Practice Overview

MCB’s experience and proven ability to deal with complex areas of law, as well as its extensive experience defending highly technical matters, led to the Firm’s expansion into products liability and related areas of practice, including the defense of environmental and toxic tort matters. This understanding of the technical and scientific theories upon which products liability cases are based allows Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP to effectively defend claims involving pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers and distributors, in addition to asbestos and other industrial manufacturers.

The Firm served as the lead defense counsel for New York State physicians in the Fen-Phen/Redux diet drug litigation as well as liaison counsel for all physicians and healthcare providers in the New York State Consolidated Silicone Breast Implant Litigation. Furthermore, MCB attorneys defended physicians and hospitals in the Propulsid and Rezulin litigations. MCB has defended the manufacturers of both anticonvulsant drugs and vaccinations.

The Firm has experience in defending manufacturers, including those that make opthalmologic instrumentation, metal punch presses, metal fabrications and caskets, bicycle helmets, electrical pumps, ladders and plastic extrusion containers. These cases have been handled from inception through trial and many have included long-term representation of the manufacturer. These involve, for example, a cataract phacoemulsification machine with calibration issues causing severe retinal damage, defective product designs causing non-compliance with OSHA regulations and injury, and chemical containment in products causing subsequent explosions or harm to the user. Jurisdiction in these cases has been nationwide and included property, personal injury, aerospace design claims, etc. MCB has also defended a number of industrial manufacturers in cases involving exposure to lead paint.

MCB has represented product manufacturers and premises owners in toxic tort matters for two decades. The Firm's representation has included serving as national supervising and coordinating counsel for an asbestos manufacturer and handling over 2000 asbestos related claims at all phases of litigation from inception through trial.

The Firm utilizes state of the art technology to track and manage all areas of mass tort claims, including discovery and the management of the thousands of documents involved in such litigation. The policies and procedures in place to manage these cases provide MCB attorneys with the ability to implement a global approach and defense strategy to mass tort claims.

For further information, please contact Michael A. Sonkin, Managing Partner at

Attorneys

John J. Barbera
Nancy J. Block
William P. Brady
Peter T. Crean
Joseph L. DeMarzo
Sean F.X. Dugan
Michael E. Gallay
Bruce G. Habian
Erik Kapner
Thomas J. Kroczynski
Kenneth R. Larywon
Steven A. Lavietes
Jeff Lawton
John L.A. Lyddane
Michael F. Madden
Rosaleen T. McCrory
Thomas A. Mobilia
Gregory J. Radomisli
Olimpio A. Russo
Jeffrey A. Shor
Anthony M. Sola
Michael A. Sonkin
Robert T. Whittaker