Practice Highlights
- We provide effective representation that is always cost-efficient and closely tailored to our clients’ goals and objectives.
- We have had the privilege of litigating — and trying to verdict — some of the most prominent toxic tort and environmental cases.
- We counsel clients on a wide variety of regulatory and compliance matters that arise in both transactional settings and in day-today business operations.
Practice News
- September 22, 2016
Events
Publications
- October 25, 2018Litigation Alert
Cases & Deals
Toxic Torts and Environmental
The diverse services we provide to our clients share a common commitment to excellence in the quality of representation. We provide effective representation that is always cost-efficient and closely tailored to our clients’ goals and objectives.
Toxic and Mass Tort Litigation
We represent numerous manufacturers and suppliers in litigation involving third-party claims for personal injury, medical monitoring and property damage.
Private and Governmental Cost-Recovery Litigation
We represent clients as PRPs in government-driven Superfund litigation, and as both plaintiffs and defendants in private cost-recovery cleanup actions.
Regulatory and Compliance Matters
We counsel clients on a wide variety of regulatory and compliance matters that arise in both transactional settings and in day-today business operations.
We have had the privilege of litigating — and trying to verdict — some of the most prominent toxic tort and environmental cases over the past thirty years. We consider ourselves trial lawyers, not just litigators. For example, we tried — and won — one of the first medical monitoring trials. We also tried — and won — one of the first stigma property damages trials. We have successfully fought class certification in toxic and mass tort litigation for years.
Asbestos Litigation
White and Williams LLP is an acknowledged leader in the asbestos personal injury, property damage and medical monitoring litigation. Our firm has been actively involved in the aggressive management of this difficult litigation since the 1970's on behalf of both individual companies and defense groups such as the Asbestos Claims Facility (Wellington Defendants). We have served in the capacity as national counsel (for Pecora Corporation), as regional counsel (for H.K. Porter Company/Southern Textile Corporation and Porter Hayden Company), and local counsel for multiple clients with diverse interests.
Historically, we spearheaded the utilization of case management orders in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas systems for asbestos cases. These efforts resulted in “master” pre-trial pleadings and discovery procedures which have lead to increased efficiencies and tremendous monetary savings for our clients.
Presently, our firm serves as the coordinator for the defense medical expert preparation of all of the asbestos personal injury litigation in the Philadelphia area. We administer the defense medical cost-sharing program involving over 70 participants. Our sophisticated computer hardware and software configuration enables us to effectively manage this voluminous litigation.
White and Williams is also unique in the breadth of defense trial experience which it possesses. We know of no other firm that has had over ten partners try asbestos cases to verdict. We are at the forefront of the development of “state of the art” medical defense issues such as the medical evidence supporting the association of simian virus 40 polio vaccine (SV40) in the etiology of human mesothelioma.
Medical Monitoring
White and Williams LLP is recognized as one of the leading law firms in the country in the defense of medical monitoring claims. We successfully tried the first medical monitoring claims to go to verdict before a jury (In re: Paoli RR Yard PCB Litigation). Our lawyers have written extensively on the subject, including a monograph published by the National Legal Center for the Public Interest. We have lectured on the subject before the American Bar Association, The American Chemistry Counsel and the Defense Research Institute. We have been asked to submit appellate briefs amicus curiae on medical monitoring. Our attorneys are conversant in the medical and scientific principles that underlie medical monitoring claims and have a proven track record of success in attacking plaintiffs’ experts in Daubert and Frye hearings, and developing defense medical monitoring experts from the leading medical institutions in America.
Mold Litigation
White and Williams provides a broad array of services in this burgeoning area of law. We represent property owners, landlords and managers of office buildings and housing complexes throughout the Mid-Atlantic region in personal injury claims associated with mold exposure. In addition, we handle coverage disputes, first party property damage claims and subrogation matters on a regional and national basis for a number of major insurers.
We staff our mold cases with aggressive and highly successful trial and appellate lawyers who deliver representation of the highest caliber in a cost-effective manner. Our lawyers bring with them to this developing area of practice their experience in handling other toxic tort litigation, construction defect litigation, complex commercial litigation and large-scale insurance coverage matters.
Our lawyers are well versed in the complex and developing medical and scientific state-of-the art so vitally important in this area. We work with leading experts and researchers across the country in the disciplines of immunology, mycotoxicology, industrial hygiene and neuropsychology. Further, we have gained close familiarity with the group of witnesses repeatedly retained by our opponents and routinely prosecute Daubert and Frye.
News
- September 22, 2016
- September 22, 2016
- June 7, 2016
- January 14, 2014
- 2006
Events
- Philadelphia, PAJanuary 26, 2017
- Mid-Atlantic Asbestos Litigation Conference (Wilmington, DE)January 24, 2014
- Fracking 101: Understanding the Risks and Rewards from this Emerging Energy SourceValley Forge Chapter of the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters SocietyMay 8, 2013
- Smoke and Mirrors – The Next Asbestos?2013 Annual Environmental & Emerging Claim Manager Association Spring ConferenceMay 3, 2013
- Environmental Insurance - Past, Present and FutureWhite and Williams Coverage College 2012October 4, 2012
- Overview of Recent Claims Involving Hydraulic FracturingEnvironmental and Toxic Tort Committee of the Claims and Litigation Management AllianceSeptember 11, 2012
Publications
- October 25, 2018Litigation Alert
- September 6, 2018Litigation Alert
- August 20, 2018Litigation Alert
- April 9, 2018Product Liability Alert
- January 2018Counterpoint | Pennsylvania Defense Institute
- January 9, 2018Litigation Alert
- November 6, 2014Toxic Torts and Environmental Alert
- November 27, 2013Product Liability Alert
- August 6, 2013Product Liability & Toxic Tort Alert
- August 22, 2012Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance
- August 9, 2012Sui Generis
- July 24, 2012Sui Generis
- July 10, 2012Sui Generis
- April 23, 2012Sui Generis
Cases & Deals
Practice Contacts
- Thomas Goutman
Partner
215.864.7057 | Email | vCard