A veteran litigator with strong roots in complex litigation, Fred Baker has worked on a broad range of environmental, medical costs recovery, consumer and products liability cases and holds numerous leadership roles within the firm.
Fred represents individuals, institutional investors, and governmental entities in a wide variety of cases. He leads the firm’s tobacco litigation, and was a member of the legal team that litigated the groundbreaking tobacco litigation on behalf of several State Attorneys General. Fred has also participated in the litigation of individual tobacco cases, entity tobacco cases and a tobacco class action.
In addition to his tobacco casework, Fred is part of the opioid litigation team which represents dozens of governmental entities, including states, cities, towns, counties and townships in litigation targeting the alleged misrepresentation and fraudulent distribution of harmful and addictive opioids by manufacturers and distributors.
Fred was also a key member of the firm’s representation of people and businesses in Gulf Coast communities suffering as a result of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He held a central role in the negotiation process involving the two settlements reached with BP, one of which is the largest civil class action settlement in U.S. history. In addition, his environmental experience also includes representing a state government in a case against poultry integrators that alleged poultry waste polluted natural resources.
Fred has served as counsel in a number of class actions, including the two class action settlements arising out of the 2005 Graniteville train derailment chlorine spill. He was also closely involved in the litigation surrounding the statutory direct action settlement reached in the Manville bankruptcy court and a related West Virginia unfair trade practices insurance class action.
Fred began practicing with Motley Rice attorneys in 1994 and chairs the firm’s attorney hiring committee.
* Please remember that every case is different. Any result we achieve for one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
Awards, Accolades & Recognitions
Best Lawyers
2020-2026 Charleston, S.C. Mass tort litigation / class actions - plaintiffs
2024-2026 Personal injury litigation-plaintiffs
Lawdragon
2019 Lawdragon 500 Plaintiff Financial Lawyers
South Carolina Lawyers Weekly
2016 Leadership in Law Honoree
Blog Posts
May 24, 2024
Can I sue Instagram?
by: Motley Rice
July 6, 2023
Social media’s grip on teen mental health
by: Laura K. Stemkowski
January 8, 2021
Clicking with caution: Cybersecurity data breach risks are higher than ever Causes, Not Just Cases
by: Jodi Westbrook Flowers
News
April 28, 2025
The history and legacy of Workers’ Memorial Day
by:
M. Nolan Webb
August 26, 2024
51 Motley Rice attorneys listed in 2025 Best Lawyers in America guide
by: Motley Rice
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
