Products Liability

Products liability laws and regulations have unique risks and exposure to companies involved with the manufacture or sale of commercial goods.  Products liability cases carry an evidentiary burden for plaintiffs that is relatively low and the exposure for defendants can be extraordinarily high. Even the most vigilant, safety-conscious companies must be prepared to respond to serious products liability claims.

Rhodes Hieronymus has a long-standing record of defending clients in significant and complex product liability matters. We represent clients in single-plaintiff cases, multi-district class actions and mass tort litigation involving serious personal injuries or catastrophic events. The attorneys at Rhodes Hieronymus have extensive first-chair trial experience with clients that manufacture computers, farm equipment, medical devices, home appliances, bicycles, tires, car seats, oil field products, and roofing material to name a few.

For over eighty years, Rhodes Hieronymus attorneys utilize effective defense strategies that involve an in-depth understanding of our clients’ products, processes and markets, as well as exceptional knowledge of the science and technologies that underlie these systems.

With more than a decade of tort reform legislation in place, product liability lawsuit filings are down significantly in Oklahoma. Which means that when a products liability suit is filed, the lawyers who filed the case have confidence in its merits. Rhodes Hieronymus has been part of the highest-profile products liability suits in Oklahoma. A sampling of our experience includes serving as defense counsel in:

• Woodson v. World-Wide Volkswagen (yes, that case from law school civil procedure)
• The Oklahoma State University plane crash litigation
• Dozens of lawsuits involving automobiles, representing manufacturers such as Mazda, Porsche, Nissan, Audi, Chrysler, Honda and others

Beyond our trial work, our products liability appellate practice has made much of Oklahoma’s case law throughout the years. The attorneys at Rhodes Hieronymus will partner with you to map out the best strategy for your business in these often complex, high-profile cases.