Litigation

Product Liability & Mass Torts

Roetzel understands the significant impact that products liability and mass tort litigation can have on businesses. Our experienced attorneys develop customized strategies to protect our clients’ interests, focusing on early case assessment and collaboration for cost-effective and efficient outcomes. Whether implementing preventative measures, defending litigation, or pursuing alternative dispute resolutions, we serve as national, regional, and local counsel, handling cases from individual lawsuits to complex mass tort filings and class actions across a broad spectrum of products. 

Our Product Liability team provides robust representation for manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in industries including automotive, consumer products, construction equipment, industrial equipment, food and flavoring, medical devices, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and more. We handle claims involving manufacturing and design defects, duty to warn, and product misuse. Our Mass Tort attorneys dive deep into scientific and medical issues to defend clients in cases involving asbestos, chemicals, and environmental contamination. We litigate claims involving alleged injuries and property damage from fires, spills, toxic substances, exposure to chemicals, building and commercial products, and air, water and soil contamination.

Our Experience

Product Liability

We Serve as:

  • National counsel for manufacturer of food flavoring products in defense of personal injury claims
  • Ohio counsel in cosmetic talc cases involving product liability allegations
  • National coordinating counsel for a major tire manufacturer in product liability lawsuits
  • National coordinating counsel for a major tool manufacturer in product liability lawsuits
  • Statewide product liability counsel for a Fortune 500 diversified manufacturing company
  • General counsel for an automotive association and successfully represented the standardizing body for the tire, rim, valve and allied parts industry in products liability litigation involving tire and rim issues
  • Regional counsel to a major ladder manufacturer in product liability lawsuits

We Represented:

  • A manufacturer in a product liability claim by an employee who was injured due to an exploding aerosol can while working on an assembly line
  • A chemical manufacturing company before the Florida Department of Health regarding an alleged product violation
  • A motorcycle manufacturer in an alleged product defect case
  • A circular saw power tool manufacturer in product liability matters
  • A power tools, equipment, and accessories manufacturer on a product liability/personal injury case involving brain injury from a pneumatic nailer
  • An oil and gas well operator in federal court against allegations of negligent drilling and fracking

We Have Also:

  • Served as lead trial counsel representing a latex glove manufacturer involved in latex product liability litigation
  • Designated national coordinating counsel for product liability manufacturers involved in trend lawsuits
  • Handled fire litigation for both a television manufacturer and an appliance manufacturer
  • Coordinated discovery on a national basis in product liability cases for a tire manufacturer
  • Defended a prominent foreign manufacturer against claims of negligent design and manufacture involving serious personal injury
  • Defended more than 30 foreign object food-related cases throughout the U.S.
  • Obtained a dismissal for a food manufacturer in a canning defect case
  • Obtained summary judgment for an equipment rental and security company in a traumatic brain injury and death case

Representative Products Defended by Roetzel:

Adhesives
Algaecides
Apparel
Appliances
Asbestos
Benzenes
Brake Manufacturers
Chemicals
Clothes Dryers
Coffee Makers
Consumer Products
Dishwashing Machines
Electrical Equipment
E-Cigarettes
Fertilizers
Firearms
Foods
Gas Propane Dispensing/ Delivery Systems
Hair Dyes

Heating Systems
Herbicides & Pesticides
Industrial Equipment & Machinery
Ladders
Medical devices
Microwaves
Nailers
Perfumes
Pharmaceuticals
Plumbing Equipment
Saws
Silicas
Tree Chippers/ Shredders
Televisions
Tires & Rubber Products
Toasters
Tools
Trailers
Tree Stands

Mass Torts

We Serve as:

  • National counsel for manufacturer of food flavoring products in numerous actions nationwide involving diacetyl claims
  • Ohio counsel in cosmetic talc litigation
  • Ohio counsel in asbestos litigation for the world’s largest integrated oil company
  • Ohio counsel in asbestos litigation for two large domestic auto manufacturers
  • Counsel for food manufacturer in defense of claims alleging lung injury due to butter flavoring
  • Counsel for a manufacturer of gaskets and other high-temperature sealing products in more than 3,000 asbestos cases

We Represented: 

  • A Fortune 50 domestic automobile manufacturer against claims that the plaintiff developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos
  • A leading provider of agricultural products and solutions against a plaintiff claim that her husband's exposure to PCBs caused his leukemia and death
  • An energy company in a personal injury case involving discharge of fly ash emissions
  • A global supplier of metallurgical products against a claimed class action for personal injury and property damage as a result of exposure to radioactive slag
  • Property owners against allegations brought on behalf of two plaintiffs that they were exposed to lead in an apartment and developed severe brain damage and developmental disabilities
  • A submersible pump manufacturer against plaintiffs' claims that their various medical problems were caused by exposure to PAHs from lubricating oil used in the pump, which had leaked into their well water
  • A shared counsel group of chemical manufacturers against a former employee's family claim that exposure to toluene and xylene caused the employee's leukemia and death
  • A Fortune 250 chemical manufacturer in a wrongful death case in which an employee alleged that exposure to paints and other chemicals in the workplace caused an employee's decedent to contract nasopharyngeal cancer
  • Several large chemical manufacturers in a shared counsel group in a case involving exposure to 1,1,1 trichloroethane
  • Eight chemical manufacturers in a vinyl chloride monomer exposure case in which a railroad worker claimed cancer as a result of exposure to various manufacturers' products in tanker railcars in rail yards
  • A large local company in a suit involving exposure to halon gas alleged to cause permanent respiratory damage

We Defended: 

  • A class action suit involving radioactive slag which was accidentally spread throughout a community as driveway gravel, road aggregate, and foundation material
  • A lawsuit by a school district resulting from a ground water plumb containing TCE that migrated below the school and to the local water system
  • A lawsuit for property damage allegedly resulting from release of hexavalent chromium
  • Cases alleging migration of methane gas from solid waste landfills and construction and demolition landfills
  • A mold remediation and drying contractor against allegations of bodily injury and property damage because of exposure to mold. The plaintiffs were homeowners who hired the contractor to complete mold 
  • A lawsuit dealing with allegations of chemical exposure allegedly due to a defective / malfunctioning furnace motor
  • A masonry materials provider against claims involving silica exposure due to working with bricks and blocks sold by the company
  • A manufacturer of welding products against a personal injury action for welding rod discharge, allegedly causing Parkinson's disease
  • A latex balloon manufacturer against allegations of latex exposure
  • Numerous industrial clients involving benzene exposure
  • Various clients in cases alleging personal injury and property damage due to mold
  • A class action involving claims of toxic exposure from a lithium fire

What We Do

  • Litigate class action cases
  • Navigate federal and state government regulatory issues
  • Analyze insurance coverage issues
  • Conduct loss prevention analysis
  • Litigate mass tort cases
  • Address predecessor and successor liability issues
  • Perform risk management analysis

Related Media & Events

  1. Alerts
    Ohio Appellate Court Holds Hazardous Material Transportation Act Does Not Preempt Ohio Products Liability Act - Feb 8, 2024
    To Cap It All Off: Ohio Supreme Court Holds Non-Economic Damages Cap Unconstitutional in Limited Ruling - Apr 18, 2023
    Ohio Appellate Court Finds Virtual Contact Is Not Enough for Personal Jurisdiction - Jul 7, 2022
    If Passed, House Bill 589 Requires Insurers Offering Business Interruption Insurance to Cover Losses Due to COVID-19 - Mar 27, 2020
    Can Your Business Fly Under the Radar? - Oct 16, 2017
    A Roetzel Business Litigation Update - Sep 19, 2016
    FAA Issues Long-Anticipated Commercial Drone Rules & Eliminates the Section 333 Exemption Process - Jun 22, 2016
    In Product Liability Case Alleging Personal Injuries, Southern District of Ohio Applies the Non-Economic Damages Cap and Rejects the Catastrophic Loss Exceptions - Jul 17, 2014
    FDA Issues Final Rule Regarding Prior Notice - May 31, 2013
    Consumer Product Safety Commission: What to Watch for in 2013 - Jan 10, 2013
  2. Article
    Best Practices in Mass and Toxic Torts - April 2021 - Today's General Counsel
  3. Firm News
    Nine Roetzel Attorneys Named Best Lawyers 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” - Aug 15, 2024
    Roetzel Earns National and Regional Rankings in 2024 Best Law Firms® - Nov 2, 2023
    15 Roetzel Attorneys Named Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch - Aug 17, 2023
    Roetzel & Andress Earns Recognition in 2024 Best Lawyers - Aug 17, 2023
    Nine Roetzel Attorneys Named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers® 2023 - Aug 18, 2022
    Roetzel Attorneys Recognized in 2023 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America® - Aug 18, 2022
    Roetzel & Andress Announces the Election of Two New Shareholders - Jan 3, 2022
    Roetzel Adds Five Associates to the Firm - Nov 9, 2021
    Roetzel & Andress Named to 2022 “Best Law Firms” List - Nov 4, 2021
    Six Roetzel Attorneys Named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers® 2022 - Aug 19, 2021
    74 Roetzel Attorneys Named 2022 Best Lawyers in America®; 18 Recognized as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch - Aug 19, 2021
    Roetzel & Andress Continues Growth; Adds Two Associates - Feb 15, 2021
    Eight Roetzel Attorneys Promoted to Shareholder in 2021 - Jan 1, 2021
    Eleven Roetzel & Andress Attorneys Selected to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch - Aug 20, 2020
    Seventy Roetzel Attorneys Named to 2021 The Best Lawyers in America© List; Ten Named “Lawyer of the Year” - Aug 20, 2020
    Patrick Healy Joins Roetzel’s Cincinnati Office as Shareholder - Feb 14, 2020
    23 Roetzel Attorneys Named 2020 Ohio Super Lawyers®; 11 Named Rising Stars® - Nov 27, 2019
    Roetzel & Andress Ranked Among Nation’s 2020 “Best Law Firms” by U.S. News — Best Lawyers® - Nov 1, 2019
    Seven Roetzel Attorneys Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® - Aug 20, 2018
    Roetzel & Andress Ranked in 2018 "Best Law Firms" List - Nov 2, 2017
    Roetzel & Andress Ranked in 2017 "Best Law Firms" - Nov 1, 2016
    Roetzel's Akron Office Adds 11 Attorneys - Jan 13, 2016
    Roetzel & Andress Ranked in 2016 "Best Law Firms" - Nov 2, 2015
    Litigator Marc H. Kallish Joins Roetzel & Andress LPA - Mar 25, 2015
    Roetzel & Andress Ranked in 2015 "Best Law Firms" - Nov 3, 2014
    Roetzel Partner Ronald B. Lee Recertified as a Civil Trial Advocate by The National Board of Trial Advocacy - Oct 3, 2014
    Roetzel Ranked Among Best Law Firms by U.S. News & World Report - Nov 5, 2013
    Roetzel's Bradley A. Wright Named Chair of USLAW Board of Directors - Oct 4, 2013