Dina Fisher, a partner in the Litigation Department in our Hartford office, concentrates her practice on commercial and civil litigation. Her experience includes contract disputes, products liability, and premises-related defense. With a history and particular interest in serving the needs of manufacturers, Ms. Fisher has focused her practice, in part, in the field of products liability. Her work in this area is diverse, with numerous matters in the field of aviation as well as industrial equipment and consumer electronics. Ms. Fisher is an experienced trial lawyer and has an excellent trial court record. In addition to trying numerous jury and bench trials, and resolving scores of cases in mediation, she has also argued cases in the Connecticut Appellate Court and Supreme Court and in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Professional Associations - American Bar Association - American Bar Association, Tort and Insurance Practice Section - Association of Trial Lawyers of America - Connecticut Bar Association - Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association - Hartford County Bar Association Honors and Awards - Connecticut Law Tribune, 2010, recognized in Women in the Law: High Achievers yearbook Experience - Representation of Connecticut town in arbitration case involving billing procedures for sewage treatment for industrial discharge by a large paper factory. Case involved approximately $1 million in disputed sums claimed past due, plus declarations interpreting the parties' contract going forward. - Successfully defended printing press remanufacturer in a multi-million dollar products liability case tried in Suffolk Superior Court. - Defended Red Roof Inn in a premises liability/third-party indemnification suit in Milford, Connecticut, Superior Court, expeditiously settling the case before the end of discovery on the strength of the defense motion for summary judgment. - Successfully defended printing press remanufacturer in a products liability case tried in Suffolk Superior Court involving a pressman who sustained a severe injury to his right hand while removing plates from a printing press. The plaintiff, who settled with the manufacturer of the press for a minimal amount prior to trial, was seeking over $3 million in damages from the remanufacturer, claiming that the remanufacturer failed to update the machine and bring it in compliance with certain safety codes during the remanufacturing process. Aviation Law - Negotiated settlement of wrongful death suits, arising out of several military helicopter crashes, hinging on government contractor defense. - Aggressively prosecuted seven-figure counterclaim against operator of client's aviation equipment involving claims of negligence, improper flight practices, violations of federal law, and trademark infringement, ultimately achieving a withdrawal of a multimillion-dollar claim against manufacturing client. Business Litigation - Served on team representing a Connecticut town in an arbitration case involving billing procedures for sewage treatment for industrial discharge by a large paper factory. Case involved approximately $1 million in disputed sums claimed past due, plus declarations interpreting the parties' contract going forward. Complex Commercial Disputes - Succeeded in winning judgment, in a bench trial, against third-party defendant for unjust enrichment and tortious conversion. Won a partial reversal at the Second Circuit, with a remand on a claim of civil theft, settled before retrial. Premises Liability - Successfully defended a large pharmaceutical company in a jury trial involving eight days of evidence and six expert witnesses. The plaintiff claimed a broken neck arising out of an allegedly dangerous condition. Product Liability - Managed the litigation and settlement of 19 separate cases in an MDL involving products liability claims against pharmaceutical manufacturer. - Won summary judgment on statute of limitations/useful safe life defense in scissor-lift case. - Efficiently resolved over thirty claims involving failures of a stormwater drainage system. - Successfully defended printing press manufacturer in suit, which involved claims of over $3 million in personal injury, with a defense verdict. Prevailed on appeal in a matter of first impression regarding the duty of a refurbisher/ remanufacturer. - Successfully defended consumer electronics manufacturer in products liability suit involving amputation injury, tried to a jury, with a defense verdict. Publications & Presentations Articles - "Connecticut's Jury Instruction on Product Defect is Defective: A Second Look at Potter v. Chicago Pneumatic Tool" (2011), published in Connecticut Bar Journal - "Spoliation of Evidence: A State-by-State Survey" (2002) published in an ABA publication - "Review of 2000 Second Circuit Products Liability Cases" (2001), published in Quinnipiac Law Review - "Review of 1999 Second Circuit Products Liability Cases" (2000), published in Quinnipiac Law Review - "Component Part Manufacturer and Bulk Supplier Liability in Products Liability Cases" (1999), published in an ABA publication - "Review of 1998 Second Circuit Products Liability Cases" (1999), published in Quinnipiac Law Review Presentations - "Strategies for Winning a Complex Products Liability Trial" (6/14/2010) presented at Connecticut Bar Association Annual Meeting News 5.13.11, Attorney Authors Article in Connecticut Bar Journal On Error in Jury Instruction for Product Liability Trials 9.10.10, Women in the Law and in the News 6.17.10, Robinson & Cole Attorneys Share Strategies for Winning Products Liability Cases |