Asbestos Defense

Overview

For decades, Sonnenschein attorneys have defended and continue to actively defend asbestos personal injury claims for a variety of clients across the country. A national firm with nearly 250 trial lawyers and experience handling literally scores of asbestos and similar toxic tort claims, Sonnenschein provides highly experienced, consistent, and cost-effective representation in numerous jurisdictions.

Our role in a client’s overall defense strategy is predicated on each client’s needs and business goals. In some cases, Sonnenschein serves as national coordinating defense and trial counsel. In others, Sonnenschein defends regional dockets of thousands of cases. In addition to serving as creditors’ counsel in bankruptcy litigation, we likewise provide invaluable guidance with appeals and extraordinary writs. In addition to top-tier defense litigation services, Sonnenschein provides advice in a variety of regulatory matters. These diverse, interrelated capabilities uniquely equip us with a multi-faceted perspective for best defending asbestos and related personal injury claims.

Over the years, Sonnenschein attorneys have represented manufacturers, distributors, and installers of asbestos-containing products. As the web of asbestos personal injury litigation expands today, peripheral defendants similarly seek our expertise in asbestos litigation. For decades we have defended a major New York-based manufacturer, serving as national coordinating counsel, handling hundreds of thousands of asbestos claims. Additionally, we regularly represent a number of premises defendants and contractors.

Whether a client seeks national trial counsel or a local defense team to prepare cases for trial or assistance with appellate remedies, Sonnenschein has experienced attorneys to provide the best-suited representation for that individual client.

Representative Clients

Sonnenschein attorneys defend asbestos litigation and personal injury cases for traditional manufacturers of the following products:

Refractory products Pipe coverings Gaskets Cloth Yarn Tape

Consumer products Fireproofing products Turbines Sealants Building products Raw asbestos

Regulatory Experience

Sonnenschein represents clients in environmental and regulatory issues related to asbestos contamination and remediation, including:

• Civil and criminal asbestos enforcement litigation
• Preparation of asbestos O&M Plans
• Evaluation of asbestos impact on property values
• Expert support on regulatory compliance issues
• Applicability of OSHA/AHERA to specific situations
• Review of current/proposed new products

Our clients have included generators and transporters of hazardous substances as well as site owner/operators. We are experienced in all types of Federal and State Superfund proceedings, including information requests, formal investigations, discovery, expert examination, trial preparation, site clean-ups, cost-recovery actions and de minimis settlements. Our lawyers have defended clients against unilateral administrative clean-up orders and judicial actions to recover clean-up costs and to compel performance of remedial measures. Recognizing that a good offense sometimes is the best defense, we also have filed suit against the state, local and/or federal governments and other potentially responsible parties for reimbursement of clean-up costs.

Related Toxic Tort Experience

The following is a representative sampling of Sonnenschein’s other toxic tort experience:

• National property damage asbestos litigation
• National personal injury asbestos litigation
• National lead pigment and lead paint litigation
• Regional silica litigation
• National polystyrene litigation
• National TCE litigation
• National PCB litigation
• National manganese welding rod litigation
• Regional benzene litigation