Picture of Forrest E. Guedry

Forrest E. Guedry

Associate

Forrest Guedry practices in the Casualty and Mass Tort Litigation group. He focuses on the defense of catastrophic industrial accidents, premise liability claims, product liability claims, automobile and trucking accidents, commercial contract disputes, eviction proceedings, and the defense of complex workers' compensation claims. Among his clients are national retail establishments, oil and gas refineries and pipelines, transportation and trucking companies, international and local restaurants, casinos, international manufacturers of gas detection monitors, diesel-powered light towers and other industrial products, durable medical equipment suppliers, telecommunication support companies, local contractors, municipalities, business owners, employers, and landlords.

Forrest has proven time and again his ability to manage the risks involved in defending businesses in various stages of litigation – ranging from emergency response and catastrophic accidents from the beginning of an investigation to trial and on appeal. He is skilled in handling complex cases involving fatal accidents, limb amputations accidents, severe burn cases, soft tissue injuries, contract disputes, municipal responsibilities, violations of civil rights, product liability manufacturing and design defects, and construction defects in industrial settings. He also resolves complex legal issues related to industrial maintenance and construction contracts, oil and gas catastrophic loss cases, and retail accidents involving slip and fall and premises liability claims.

Forrest consistently demonstrates his strength in handling complicated legal analysis. He excels in implementing negotiation tactics and defense strategies, often in situations that require immediate action. He is instrumental in creating litigation and trial strategies that build trust with all parties in litigation.

With a focus on designing defense strategies that are effectual throughout the entire litigation process, Forrest is appreciated for his ability to prioritize factual evidence, avoid short-term emotion in favor of long-term strategy, and for his skill in taking depositions. He is particularly effective when dealing with opposing counsel and finds new arguments that give his clients the best chance of achieving their goals.

Forrest is also creative in identifying legal theory that removes or devalues claims. In fact, Forrest brings a tangible track record of defense verdicts, successful dispositive motions, and favorable settlements that have resulted in a far smaller fraction of the initial demand.

Notably, Forrest brings an upsized amount of experience serving as trial counsel – making opening and closing statements, questioning witnesses, and participating in hearings for summary judgment and evidence, both before and during the trial. He has conducted practice jury presentations before trials and represented major clients of the firm in important trials and mediations.

Representative Experience
  • First chair in construction accident personal injury trial resulting in a defense verdict and eviction proceedings
  • First chair experience in workers' compensation trials
  • Had client dismissed from a highly contested, multi-million personal injury action through summary judgment motion practice and argument related to contract language amongst various contractors
  • Achieved summary judgment dismissal of a workers’ compensation claimant’s allegations against his client by establishing the claimant committed fraud concerning the claimant’s pre-accident injuries and ability to perform work
  • Reduced the plaintiff’s medical expense recovery by hundreds of thousands of dollars in a leg amputation case in federal court through unique arguments related to the law on collateral sources
  • Authored and argued a variety of successful motions, including summary judgments relative to statutory employer statutes, workers’ compensation fraud allegations, negligence, merchant liability act, and the like; discovery disputes; bond for costs pursuant to Louisiana Revised Statute 13:4522; motions in limine, and other evidentiary issues – specifically related to the application of the collateral source rule
  • Member of the trial team in several large, multi-party litigation matters that settled shortly before and during trial
  • Drafted appellate briefs in Louisiana appellate courts resulting in the affirmation of favorable decisions received at the trial court levels
  • Successfully removed numerous personal injury matters from state court to federal court
  • Takes depositions of plaintiffs, including physicians, corporate representatives, and lay and expert witnesses in personal injury, property and commercial disputes, and workers’ compensation litigation
  • Representing a variety of clients in multiple mediations with federal magistrate judges, private mediators, and court-appointed mediators
  • Identifying, retaining, and preparing experts, both consulting and testifying, in a variety of subject matters
  • Representation of national retailers in the defense casualty litigation, "slip and fall," and soft tissue personal injury cases throughout Louisiana and in the negotiation of settlement terms
  • Representation of local business owners in contract and wage dispute litigation
  • Defended construction contractors in workers’ compensation claims
  • Represented a national cable and telecommunications subcontractor in the defense of a personal injury lawsuit
  • Defended a national retail store from fraudulent personal injury claims
  • Represented an international Fortune 100 company in the defense of lawsuits resulting from automobile accidents
  • Successfully represented a landlord in eviction proceedings and recovered past due rental payments and associated attorney’s fees
  • Defended a local municipality in wrongful termination and personal injury litigation
Education
  • Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2015
    • Editor in Chief, Loyola Maritime Law Journal
    • Member, Loyola Moot Court
  • Southeastern Louisiana University, B.A., cum laude, 2012
Admissions
  • Louisiana
  • United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • Pro Hac Vice, Eastern District of Missouri, 2022
  • Pro Hac Vice, New Mexico, 2023
  • Pro Hac Vice, Oklahoma, 2024
Memberships
  • Member, Federal Bar Association
  • Member, Louisiana State Bar Association
  • Member, Young Lawyers Division's Liaison to Insurance, Construction, and Commercial Litigation Committees, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel
  • Member, Alumni Board, Loyola Maritime Law Journal, Loyola University College of Law
  • Member, Defense Research Institute
  • Alumni, National Institute for Trial Advocacy - Building Trial Skills: Dallas
Articles, Publications and Presentations
Recognition
  • "One to Watch," The Best Lawyers in America, 2024
Community Service
  • Treasurer, Board of Directors, Rebuilding Together Baton Rouge
  • Volunteer, Junior High Basketball Coach, St. Aloysius Catholic School
  • Member, Kiwanis Baton Rouge Downtown