Brian T. Butler

Representative Experience

• Successfully defended a multimillion-dollar fire claim in the United States District Court for the Western District, State of Louisiana, in which plaintiff claimed his client was responsible for a large fire which resulted in millions of dollars of losses. After a week jury trial, the jury came back in favor of Brian’s client.
• Successfully defended a company in an action brought against an employee and his employer, when the employee struck a pedestrian, killing them. The employee was accused of being intoxicated at the time of the accident. Brian was able to get the claims against the employer dismissed on a motion for summary judgment.
• Represented a furniture manufacturer on a products liability case, where a chair collapsed at a casino, causing severe injuries to the patron. The issue was whether there was a defect in the chair or if the chair had not been properly maintained. The case was complicated by the fact that the plaintiff suffered complications when she had back surgery, which resulted in a multi month hospitalization. Brian was able to get the case resolved where his client only paid a small percentage of the settlement of the matter.
• Represented the manufacturer of an electronic product for a number of years who was often put on notice following fires throughout the U.S. Working with the client, Brian was able to learn about the design and operation of the product.  Combined with his knowledge of fire investigations, he was able to coordinate numerous investigations, which resulted in no claim or suit being brought against the client.
• Team lead on a post-accident investigation involving a propane flash fire at an oil well site in Louisiana. Brian selected the investigative team and directed the investigation, which concluded that the cause of the fire was a faulty hose on the propane tanker. When the suit was subsequently filed in another state, the investigation allowed the client to successfully defend the suit.