Jake Stout utilizes the civil justice system to hold negligent corporations accountable for preventable injuries and diseases suffered by workers and their families.
Having experience in all three vantages of the civil litigation process-plaintiffs, defense, and the court-Jake has a broad understanding of the challenges faced by workers in their fight for justice. His perspective is an asset for clients, as he strives to improve safety practices and corporate governance for the benefit of current and future workers.
Jake has advocated for plaintiffs’ causes as an attorney for multiple personal injury firms throughout his career. He has extensive experience in matters related to toxic exposure, products liability, premises liability, Federal Employer’s Liability Act/Railroad injuries, asbestos/mesothelioma, silica exposure, benzene/leukemia, and other general personal injury litigation in state and federal courts. At Motley Rice, Jake works principally with the firm’s Occupational Disease team to litigate claims on behalf of people who were wrongfully exposed to toxic substances. In 2025, Jake was a part of the trial team in Forehand v. VEPCO where a jury returned a verdict of $2.7 million* in favor of a mesothelioma victim against a power company that used asbestos in its operations. He has also served as a member of mass litigation teams that represented the State of West Virginia and other government entities in the opioid litigation, and individuals who were harmed by the East Palestine Train Derailment that occurred in 2023.
Jake’s legal experience also includes a clerkship with a regional corporate defense firm and serving as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Phillip D. Gaujot, of the Circuit Court of Monongalia County, W. Va. He previously served as a deputy campaign manager and campaign treasurer for candidates in lieutenant governor, state representative, and county commissioner races in Pennsylvania in 2010 and 2011, and was one of three commissioners on the Monongalia County, W. Va., Deputy Sheriff’s Civil Service Commission from 2016 to 2021. Jake is also a graduate of the National Trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia and has a Certificate in Mass Tort Multidistrict Litigation from the Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke Law.
*Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Awards, Accolades & Recognitions
Best Lawyers
Morgantown, WV
2021 -2026 Ones to Watch list: Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Super Lawyers
2020-2025 West Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Stars list
Personal injury - products: plaintiff; Class action/mass torts: plaintiff
The National Trial Lawyers
2020-2025 Civil Plaintiff-Top 40 under 40 Trial Lawyer list, West Virginia
Blog Posts
January 5, 2026
5 things you should know about asbestos Causes, Not Just Cases
by: John E. Herrick
April 1, 2024
Yes, asbestos risks are still a concern
by: Anne McGinness Kearse
February 9, 2023
End of the Road for the “Texas Two-Step”? Causes, Not Just Cases
by: Louis M. Bograd
News
April 28, 2025
The history and legacy of Workers’ Memorial Day
by:
M. Nolan Webb
April 1, 2025
Finish the asbestos ban to improve worker safety
by:
Nathan D. Finch
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.
Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely
respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
