Toxic Tort

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When faced with toxic tort litigation, clients require legal counsel with a deep understanding of the scientific and medical issues inherent in cases involving chemicals, metals, asbestos and other substances.

The trial attorneys at Williams Montgomery & John have extensive toxic tort and environmental litigation and counseling experience representing manufacturers, transporters, shippers, distributors, premises operators and owners, retailers, users, and insurers in class actions, mass tort actions, property damage cases and individual catastrophic injury cases. We have defended clients in toxic tort and environmental lawsuits involving asbestos, mold, pesticides, cement kiln dust, creosote, manganese/welding rod fumes, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), urea-formaldehyde, gasoline, lead, chromium, salmonella, diet drugs and numerous other substances.

The firm's toxic tort practice is national in scope. Our attorneys have represented clients in toxic tort, mass tort and environmental matters in federal and state courts throughout the country, including Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

As examples of the firm's major engagements in this area, we have represented:

  • Abana Pharmaceuticals as national coordinating and trial counsel in the fen-phen class action multi-district litigation.
  • General Electric in individual and class action lawsuits alleging manganese fume exposure caused by defective welding rods.
  • Milwaukee Solvents in a class action claiming TCE (trichloroethylene) contamination of a subdivision's underground water supply.
  • Liquid Carbonic in lawsuits alleging brain damage and neurological damage caused by inadequate warnings and defective design of tanks of ethylene oxide.
  • Chevron as supervising North American counsel in the nationwide high temperature plastic vent pipe class actions.
  • Kimberly-Clark as national coordinating and trial counsel in toxic shock syndrome litigation.
  • Eagle Picher, Standard Asbestos, Borg Warner, Brand Insulations, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, Soo Line Railroad and other clients in thousands of cases claiming death and injury from inhalation of asbestos. 

Please see the descriptions of the firm's Product Liability and Class Action & MDL practices for additional relevant experience.

A more extensive list of representative matters can be found by clicking on the "Representative Matters" link above.

The firm's toxic tort practice is led by Thomas Neuckranz, who has been named by his peers for inclusion in Illinois Leading Lawyers for class action/mass torts, product liability and toxic torts. He also has been recognized by Illinois Super Lawyers for class action/mass torts and is a recommended lawyer in The American Lawyer's "National Directory of Product Liability Lawyers."

For more information about the firm's toxic tort practice, please contact Mr. Neuckranz at 312.443.3223 or thn@willmont.com.

 


Partners Practicing in this Area

Associates Practicing in this Area





Representative Matters

  • Asbestos Litigation

    Various courts in Illinois
    Defended thousands of product liability lawsuits as regional counsel for Eagle Picher and Standard Asbestos. Plaintiffs alleged death and injury from inhalation of asbestos. At various times, defended many additional companies, including ARCO, Bell Helicopter, Lycoming Engines, a division of Avco, Borg Warner, Brand Insulations, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad and Soo Line Railroad, in asbestos litigation.

  • Atwood v. Milwaukee Solvents
    Circuit Court of McHenry County, Ill.
    Obtained nuisance value settlements in class action product liability and mass tort lawsuit against Milwaukee Solvents involving TCE (trichloroethylene) supplied by defendant. Plaintiffs alleged TCE contamination of a subdivision's underground water supply.
  • Diet Drug Litigation
    U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania and multiple state courts
    Obtained dismissal as national coordinating and trial counsel for drug distributor Abana Pharmaceuticals in more than 3,000 federal and state court product liability lawsuits involving fen-phen. Plaintiffs alleged adverse health effects caused by use of the diet drug product.
  • Estate of Tomlanivich, et al. v. Atlantic Richfield Company
    Circuit Court of Madison County, Ill.
    Negotiated global settlement of product/premises liability asbestos/mass tort lawsuits against Atlantic Richfield alleging failure to warn petroleum refinery workers of known dangers of asbestos.
  • General Electric Welding Rod Litigation
    State courts in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin
    Obtained dismissal of individual and class action product liability lawsuits against General Electric involving welding products manufactured by defendant. Plaintiffs alleged defective welding rods resulted in exposure to manganese fumes.
  • Genetically Altered Corn Cases
    U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    Successfully defended product liability class action lawsuits involving corn flour sold by defendant. Plaintiffs alleged taco products were contaminated with genetically altered corn (Starlink) and caused injury when consumed.
  • High Temperature Plastic Vent Pipe Litigation
    Coordinated the successful defense of nationwide class actions as Chevron’s supervising North American counsel. Represented company in class actions in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia; in provincial class actions in Quebec and Ontario, Canada; in related litigation in Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Texas; and before the Consumer Products Safety Commission in connection with an innovative industry wide corrective action plan. Also prosecuted and settled corporate claims for indemnity.
  • Hyatt Hotel v. Rose Acre Farms
    Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill.
    Favorably resolved product liability and breach of warranty class action against Rose Acre Farms involving eggs supplied by Rose Acre to a Hyatt Hotel. Plaintiff alleged eggs contained salmonella and caused 2,000 people to become ill during a convention.
  • Quality Egg National Class Action

    U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

    Represented seller of eggs that recalled 380 million eggs nationwide in a highly publicized national class action alleging salmonella poisoning.  Plaintiffs' counsel nonsuited case and never refiled, in lieu of being sanctioned for discovery violations on our motion.

  • Scheldt v. Terminix

    Circuit Court of Champaign County, Ill.
    Achieved verdict of not guilty for Terminix in a product liability/toxic tort case. Two plaintiffs alleged improper application of Dursban caused them to suffer multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome.

  • Toxic Shock Syndrome-Tampon Litigation
    Multiple Jurisdictions
    Represented Kimberly-Clark as national coordinating and trial counsel in product liability lawsuits involving Kotex tampons. Plaintiffs alleged use of product caused toxic shock syndrome resulting in death and serious personal injuries. Achieved defense verdicts in only two cases tried; settled multiple additional cases.
  • Various Plaintiffs v. Liquid Carbonic Corporation (n/k/a Praxair, Inc.)
    Various courts in Texas, DuPage County, Ill., and Cook County, Ill.
    Successfully resolved product liability/toxic tort lawsuits against Liquid Carbonic alleging brain damage and neurological damage caused by inadequate warnings and defective design of tanks of ethylene oxide. Obtained nuisance value settlements in Texas cases and summary judgment in Illinois cases.