Practice Areas & Industries: Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP

Practice/Industry Group Overview

Attorneys in our Products Liability & Toxic Tort group have a national and regional practice managing and trying cases across the country and abroad. Our group of 70 attorneys regularly acts as trial counsel as well as coordinating counsel. We have tried many products liability and toxic tort cases to verdict in many jurisdictions in both federal and state court.

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Our clients include manufacturers, retailers and distributors in various industries including chemicals, electrical equipment and components, industrial machinery, automobile safety devices, industrial machinery, fire safety equipment, medical equipment and devices, firearms, construction equipment, agricultural equipment, processed food, consumer products and many more.

In the 1980s, we were named as Olin Corporation’s “partnering” law firm as national counsel. In this capacity we manage and try products liability cases for Olin across the country. We also represent Monsanto as national counsel in selected chemical products and as joint national coordinating and trial counsel for enforcement of certain of Monsanto’s biotechnology intellectual property rights. We have been selected as Monsanto’s principal national trial firm.

Our attorneys practice at the cutting edge of toxic tort defense in cases alleging exposure to, inter alia, benzene, solvents, vinyl chloride, asbestos, PCBs, dioxin, aromatic amines, perchlorate, and cutting oils, in numerous jurisdictions around the country. We are currently defending over 300 active cases on behalf of numerous clients in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Delaware, Texas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Kentucky.  Our experience and past results in successfully defending toxic tort cases in many of the country’s most dangerous jurisdictions is why we are routinely selected by industry to represent large joint defense groups often comprising 20 or more chemical and petrochemical companies.

We serve as regional or national counsel in toxic tort litigation for such companies as Olin Corporation, Siemens, Monsanto Company, and BASF Chemicals.

In terms of products liability and toxic tort case handling, we focus on service and strive to control costs. We maximize utilization of database, case management, and litigation support technology. We are accustomed to working closely with engineers, scientists and other experts and have contacts with a wide network of experts and local counsel throughout the United States.

Our attorneys have received honors such as the Lon Hocker Award (for outstanding trial work in Missouri) and membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Five of our trial attorneys are listed in The Best Lawyers in America^® 2009.