Baron & Budd, P.C.

Last updated
Baron & Budd, P.C.
Headquarters Dallas, United States [1]
No. of offices6
Offices3102 Oak Lawn Avenue, #1100, Dallas, Texas, U.S.
No. of employees260
Key people Russell Budd, president and managing shareholder
Date founded1977 (1977)
Website baronandbudd.com

Baron & Budd, P.C. is an American plaintiffs' law firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas. [1] Opponents of mass tort litigation have criticized the firm for the zealousness with which it represents its clients, and for the political activities of some of its attorneys.

Contents

History

Establishment and early practice

Baron & Budd began its practice in 1977. [1] The firm's first major case involved a lead smelter adjacent to one of the largest public housing projects in Dallas. Baron & Budd represented more than 200 families in a lawsuit that eventually closed the smelter and provided sizable damage awards for court-supervised trusts that benefited several hundred children. [2] For most of its existence, Baron & Budd has maintained a substantial presence in "litigation against former asbestos manufacturers and companies that used asbestos products", [1] being one of the first law firms in the U.S. to successfully try mesothelioma cases. [3] The firm's clients in this practice have included celebrities such as actor Paul Gleason, [4] who died from mesothelioma in 2006.

The firm has also practiced widely in other areas of mass torts, including such matters as "Benzene exposure, Fen-Phen diet drug litigation and water contamination". [1] In 1985, Baron & Budd filed suit on behalf of more than 1,600 Tucson-area residents against an aircraft manufacturer, the City of Tucson, and the Tucson Airport Authority over trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination of the community's groundwater. [5] [1] Throughout the ensuing 21-year legal battle, in which Baron & Budd ultimately prevailed, the law firm helped to define Arizona law on pollution coverage. In 2006, Baron & Budd attorneys were honored with the Trial Lawyer of the Year award by Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, "in recognition of their firms work in precedent-setting litigation involving groundwater contamination in Arizona". [1]

Another key development for the firm occurred in 1997, when the United States Supreme Court decided Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor . [6] In that case, plaintiffs represented by various attorneys, including those from Baron & Budd, objected to the fairness of a class action settlement approved by the district court on behalf of injured parties not effectively represented before the court. The record for a successful appeal was developed "[t]hanks largely to lawyers at Baron & Budd, a firm representing some of the objectors" which insured that "there were more than 30 depositions, other discovery, and an 18-day fairness hearing". [7] This outcome was reinforced within the next few years in a case also brought to fruition by Baron & Budd, Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp. [8] The decisions in these cases "compel appellate courts to look skeptically at class action settlements that release defendants from claims by absent plaintiffs". [9] During this period, the firm received both criticism and praise for the zealousness with which it represented its clients. [10]

Developments in the 2000s and 2010s

In 2003, Baron & Budd represented the City of Santa Monica in a landmark MTBE contamination settlement with the major oil companies. MTBE contaminated five of Santa Monica's 11 wells, forcing the city to begin importing water in 1996 for $3 million a year. In 2006, firm founder Russell Budd "helped secure a $3.9 billion settlement with the United States Gypsum Co. on behalf of the asbestos creditors committee in one of the largest bankruptcy settlements on record". [1] Other notable cases by Baron & Budd in this time included "a 13.5 million-dollar verdict on behalf of the family of an East Texas man who died of mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure in his childhood, and a 15.5 million dollar jury verdict in a Mississippi lawsuit involving dioxide emissions". [1] In 2008, Baron & Budd played a lead role in negotiations with major oil companies that had contaminated drinking water through the use of MTBE as a gasoline additive. Baron & Budd's efforts resulted in a landmark settlement, requiring the oil companies to pay a substantial cash settlement, nearly $1.5 billion, to 153 public water providers in 17 states, as well as a number of private well owners. [11]

In August 2010, environmental attorney and Baron & Budd shareholder Burton LeBlanc of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Baron & Budd were retained by the state of Louisiana to provide counsel to the state's designated trustees in connection with issues related to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the resulting oil spill. [12] In October 2010, Scott Summy, the head of Baron & Budd's water contamination team, was one of four attorneys nationwide chosen to serve on the Plaintiffs' Executive Committee for the Gulf Oil Spill Multi-District Litigation (MDL) and as a member of the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee (PSC). [13] In 2011, Baron & Budd, along with co-counsel, represented the first Chinese drywall client to be remediated by the Chinese Sheetrock manufacturer Knauf. [14]

Several of the firm's attorneys developed political connections over time. Partner Russell Budd and his wife, Dorothy, hosted President Barack Obama at their home in August 2010. [15] Partner Fred Baron served as co-chair of the Kerry Victory '04 committee, a joint effort of the Democratic National Committee and the Presidential campaign of John Kerry. [16] The New York Times listed Baron & Budd as the sixth biggest source of contributions to state attorneys general campaigns from 2004 to 2014. [17]

In September 2014, the National Law Journal identified Baron & Budd as "Elite Trial Lawyers", noting that "Baron & Budd is best known for its asbestos work but its interests run much broader than that". [18] Baron & Budd was named to "The Plaintiffs' Hot List" of the National Law Journal from 2003 to 2006, in 2008, and again in 2011 and 2012, and attorneys from the firm have repeatedly been named to the "Best Lawyers in America" list, receiving this honor for four years in a row, from 2013 to 2017. [19]

Recent developments

In September 2017, Baron & Budd was one of two firms hired to represent Brunswick County, North Carolina in the investigation of chemical contamination of drinking water drawn from the Cape Fear River, alleged to involve the manufacture of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) by Chemours, DuPont and Kuraray at a facility in Fayetteville, North Carolina. [20] [21]

Baron & Budd has twice represented plaintiffs against Wells Fargo regarding practices by that company. In November 2016, Baron & Budd represented homeowners whose home appraisal fees had allegedly been marked up by the bank, and negotiated a $50 million settlement after winning certification of the claim as a class action. [22] In July 2017, the firm filed a lawsuit alleging that the bank had charged auto loan customers for unnecessary insurance, causing some customers to have their cars repossessed. [23]

The firm is representing the cities of Louisville, Cincinnati, and Birmingham, among other counties and municipalities, in litigation against opioid distributors, in response to the crisis of opioid addiction. [24] [25] [26] Their Environmental Litigation Group is representing public entities, including the cities of Spokane and Seattle, as well as the State of Washington, in litigation against Monsanto-related PCB contamination. [27]

In 2017 Baron & Budd investigated potential lawsuits that were related to allegations that pharmaceutical distributors "deliberately failed to monitor and report suspicious orders of opioids". [28] This failed monitoring and reporting, the firm argued, potentially played a role in the opioid epidemic. The law firm had previously won a $177 million settlement against GlaxoSmithKline for the drug Avandia, arguing that the company misrepresented the drug by saying that it reduced the number of adverse cardiac events, when in actuality it did not. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Brockovich</span> American environmental activist

Erin Brockovich is an American paralegal, consumer advocate, and environmental activist who was instrumental in building a case against Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) involving groundwater contamination in Hinkley, California for attorney Ed Masry in 1993. Their successful lawsuit was the subject of the Oscar-winning film, Erin Brockovich (2000), starring Julia Roberts as Brockovich and Albert Finney as Masry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Baron (lawyer)</span> American lawyer

Frederick Martin "Fred" Baron was an American trial lawyer best known for representing plaintiffs claiming toxic and chemical exposure. He was also an active figure in politics as a fund-raiser for the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motley Rice</span>

Motley Rice LLC is an American plaintiffs' litigation firm headquartered in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

Mikal Watts is an American attorney from San Antonio, Texas and a prolific donor to the Texas and national Democratic Party, and candidates running for office as Democrats. He formed an exploratory committee to run for Senator of Texas against incumbent John Cornyn in the 2008 U.S. Senate elections, but announced on October 23, 2007 his decision not to run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. Mark Lanier</span> American lawyer (born 1960)

William Mark Lanier is an American trial lawyer and founder and CEO of the Lanier Law Firm. He has led a number of high-profile product litigation suits resulting in billions of dollars in damages, including Johnson & Johnson baby powder and Merck & Co.'s Vioxx drug.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Polster</span> American judge (born 1951)

Dan Aaron Polster is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Polster mediated a settlement between the city of Cleveland and the family of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old black boy who was killed by a white police officer in 2014. In December 2017, a federal judicial panel selected Polster to preside over more than 3,000 consolidated prescription opioid-related lawsuits in multidistrict litigation known as the National Prescription Opiate Litigation. A trial for the litigation began in October 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edelson</span> American law firm known for class action lawsuits

Edelson PC is an American plaintiffs' law firm that focuses on public client investigations, class actions, mass tort, and consumer protection laws. Edelson’s cases include class action settlements against Facebook for $650 million (2021), social casino apps for nearly $200 million (2021), and a $925 million verdict against ViSalus (2020.)

Russell W. Budd is an American trial lawyer best known for representing plaintiffs claiming toxic and chemical exposure such as asbestos. He is president and managing shareholder of the law firm Baron & Budd, P.C. Budd has also been an active figure in politics as a fundraiser for the Democratic Party.

Kip A. Petroff is a Texas trial lawyer and is the founding partner of Petroff & Associates. His firm made its name handling plaintiffs' litigation, including representing clients suing blood banks for negligent screening of blood donors and suing the manufacturers of defective breast implants. However, he is best known for representing clients in lawsuits filed against American Home Products Corporation for heart valve injuries and other injuries arising from two diet drugs Wyeth marketed, Pondimin, and Redux.

<i>In re Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC</i>

In re Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC is a court case heard in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina which involves the entry into bankruptcy proceedings by Garlock Sealing Technologies, once a manufacturer of coated asbestos gaskets, as a result of potential liability from current and future settlements. The plaintiffs were over 4,000 asbestos victims suffering from mesothelioma, including many Navy veterans, as well as an unknown number of future mesothelioma victims. As noted by the court, mesothelioma "is always fatal, causing death essentially by suffocation within about eighteen months of diagnosis" and involves "a horrific death."

Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. is a large personal injury and medical malpractice law firm headquartered in New York, specializing in asbestos litigation. The firm also specializes in medical malpractice, consumer protection, and environmental protection litigation.

Paul Thomas Farrell Jr. is an American attorney from Huntington, West Virginia who ran for President of the United States in the 2016 West Virginia Democratic primary.

Levy Konigsberg is an American-based law firm that was established in 1985. The company is known for a number of high-profile cases in the United States. Its practice areas include asbestos litigation, qui tam, lead poisoning, sexual abuse, tobacco litigation, medical malpractice, and negligence. In 2015, Levy Konigsberg was recognized as one of the 50 Law Firms in the 2015 Elite Trial Lawyers list by The National Law Journal.

Simon Greenstone Panatier is a law firm based in Dallas, Texas, specializing in personal injury litigation and tort liability.

Within the United States, the use of asbestos is limited by state and federal regulations and legislation. Improper use of asbestos and injury from exposure is addressed through administrative action, litigation, and criminal prosecution. Injury claims arising from asbestos exposure may be tried as mass torts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher A. Seeger</span> New York attorney (born 1960)

Christopher A. Seeger is an American lawyer who specializes in multidistrict mass tort and class action litigation. He received the most multidistrict litigation (MDL) appointments of any lawyer between 2016 and 2019 according to a 2020 ALM study. Seeger is a founding partner of the firm Seeger Weiss LLP.

Asbestos bankruptcy trusts are trusts established by firms that have filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code to pay personal injury claims caused by exposure to asbestos. At least 56 such trusts were established from the mid-1970s to 2011.

Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is an American plaintiffs' law firm that engages in large-scale class action litigation. The firm filed a number of lawsuits against Donald Trump during and after his presidency, including a lawsuit which successfully blocked the Trump administration's attempt to roll back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Nachawati Law Group is an American plaintiffs' law firm headquartered in Dallas. The law firm was founded in 2006 by Bryan Fears and Majed Nachawati. The firm rebranded in October 2022 following the departure of Bryan Fears, who formed Fears Law. The firm is active in mass tort and multidistrict litigation on behalf of individuals and public entities.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Vera Djordjevich, Vault Guide to the Top Texas and Southwest Law Firms (2007), p. 33-35.
  2. ↑ "Frederick Martin Baron: Obituary". The New York Times . November 1, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Baron & Budd, P.C. Wins $9 Million Mesothelioma Cancer Verdict Against Dow Chemical". Business Wire. March 7, 2011. Archived from the original on March 25, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ Daniel A. Austin, Stephen P. Parsons, Business Bankruptcy Law in Focus (2016), p. 469-470.
  5. ↑ "Tucson-Area Water Contamination Victims Triumph in Arizona Appeals Court Ruling Against Insurer", Claims Journal, October 1, 2004. Accessed February 15, 2007.
  6. ↑ Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor , 521 U.S. 591 (1997).
  7. ↑ "Windsor (George)/Georgine, et al. V. Amchem Products, Inc., et al". Public Citizen. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  8. ↑ Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp., 527 US. 815 (1999).
  9. ↑ Frankel, Alison (June 30, 2016). "'Glaring' conflict doomed $7.25 billion Visa/MasterCard settlement". Reuters . Archived from the original on July 4, 2016.
  10. ↑ See W. William Hodes, The Professional Duty To Horseshed Witnesses—Zealously, Within The Bounds Of the Law, 30 TEX. TECH L. REV. 1343 (1999).
  11. ↑ "Most oil companies in MTBE lawsuits settle". NBC News . Associated Press. May 9, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Environmental Attorney Burton LeBlanc of Baron & Budd, P.C. Hired by Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration" MSNBC , August 13, 2010. Accessed April 5, 2011
  13. ↑ Tennisen, Marilyn (October 13, 2010). "Texas attorneys appointed to plaintiff steering committee for BP MDL cases". Southeast Texas Record.
  14. ↑ "Baron & Budd enter Chinese drywall fray". Dallas Business Journal. May 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  15. ↑ Kreindler, Eric (August 9, 2010). "President Obama's Quick Trip to Dallas". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.
  16. ↑ Oliveira, Denise (October 31, 2008). "Plaintiffs Lawyer, Edwards Fundraiser Fred Baron Dies". Law360.
  17. ↑ "Political Gifts from Plaintiffs' Lawyers". The New York Times . December 19, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Elite Trial Lawyers: Baron & Budd". National Law Journal . September 29, 2014.
  19. ↑ Underwood, Angela (September 5, 2017). "Barron and Budd attorneys named to Best Lawyers in America list again". S.E. Texas Record.
  20. ↑ Salls, Carrie (September 18, 2017). "Baron & Budd hired to investigate North Carolina PFC disposal concerns". S.E. Texas Record.
  21. ↑ "Brunswick County hires law firm to investigate Chemours, DuPont and Kuraray". WWAY NewsChannel 3. September 6, 2017.
  22. ↑ Masunaga, Samantha (November 2, 2016). "Wells Fargo will pay $50 million to settle allegations it overcharged homeowners for appraisals". Los Angeles Times .
  23. ↑ Darmiento, Laurence (July 31, 2017). "Wells Fargo hit with class-action lawsuit over auto insurance charges". Los Angeles Times .
  24. ↑ "Louisville Metro files lawsuit against nation's three largest drug distributors for their role in creating opioid crisis". LouisvilleKy.gov.
  25. ↑ Rose, Marla (August 15, 2017). "Cincinnati latest to sue Cardinal Health, peers over opioids". The Columbus Dispatch . Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  26. ↑ Kass, Dani (August 17, 2017). "Opioid Distributors Facing 10 New Suits In Ala., Ohio". Law360.
  27. ↑ "AG Ferguson makes Washington first state to sue Monsanto over PCB damages, cleanup cost - Washington State". www.atg.wa.gov.
  28. 1 2 Yates, David (July 10, 2017). "Baron & Budd investigating potential lawsuits alleging pharmaceutical distributor negligence". SE Texas Record.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.