Lloyd E. Williams, Jr. - Founding Partner Emeritus

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Biography

Lloyd E. Williams is a founding partner of the commercial litigation law firm of Williams Montgomery & John Ltd. Mr. Williams previously served for many years as the firm's managing partner. He currently is a member of the firm's product liability, insurance, professional liability and class action practice groups and has devoted all of his professional time to civil litigation. Mr. Williams is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He is "AV Preeminent" peer review rated by Martindale-Hubbell, reflecting the highest peer recognition for ethical standards and legal ability.

Mr. Williams has been named by his peers for inclusion in Illinois Leading Lawyers for catastrophic injuries, nationwide class actions, toxic torts, commercial litigation and professional liability, and in Illinois Super Lawyers. He is listed in The Guide to Leading Illinois Lawyers, Who's Who in American Law and the National Registry of Who's Who.

Mr. Williams has 50 years of experience trying civil cases throughout the country. He has spent more than 1,000 days on trials of more than 250 lawsuits. Of those lawsuits that have gone to verdict, his success rate is over 90 percent.

Among his major client engagements in the product liability area, Mr. Williams served as national coordinating and trial counsel representing a drug distributor in the fen-phen class action litigation; served as national coordinating and trial counsel for Kimberly-Clark in the toxic shock syndrome litigation; served as regional counsel to Eagle Picher and Standard Asbestos in thousands of cases claiming death and injury from inhalation of asbestos.

Mr. Williams' practice includes the representation of numerous insurance companies in coverage disputes for product liability, personal injury, wrongful death and property damage claims, as well as in litigation alleging fraud, negligence and bad faith.

In addition, Mr. Williams has extensive experience representing clients in medical malpractice and professional liability and negligence matters. He achieved a defense verdict for an obstetrician in a medical malpractice case alleging misdiagnosis of a placental abruption resulting in severe cerebral palsy. This decision was selected by The National Law Journal as one of the Top 10 "Outstanding Defense Verdicts" in the United States. He represented Iowa's largest law firm in a legal malpractice claim arising out of the theft by a trust manager of $61 million in assets from a trust allegedly improperly drafted by the firm. Mr. Williams also achieved dismissal of structural engineering firm Werner Sobek from a multimillion-dollar professional negligence lawsuit brought by the City of Chicago involving the remodeling of terminals one and two at O'Hare Airport.

Mr. Williams began his legal career in the U.S. Navy upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Justice School in 1956. Along with other duties on shore and at sea, he served as a legal officer and special courts martial defense trial counsel, achieving a 100 percent success rate for those he defended. After law school, Mr. Williams joined the Chicago law firm of Jacobs & McKenna. In 1967, he founded Jacobs, Williams & Montgomery with Wyatt Jacobs and Barry Montgomery. After Mr. Jacobs retired, the firm changed its name to Williams & Montgomery, and in 2000 became Williams Montgomery & John, Ltd. when Peter John joined the firm.

Education/Bar Admissions

Mr. Williams received a B.A., cum laude, in 1956 from Yale University, where he trained as a midshipman in the U.S. Naval Reserve Officer Training Corp. After discharge, he received his J.D. in 1961 from the University of Michigan Law School.

Mr. Williams was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1961 and the New Mexico bar in 2000. He also has been admitted to the following federal trial and appellate courts:

  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (including the trial bar)
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois 
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
  • United States Supreme Court

In addition, Mr. Williams has been admitted pro hac vice in 23 state and federal courts throughout the country, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, U.S. Virgin Islands and Wyoming.

Professional Activities/Recognition

Mr. Williams has been elected a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, an association limited to the 500 top lawyers in the United States and top 100 international lawyers. He is active in numerous professional and civic organizations, including:

  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel
  • Society of Trial Lawyers
  • Lawyers Club of Chicago
  • American Arbitration Association

Mr. Williams also has been active in mediations and arbitrations throughout his career. He serves as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. He is a certified arbitrator for the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., and has been a mediator for that court as well. In addition, he is a member of the Pro Bono Panel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Representative Matters

  • Abbott v. Maplan/Starlinger

    U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    Obtained summary judgment on behalf of German manufacturer in a product liability lawsuit brought by a machine operator who had his hand amputated in an injection molding machine. Summary judgment was granted for defendant based on modifications made to the machine by plaintiff's employer.

  • Armstrong v. Stock Equipment

    U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa
    Settled a product liability lawsuit against manufacturing client Stock Equipment arising from a severe burn accident at a power plant.

  • Bagley v. Auto-Owners Insurance Co.

    Circuit Court of Muscogee County, Ga.
    Settled class action against client Auto-Owners Insurance Co. brought on behalf of all Georgia policyholders in the six years prior to filing suit. Plaintiffs sought retroactive payment of diminution in value claims under automobile property damage coverage.

  • Berner v. Jones Pharma Incorporated

    Circuit Court of Jasper County, Mo.
    Obtained dismissal, without payment, on behalf of drug manufacturer Jones Pharma. Plaintiff, who suffered a disabling stroke, alleged failure to warn of the risk of stroke.

  • Binder v. Heidelberg North America

    Circuit Court of DuPage County, Ill.
    Obtained dismissal, without payment, of design defect lawsuit against a printing press manufacturer. Plaintiff, a pressman, lost a foot while cleaning the press.

  • Broussard v. Huffman

    Circuit Court of Will County, Ill.
    Achieved reversal of verdict against a portable gas can manufacturer. Plaintiff alleged defective manufacture resulting in an explosion and severe burns. Verdict for $1.35 million was reversed, without remand, on appeal.

  • Chaney v. Quest Laboratories

    U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
    Represented Quest, a diagnostic testing laboratory, in a wrongful death case arising out of an alleged misreading of pathology slides.

  • Choi v. L.G. Greenview, et al.

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Obtained favorable settlement for defendants in lawsuit brought by a female who was sexually assaulted and repeatedly stabbed in her apartment in Carol Stream, Ill. Plaintiff filed suit against the owners of the apartment complex, as well as the management company, alleging failure to maintain the premises and to provide adequate security. Plaintiff's demand prior to trial was $1.25 million, but following a two-week trial, the jury was deadlocked 11 to 1 in favor of the defendants, and a mistrial was declared and the case subsequently settled for $120,000.

  • City of Chicago v. Murphy Jahn

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Obtained dismissal of breach of contract and negligent representation claims against structural engineering firm Werner Sobek, which was engaged by the City of Chicago to develop structural steel plans and specifications for the renovation of the domestic terminals at O'Hare Airport. The City sought several million dollars in damages from the defendant for full scale remediation of faulty welds.

  • City of Dubuque, Iowa v. a Law Firm

    U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa
    Obtained favorable settlement on behalf of a large law firm in a legal malpractice claim arising out of the theft by a trust manager of $61 million in assets from a trust allegedly improperly drafted by the firm. Lost on liability as to trust beneficiaries; won as to claims of trustees and on apportionment of damages claimed by co-defendant trust administrator, Bankers Trust. Case settled for $2 million.

  • Cooling Tower Collapse

    West Virginia State Court
    Settled construction cases on behalf of the insurer of Research-Cottrell, a construction engineer and the employer of 48 of the 51 men killed when a nuclear reactor cooling tower they were constructing collapsed. At the time, this was the largest number of deaths in a construction accident in the United States. Settled all cases for an average of $100,000 per case.

  • Country Classic Dairies v. Alfa Laval / Tetra Pak
    U.S. District Court, District of Montana
    Obtained favorable settlement on behalf of defendant, a milk processor manufacturer and distributor, in a product liability lawsuit involving a pasteurizing heat exchanger and the loss of 95,000 gallons of contaminated milk.
  • Countryman v. Iowa Double Circle

    U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa
    Advised excess insurer in defense of suppliers of propane gas in a house explosion that killed seven and burned five. Case settled.

  • Crawford v. Infinity Ins. Co.

    U.S. District Court, District of Wyoming
    Defended a bad faith case for failure to settle within policy limits. Case resulted in hung jury (5-1 for defendant); lost on retrial.

  • Debra Dowe, et al. v. National Passenger Railroad Corp., et al.

    U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    Obtained dismissal on behalf of client General Signal Corporation in a lawsuit arising from a train-truck collision in Bourbonnais, Ill. Client was the manufacturer of the railroad crossing signal device at the location of the collision, which resulted in 61 lawsuits alleging multiple deaths and injuries. Case against General Signal was voluntarily dismissed.

  • Diet Drug Litigation

    U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania and multiple state courts
    Obtained dismissal, without payment, of more than 3,000 federal and state court cases representing a drug distributor as national coordinating and trial counsel in the fen-phen class action multi-district litigation.

  • Dinon v. Shoup Buses

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Achieved verdict for tour bus operator Shoup Buses in lawsuit involving a collision and turnover near Branson, Mo. Accident resulted in death, blindness and other injuries among 46 passengers.

  • Eiccholz v. Kritsas

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Achieved "not guilty" verdict for the defendant in malpractice lawsuit seeking more than $2.3 million in damages. Plaintiff underwent a radical retropubic prostatectomy for the removal of his cancerous prostate gland. Following surgery, it was discovered that plaintiff had lost function of his left lower extremity due to injury to the femoral nerve. After deliberating for one hour, the jury returned verdict for defendant.

  • Emmerling v. SPX

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Settled a product liability lawsuit against an excess insurer client arising from multiple incidents of deaths and burns.

  • Ephedra Products Liability Litigation

    U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, MDL 1598, Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Settled multiple personal injury cases brought against sellers of ephedra products.

  • Epstein v. A.F.C. Fence

    District Court, Naples, Fla.
    Settled wrongful death product liability lawsuit brought against client A.F.C. Fence, an automatic gate installer. Case arose out of the alleged malfunction of a gate, which crushed and killed a Chicago circuit court judge.

  • Est. of Shields v. Lake Park Rentals

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Achieved defense verdict for Lake Park Rentals, a trailer lessor, in wrongful death lawsuit. Plaintiff alleged that defendant rented a vehicle with an inadequate hitch, resulting in a turnover and death.

  • Est. of Slager, Dec. v. Farmer's Grain Service

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Achieved defense verdict for a truck driver who struck and killed another driver attempting to leave a plant through picketing strikers. Case resulted in $1.5 million verdict against co-defendant.

  • Estate of Gradman v. Drs. Bernstein and Bailey

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Achieved defense verdict for two internists in a wrongful death medical malpractice case alleging improper drug prescription and inadequate management of resulting cardiac arrest. (Ranked No. 1 among the "20 Top Illinois Jury Verdicts" in 1996 by the Chicago Law Bulletin.)

  • Estates of Anne and Michelle Cox, Dec. v. Dr. James Smith

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Favorably resolved medical malpractice lawsuit against an obstetrician. Plaintiff alleged that the defendant was negligent in not ordering the transfer of a woman pregnant with premature twins from a Level II to a Level III hospital for delivery and post-natal care, resulting in death of the twins. Nominal damages awarded to plaintiff.

  • Firestone Tire-Explorer Rollover Litigation

    District Court, Stuart, Fla.
    Settled cases against client Ford Motor Co. involving death and injury allegedly caused by defective tires and unstable vehicles.

  • Freund Equipment v. Rusing

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Settled lawsuit against an insurance agent charged by an employer with negligently constructing a health insurance plan for its employees.

  • Garcez v. Dr. Fritz Michel

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Achieved verdict for the defendant obstetrician in medical malpractice case alleging misdiagnosis of a placental abruption resulting in severe cerebral palsy. Decision was reversed for evidentiary errors and retried, resulting in another verdict for the defendant. (Decision in first trial selected by The National Law Journal as a Top 10 "Outstanding Defense Verdict" in the United States; decision in second trial received NLJ "Outstanding Defense Verdict" honorable mention.)

  • Genetically Altered Corn Cases

    U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    Defended the seller of corn flour in class actions brought by multiple consumers claiming they were injured after consuming taco products allegedly contaminated with genetically altered corn (Starlink). Was successful in having another defendant assume the defense (upon reimbursement for our defense costs).

  • Guerino v. Depot Place Partnership
    191 Ill.2d 314, 730 N.E.2d 1094 (2000)
    Illinois Supreme Court held that third-party defendant, who had not paid more than its pro-rata share, could not recover from other potential tortfeasors. This was an issue of first impression in the area of contribution among joint tortfeasors.
  • Hannahs v. Jack's Campers, Inc.

    District Court, Elk Point, S.D.
    Settled personal injury lawsuit brought against Jack's Campers. Plaintiff alleged that a camper sold by Jack's had a defective tire and hitch mechanism, resulting in a rollover that rendered the plaintiff a quadriplegic.

  • Hua v. Quest Laboratories

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Represented a diagnostic testing laboratory in a wrongful discharge lawsuit brought by a United Airlines flight attendant. Plaintiff alleged that Quest falsely reported drug use, resulting in her termination.

  • Hyatt Hotel Skywalk Collapse

    Circuit Court of Jackson County, Mo., and U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
    Settled lawsuits on behalf of an insurer client arising out of defective design of a skywalk at a Hyatt Hotel that collapsed, causing multiple deaths and injuries.

  • In the Matter of the Rules of Professional Conduct and Insurer-Imposed Billing Rules and Procedures

    Supreme Court of Montana
    Co-authored brief and presented oral argument on behalf of the nine insurance company respondents advocating a positive answer. In this case of original jurisdiction, the court was asked to rule whether attorneys could agree to abide by insurer file handling and billing guidelines and send their bills to outside auditors without violating the Code of Ethics. Court ruled for the petitioners.

  • Johnson v. iPCS Wireless

    Circuit Court of La Salle County, Ill.
    Settled personal injury lawsuit against iPCS, owner of a wireless telephone tower. Plaintiff, a crane operator, suffered disabling burns when the crane came into contact with power lines during construction of the tower.

  • Kooyenga v. Hertz Equipment Rentals

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Achieved directed verdict for a scaffold supplier in personal injury lawsuit involving a building construction accident in which plaintiff, a worker at the site, was rendered a paraplegic when the scaffold fell. A record-setting verdict was returned against a co-defendant.

  • Lee v. SWBC

    U.S. District Court, Western District of Oklahoma
    Defended a claims administrator in a class action for alleged fraud in the issuance of insurance policies.

  • Mooneyhan v. Dixie Insurance Co.

    Circuit Court of Coahoma County, Miss.
    Obtained reversal of verdict against Dixie Insurance in an insurance bad faith lawsuit based on failure to settle a minor property damage claim. Plaintiff was awarded $1 million in the initial trial in which Dixie was defended by another attorney. Verdict was reversed on appeal, and case settled for $350,000 prior to second trial.

  • Oil Refinery Fire

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Settled lawsuit against Nooter Corporation, a St. Louis, Mo.-based tank fabricator. Case arose in connection with 31 deaths and multiple burn injuries resulting from a tank explosion and fire at the Union Oil Co. refinery in Romeoville, Ill.

  • On Air v. National Indemnity

    U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
    Achieved directed verdict for the defendant, a Berkshire-Hathaway company, in a bad faith case seeking punitive damages for wrongful refusal to defend, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Decision affirmed on appeal.

  • Oxford Capital v. Sterling Financial Payroll

    U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    Defended a provider of professional employer services against multimillion-dollar breach of contract claims brought by its lender. Case abandoned.

  • Peek v. Goldblatt Brothers

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Achieved defense verdict for department store owner Goldblatt Brothers in personal injury lawsuit. Per an eyewitness, a truck operated by the defendant allegedly struck the plaintiff's vehicle in the rear and left the scene, rendering plaintiff a quadriplegic.

  • Porter v. Northeast Guidance

    U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
    Represented the driver of an automobile that struck and killed a child pedestrian. Damages of $5.5 million against client were reversed on appeal. Case settled.

  • Rocco v. Hickory Telephone Co.

    Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pa.
    Settled lawsuit against Hickory Telephone claiming that the company's server allowed access to an Internet site alleged to contain material that defamed the plaintiff and inflicted emotional distress.

  • Social Worker Malpractice

    U.S. District Court, District of Montana
    Settled lawsuit against a local county government alleging improper placement of a child in foster care, resulting in abuse and hemiplegia.

  • Taylor v. Nett

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Settled lawsuit against an insurance agent charged with negligent failure to procure an insurance policy prior to the death of the proposed insured.

  • Toxic Shock Syndrome-Tampon Litigation

    Multiple Jurisdictions
    Achieved defense verdicts in the only two cases tried against client Kimberly-Clark alleging death and injury due to contraction of toxic shock syndrome while using Kotex® tampons. Settled multiple additional cases as national coordinating and trial counsel for Kimberly Clark in toxic shock syndrome litigation.

  • United States Fire Ins. Co. v. Zurich Ins. Co.

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Won affirmance of dismissal and summary judgment on all pending claims on behalf of a primary insurer in lawsuit brought by an excess insurer. Plaintiff was attempting to recover the defense and settlement costs it incurred in defending a party insured by both the primary and excess insurer. Appellate court affirmed that the excess insurer's complaint was properly dismissed and summarily resolved in the primary insurer's favor.

  • Wessner v. David Tosh

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Achieved defense verdict for a baseball coach charged with negligently running a practice drill, resulting in blindness in one eye to a player hit by a thrown ball.

  • Young-Peterson v. Potomac Insurance Co.

    U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    Achieved defense verdict for an insurance company in a lawsuit brought by a road construction company for alleged theft of four of its trucks embezzled by the company president. Verdict affirmed on appeal.

  • Zurich Insurance Co. v. Raymark

    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Defended Commercial Union Insurance Co. in claim for coverage for asbestos litigation. Lost at trial. Decision resulted in creation of "triple trigger" theory of coverage in asbestos litigation.