Global Complex Litigation

Global complex litigation requires a law firm that is masterful in the art of global product liability. At Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. (SHB), we have earned international acclaim as a premier product liability and mass tort litigation defense firm. Cited by BusinessWeek as ?...the law firm of choice for many companies plagued by high-stakes and often controversial product-liability woes,? we have successfully defended clients for more than 50 years in some of the most challenging and contentious global complex litigation matters.

The SHB Class Actions & Complex Litigation Practice has handled global complex litigation cases pertaining to products liability, consumer fraud, antitrust matters, commercial transactions, employment policies, and environmental and toxic torts. Representative cases from these industries include the following:

Product liability: Scott v. American Tobacco Co. ? SHB served as trial counsel in this certified Louisiana medical monitoring class action, the trial of which lasted two years. The jury ultimately rejected a $10 billion medical monitoring award.

Consumer fraud: General Motors ? GM has selected SHB as one of its national class action counsel for 2005-2008. SHB represents GM in a Missouri-filed putative class action alleging a windshield wiper defect in automobiles sold over a 10-year period.

Antitrust: High Fructose Corn Syrup Antitrust Litigation ? SHB represented The Coca-Cola Company, the largest purchaser of high-fructose corn syrup, as lead counsel for the class member in antitrust class litigation involving alleged price-fixing in the sweetener industry. The matter settled before trial and the client recovered in excess of $100 million.

Commercial litigation: Starks v. Rent-A-Center, Inc. ? SHB successfully defended the first large class action lawsuit to go to trial in the rent-to-own industry. The unanimous defense verdict rejected damage claims of $35 million brought by a 12,000-member class against Rent-A-Center stores in Minnesota.

Employment: Argenis Cortes et al. v. Foot Locker et al. ? SHB currently represents Foot Locker in defense of a hybrid class action/collective action, brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York State Labor Law. Plaintiffs allege alteration of time records and failure to pay for all hours worked by non-exempt employees.

Toxic Tort: Green, et al. v. Alpharma Inc., et al. ? SHB represents Alpharma in a series of complex toxic-tort cases in Arkansas. More than 150 plaintiffs in seven lawsuits allege a host of personal injuries or death from exposure to animal waste as applied to land as fertilizer. The litigation involves complex chemical, environmental and health effects issues. The trial court granted SHB?s motion to sever the improperly joined plaintiffs. The first jury trial resulted in a defense verdict.

This wealth of experience in global complex litigation has led numerous industry leaders and their subsidiaries to select us as national, regional and convergence counsel in critical product liability matters. Selected in 2009 by Chambers USA as one of the nation?s five ?Band One? national products liability firms, we have been named "Global Product Liability Law Firm of the Year" by Who's Who Legal for five consecutive years.

To learn more about our experience in global complex litigation, contact us today.

Geneva | Houston | Kansas City | London | Miami | Orange County | San Francisco | Tampa | Washington, D.C.