6804
William B.
Larson, Jr.
wlarson@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Miami
305 537 3447
Monika
Ledlova
mledlova@mgmlaw.com
Partner
San Francisco
415 527 2802
Carrie S.
Lin
clin@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New Orleans
504 535 2868
Samantha
Lopez
slopez@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Wilmington
302 504-6806
Irina N.
Luzhatsky
iluzhatsky@mgmlaw.com
Associate
San Francisco
415 527 2782
Kelley T.
Mahoney
kmahoney@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New York
769 280 1346
Robert
Mancher
rmancher@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Boston
617 670 8800
John B.
Manning
jmanning@mgmlaw.com
Partner
New York
504 799 0504
Chris O.
Massenburg
cmassenburg@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Boston
617 670 8516
Daniel P.
McCarthy
dmccarthy@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Irvine
949 892 4669
Sean C.
McGah
smcgah@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Boston
617 670 8559
Jeffrey C.
McLucas
jmclucas@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Boston
617 670 8545
Michael F.
McVinney
mmcvinney@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Chicago
312 668 1150
Cindy L.
Medina-Cervantes
cmedina-cervantes@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New York
769 280 1341
Joel
Merchant
jmerchant@mgmlaw.com
Partner
San Francisco
415 527 2801
Anthony S.
Miller
amiller@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Boston
617 670 8504
Ryan M.
Murphy
rmurphy@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New York
617 670 8411
Jessica L.
Naegely
jnaegely@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Chicago
312 668 1163
John D.
Nafar
jnafar@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Miami
305 537 3421
Lucia V.
Pazos
lpazos@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Boston
617 670 8433
Katharine S.
Perry
kperry@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Chicago
312 754 2496
Daniel J.
Powell
dpowell@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Chicago
312 668 1149
Megha
Rana
MRana@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New Orleans
504 620 3043
Mary A.
Reed
mreed@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New Orleans
504 620 3054
Danielle M.S.
Riera
driera@mgmlaw.com
Partner
New Orleans
504 535 2880
Jeanette S.
Riggins
jriggins@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5321
Daniel B.
Rousseau
drousseau@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Chicago
312 668 1151
Emily A.
Sample
esample@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5329
Matthew L.
Sauerwein
msauerwein@mgmlaw.com
Of Counsel
Walnut Creek
925 953 9913
Michael C.
Scanlon Jr.
mscanlon@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Los Angeles
213 694 4203
Dane W.
Schrader
dwschrader@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Boston
617 670 8502
Jordan L.
Schwindt
jschwindt@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Miami
305 537 3424
Stephanie M.
Selman
sselman@mgmlaw.com
Partner
New Orleans
504 535 2879
Meghan B.
Senter
msenter@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5324
Joshua N.
Severit
jseverit@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Dallas
618 607 5302
William D.
Shultz, Jr.
wshultz@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Chicago
312 754 2486
Nathaniel
Spilman
nspilman@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5305
Kyler H.
Stevens
kstevens@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Dallas
972 421 0112
Todd
Suddleson
tsuddleson@mgmlaw.com
Partner
New Orleans
504 799 0502
Max
Swetman
mswetman@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Boston
617 670 8535
Jonathan F.
Tabasky
jtabasky@mgmlaw.com
Partner
New Orleans
504 799 0505
Brandie M.
Thibodeaux
bthibodeaux@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Chicago
312 625 4992
Mark I.
Tivin
mtivin@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Chicago
312 668 1155
Christopher K.
Triska
ctriska@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Irvine
949 892 4702
Tina
Van Dam
tvandam@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Chicago
312 668 1162
Gabrielle
Voulgaris
gvoulgaris@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Madison County/St. Louis
618 607 5207
Ryan C.
Wallis
rwallis@mgmlaw.com
Associate
New York
212 364 2307
Grace
Wang
gwang@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Los Angeles
213 694 4206
Lindsay
Weiss
lweiss@mgmlaw.com
Partner
Boston
617 670 8528
Jennifer A.
Whelan
jwhelan@mgmlaw.com
Associate
Wilmington
302-504-6786
Yuhanna V.
Whye
ywhye@mgmlaw.com
Experience

Secured a defense verdict for industrial manufacturer American Biltrite after a two-week asbestos litigation trial. In a unanimous decision, the jury of 12 found that the plaintiff’s exposure to asbestos from the defendant’s floor tile was not a substantial factor in causing his mesothelioma.

Obtained a defense verdict in favor of our client in a living pleural mesothelioma lawsuit in Portland, Oregon, involving a spontaneous etiology defense. The jury unanimously found that there was no defect in our client's cosmetic talc product, and that our client was not negligent.

Obtained defense verdict in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. The plaintiff in the case alleged that he developed mesothelioma as a result of working with asbestos-containing products while serving aboard U.S. Navy ships and through home automotive work. The jury concluded that the plaintiff had not met the prima facie burden of establishing that our client had any role in causing decendent's mesothelioma and returned a defense verdict after 40 minutes of deliberation.

Obtained summary judgment for a contractor defendant in a seven-figure California case by attacking the credibility of the materials expert who testified that the defendant’s products contained asbestos.

Obtained summary judgment in a New York Asbestos Litigation (NYCAL) matter based upon the Juni decision on causation, on behalf of our client, a floor tile manufacturer. The court found that defendant had demonstrated a lack of both general and specific causation finding its experts properly relied on scientific studies.

Oversaw the defense of approximately 350 asbestos cases as National Coordinating Counsel for a large manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft. Since beginning this representation, we have significantly strengthened the company’s defenses, streamlined reporting, established critical defense strategies, reset settlement values with prominent plaintiff’s firms, reviewed approximately 400,000 documents and reduced the client’s indemnity and defense costs.

Oversaw the investigation into the manufacture and sale of ceramic products over three decades to assess a manufacturer and distributor’s potential liability and formulate its defense. Our investigation revealed that the vast majority of our client’s products do not contain asbestos. As National Coordinating Counsel, we have used this information to limit filings and obtain dismissals in all but a single case, which was resolved for nuisance value.

Won summary judgment on behalf of a construction equipment manufacturer in a low-shares asbestos action governed by Kansas substantive law, arguing successfully that the Kansas Product Liability Act implies a “bare metal defense” to bar liability for allegedly injury-causing component parts manufactured and sold exclusively by third parties.

Successfully argued that a West Virginia state court should apply the substantive law of Kansas in a case involving claims based on alleged exposure in Kansas, and then for summary judgment on those claims based on Kansas’ workers’ compensation law.

Successfully argued that the government contractor defense applies to failure to warn claims, which is an unsettled issue around the country.

Won a defense verdict for a joint compound manufacturer in a Delaware mesothelioma case with no alternative exposures to asbestos products by convincing the court to exclude plaintiffs’ general negligence and design defect claims, leaving only a failure to warn claim (against a defendant that had provided adequate warnings).

Won a defense verdict in a Massachusetts case after only three hours of deliberation by attacking the plaintiff’s credibility and product identification based on an intensive pre-trial investigation that refuted the plaintiff’s claim of having worked with and around asbestos.

Won summary judgment in a New York City Asbestos Litigation (NYCAL) matter based upon causation on behalf of our client, a floor tile manufacturer. The plaintiff alleged that he was exposed to asbestos from his work installing the defendant's vinyl asbestos floor tiles. Our client moved for summary judgment contending that the plaintiff failed to present any expert opinion or evidence that established general and/or specific causation that the floor tiles caused the mesothelioma. Because the defendant had made a prima facie case demonstrating a lack of causation, and the plaintiff did not properly establish causation, the court granted summary judgment.
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