Products Liability

Products liability defense has been a cornerstone of Morris & Morris’ practice since the Firm’s inception.  Over the years we have successfully defended numerous products and, in so doing, gained extensive knowledge about industries, products, experts, and our opponents that we use to the advantage of our clients.  Our initial goal when representing a client in a products liability claim is to move aggressively to investigate the matter and then to develop with our client a winning defense for the company and its product.

Our clients benefit from our experiences defending many different products, different claims, and working in different industries.  We have represented all parts of the product distribution chain including assemblers, installers, manufacturers, component part manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and wholesalers.  We have defended personal injury claims, catastrophic injury claims, fire claims, lemon law claims, regulatory disputes, and property damages claims.  A partial list of the products we have defended includes aerial devices, aircraft, products with asbestos, automobiles, bicycles, bungee cords, cans, chairs, chemicals, chemical adhesives, dog leashes, electrical equipment and components, engines, exercise equipment, fans, grinders, household products, implants, industrial presses, ladders, logging equipment, logging machines, medical devices, ovens, products emitting radiation, saws, scaffolding, shampoos, solvents, stools, surge protectors, tires, tractors, trailers, and trucks.

The strength of our products liability team is its highly experienced products liability lawyers.  Two of our partners are invited members of the Products Liability Advisory Council, a non-profit association of over 100 companies dedicated to representing the interests of those faced with products liability claims.  Our products liability team boasts lawyers who have written on products liability law, are active in organizations involved in products liability defense, and are counsel to many notable product manufacturers.

Our clients find that our lawyers are accessible and flexible to their needs.  This is one of the benefits of a law firm our size.  We value our clients, and strive to understand their business, their industry, and their product in an effort to exceed their expectations for us.  The size of our Firm gives us the flexibility to defend large and small products liability cases with experienced products liability lawyers, and to do so in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

Our team has defended products liability cases in state and federal courts throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, and our experience extends into the courtroom.  Two of our partners are invited members of the American College of Trial Lawyers (including one past-president).  As a significant benefit to our clients, we have tried many cases to verdict.  While many cases settle, some do not.  We believe that we can get the best result for a client involved in a products liability case, whether it is through settlement or trial, when we have experienced trial lawyers aggressively defending it.

Representative Engagements:

Some of our representative engagements include the following:

• After a multi-week trial, we obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a manufacturer against a personal injury claim alleging quadriplegia from exposure to a chemical.

• We obtained a defense verdict at a bench trial on behalf of a component part manufacturer against the claim that its part malfunctioned and started a fire that damaged a truck.

• We obtained a dismissal at trial of a property damage claim involving a logging machine.

• We had a case involving significant personal injuries dismissed against a manufacturer of electrical equipment based on the statute of repose.

• We obtained summary judgment on behalf of the manufacturer of a deli slicer against personal injury claims.

• We obtained summary judgment on behalf of a multinational company in a personal injury claim alleging personal injuries from exposure to radiation from a radio satellite transmitter.