Harris Beach Murtha defends businesses, property owners and managers, contractors and manufacturers in general liability claims and litigation, either directly or through their insurance carriers. We maintain a strong record of success in personal injury and property damage cases involving construction accidents; equipment accidents; slip-and-fall injuries; security issues; labor law matters; automotive, truck and rental vehicle accidents; as well as a host of other premises liability matters, including mold, lead, asbestos exposure and other air quality issues.

We excel in the defense of sophisticated, high-exposure, high-risk catastrophic injury cases involving head and brain injury, paralysis, paraplegia, amputation, neurological deficits, orthopedic trauma and systemic diseases. Harris Beach Murtha attorneys draw upon their knowledge of medical, technical and scientific disciplines, including orthopedics, neurology, toxicology, epidemiology, oncology, pathology, occupational health, industrial hygiene, accident reconstruction, roadway design, vocational rehabilitation, economics, life care planning and forensics. We also defend professional liability matters, including the defense of health care providers.

Harris Beach Murtha’s product liability defense attorneys have successfully defended difficult and often highly charged product liability cases on behalf of some of the world’s leading consumer and industrial manufacturers. We have achieved defense verdicts, dismissals, voluntary discontinuances, summary judgments or reasonable settlements in potentially high-verdict product liability cases while maintaining a low profile for our clients. We defend manufacturers and/or distributors of such broadly diverse products as contact lenses, cement mixers, exercise equipment, commercial pesticides, pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

We fully immerse ourselves in our clients’ businesses by visiting their manufacturing sites to acquire hands-on experience with facsimile products, meeting with key witnesses, and locating and reviewing discovery documents instrumental in dev eloping an effective defense strategy. We use qualified experts in each specialty area, obtain all relevant medical studies and investigate all viable alternative causation defenses to protect the integrity of our clients’ products and reputations.

Our extensive product liability experience includes:

Consumer Products

Harris Beach Murtha represents numerous consumer products companies, including many among the Fortune 500. We have defended claims involving hair dyes, contact lens solutions, cosmetics, after-market auto parts, infant car seats and small appliances such as hair dryers, toaster ovens and irons. We also represent the manufacturers and distributors of over-the-counter drugs, latex gloves, liquid drain cleaners, dog foods, personal insect repellant sprays, aerosol ant and roach sprays, beverage containers and other consumer products that may involve chemical sensitivity or toxic exposure.

Industrial and Commercial Products

We represent the manufacturers, distributors and retailers of a diverse array of industrial and commercial products. These include trucks, forklifts, cranes, aerial lift platforms, subway car propulsion systems, fueling components, industrial kitchen machinery, food processing equipment, industrial presses, cement mixers, electrical fixtures, elevators, pumps and turbines. Harris Beach Murtha represents North America’s largest heavy equipment rental company, defending claims concerning diverse rental equipment, including portable light towers, boom lifts and scissor lifts. We also represent manufacturers of commercial pesticides and foggers, chemical solvents, asbestos-containing products, tiles, gases, metals, acids, laboratory equipment and packaging, radiators, valves and boilers.

Our attorneys have deep experience defending some of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements, cosmetics, sunscreens and biologics in state and federal courts. Our Medical and Life Sciences Industry Team attorneys defend drug and device product liability actions stemming from use during clinical trials; post-approval of new drug applications and abbreviated new drug applications; marketing and promotion of indications for use outside the cleared premarket approval or 510(k); off-label promotion; failure to report adverse events to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); labeling inadequacies; design flaws; manufacturing or quality assurance errors; and product recalls. To help our clients avoid potentially damaging legal actions, our attorneys also examine pre- and post-market liability issues regarding submissions to the FDA, including package inserts, marketing materials, warnings, patient labeling and document retention.

Harris Beach Murtha has earned a strong, positive reputation for successfully defending companies against claims of toxic exposure to substances such as benzene, perchloroethylene (“PERC”) and trichlorethylene (“TCE”), solvents commonly used in automotive, manufacturing, printing, dry cleaning and other industries. These claims are venued in state and federal courts throughout the United States and, in many cases, have been combined in multi-district litigation (MDL).

Harris Beach Murtha attorneys have decades of experience defending domestic and foreign corporations, small and mid-sized businesses and individuals in all stages of complex litigation. Our litigation experience includes national, regional, local, discovery and trial counsel levels of engagement in industrial lawsuits, as well as mass tort or consolidated litigation. Our attorneys strive to identify cases for early resolution whether by cost-effective settlement or potential summary judgment. We take a no-time-wasted approach to identifying, preparing and defending corporate witnesses for deposition and trial.

Our firm has developed an efficient and cost-effective approach to managing large liability cases, whether product liability or comprehensive general liability. We collect briefs and memoranda of law on a wide scope of subjects and issues and maintain a research bank that is indexed for quick access. We have access to leading medical experts in a range of specialties.

We routinely work with experts in accident reconstruction, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, warnings and human factors. We also work with toxicologists, immunologists, rheumatologists, epidemiologists, psychiatrists and other expert witnesses, such as architects and engineers, who we may call upon in our clients’ defense.

Harris Beach Murtha’s First Response Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Team attorneys have a vast amount of experience in all phases of catastrophic event preparation and disaster response. We respond at all hours of the night and day, aiding in the management of the evidence preservation all the way through to the post-accident investigation. Our on-the-scene legal guidance provides the insight, perspective, experience and required coordination to manage critical legal issues and help prevent a disaster from becoming a legal and media crisis that could damage your brand and reputation. We also assist in the defense and litigation of claims that may ultimately occur.

Our experience in white-collar crime, civil and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigations allows us to protect clients and their employees during onsite investigations involving police, fire and government officials. The attorneys at Harris Beach Murtha have a long history of investigating numerous catastrophic events for several industries to provide on-scene advice and information to clients and their insurers.

The best possible time to analyze and manage any risk that may be associated with a product is before it hits the market. We take a proactive approach to risk management counseling by reviewing our clients’ product communications prior to launch to help assess and head off potential liability risks. This in-depth analysis often includes the review of brochures, labels and packaging, and electronically stored information sources.

Product liability cases can expose an organization to considerable public and media attention, with potentially damaging consequences to their image, brand and internal morale. To mitigate such damage, organizations must successfully manage these situations with strategic communications designed to put the controversy behind them as quickly and completely as possible. Harris Beach Murtha’s skilled communications management team helps clients craft an effective communications and media strategy to counter negative sentiment. We take a proactive approach by helping to identify potential risks and developing, implementing and maintaining response plans that limit product liability risk.