Asbestos, Occupational Exposure and Toxic Tort Litigation

Kean Miller represents clients in the defense of toxic tort claims, including asbestos exposure claims for mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and other cancers, benzene exposure claims, other occupational exposure claims, and talc/talcum powder claims.  We have unique experience in the energy, petrochemical, and manufacturing sectors in Louisiana and Texas, including in-depth knowledge of facility and product histories.  We regularly defend claims for short-term and long-term exposure to alleged hazardous substances, industrial accidents involving alleged hazardous or toxic substances, and products liability litigation involving the sale and use of alleged hazardous or toxic substances, products, and equipment.  We have defended some of the largest companies in the world in asbestos, silica, benzene, and drilling mud claims, both land-based and offshore, in numerous state and federal jurisdictions.  

We serve as National Coordinating Counsel to some of our clients, managing large dockets of cases around the nation, and in high-risk jurisdictions such as California, New York, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Louisiana, including Civil District Court in New Orleans and Madison County, Illinois.  Our team employs state-of-the art technologies for organizing, managing, tracking, and litigating complex asbestos exposure cases.  We are experienced in the courtroom, trying cases to juries regularly.  

Representative Experience
  • Management of complex national dockets of asbestos claims for an international manufacturer, including docket strategy, local counsel management, expert retention and reporting, trial, settlement negotiations, and appeals.
  • Management of a worldwide energy company’s asbestos claims in state-specific jurisdiction.
  • Representation of energy pipeline companies in asbestos exposure claims.
  • Representation of petrochemical manufacturing facilities in asbestos, silica, and benzene exposure claims. 
  • Management of a national docket of asbestos claims for a steel manufacturer, including docket strategy, local counsel management, expert retention and reporting, trial, settlement negotiations, and appeals.
  • Representation of product and equipment manufactures in the defense of alleged asbestos exposure claims from commercial, industrial, and military exposures.    
  • Defense of claims of alleged exposures to hazardous or toxic substances manufactured or sold by business and industrial clients.
  • Representation of an international personal care company in talc/talcum litigation.
  • Defense of claims of alleged exposures to a variety of materials, including H2S, SO2, NOx, chlorine, ammonia, phosgene, vinyl chloride, hydrocarbon emissions, pesticide manufacturing emissions, EDC, and other chemicals.
  • Class actions for exposures, both long-term and short-term, from industrial facilities or waste disposal sites.
  • Class actions for alleged injuries in neighborhoods or communities surrounding industrial facilities that have experienced major incidents, such as explosions, fires, or accidental release.