Firm overview
Barrasso Usdin’s lawyers have decades of experience litigating complex civil cases throughout the country. The firm provides the high quality representation expected from large firms, together with the responsive and efficient services provided by top tier small firms. More than 88% of the firm’s lawyers have served as members of law reviews and journals or clerked for federal judges, either at the appellate or district court levels.
Notable representations include:
Class Actions & Complex Litigation:
- Representation of Chairman of Board of publicly traded company in class action relating to acquisition
- Representation of financial services company in a class action involving a merger of the company and its disgruntled investors
- Representation of a commercial insurer in class action related to SELA flood control claims by commercial and individual property owners
- Representation of homeowner insurer in putative state-wide class actions filed in Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri state courts, and Connecticut and Virginia federal courts
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Commercial Litigation:
- Defense of refinery against multimillion-dollar claims of breach of contract, unfair trade practice and misrepresentation
- Representation of various landowners of affordable housing units against assessors attempting to impose ad valorem taxes on the value of federal credits
- Representation of drug manufacturers in pricing litigation
- Representation of major law firms in malpractice claims and employment claims
- Representation of numerous contractors, subcontractors and architects in construction disputes, including both residential and commercial disputes and litigation, arbitration and mediation
- Retained by special committee of Board of Directors of public company to assist in independent investigation of derivative demands against directors and officers
- Successfully represented public company in multimillion vessel construction dispute
Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith:
- Representation of insurer in dispute with state attorney general regarding hurricane claims
- Representation of excess insurer in coverage litigation arising out of BP Oil Spill MDL litigation
- Representation of excess liability insurer in environmental claim coverage dispute arising out of New Mexico uranium mine
- Representation of insurer in extensive coverage and liability disputes regarding sinkhole litigation
- Representation of healthcare professional liability insurer in suit brought by Insurer Commissioner against directors and officers of failed healthcare plan
- Representation of homeowner insurer in class action in Connecticut arising out of crumbling concrete foundation
Product Liability & Toxic Tort/Environmental:
- National trial counsel for Johnson & Johnson in pharmaceutical MDL; the firm tried the first and third MDL trials to defense verdicts
- National trial counsel for Johnson & Johnson in medical device cases in two separate MDLs and in Illinois consolidated proceeding; the firm tried the first MDL case to a defense verdict and the first case in the Illinois consolidated proceedings to a defense verdict. The firm also tried the first case in a separate MDL to a defense verdict
- Served as national trial counsel for manufacturers and distributors of welding consumables in MDL; the firm tried six separate cases to defense verdicts against all ten plaintiffs
- Trial counsel for major refining company against US in trial for civil penalties under the Oil Pollution Act amendments to the Clean Water Act
- Representing a major oil company and manufacturers in toxic tort matters
- Representing energy companies in complex oil field legacy litigation and oil spill cases
- Trial counsel for an international power management company in asbestos lawsuit in Arkansas
- Representation of Hydrogen manufacturer and supplier in product liability action
- Representation of national energy company in environmental litigation
Securities Litigation & Regulation:
- Representing an international brokerage firm in over 250 cases arising out of the collapse of the Puerto Rican bond market
- Representation of Morgan Keegan in over 400 cases arising out of 2007-08 market meltdown
- Regularly represents the financial-services industry, and brokerage and investment banking firms nationwide
- Represents firms and employees who are subjects of regulatory inquiries, investigations and actions
