Louisiana Complex Litigation Law Firm

Keogh Cox has the experience and capacity to manage and try complex cases, including mass torts, class actions, and multi-party disputes. Our lawyers have been involved in many of Louisiana’s best-known and most contentious court cases, including matters involving:

Asbestos/Toxic Torts. We have handled many high-exposure civil lawsuits involving asbestos, benzene, and other toxic tort claims in Louisiana. Given our experience with this area of law, we are skilled at early investigation, understanding the science, management of expert witnesses, and the discernment of technical facts which are all components of a favorable resolution.
Construction Litigation. We have an attorney on our team who is also a Professional Engineer. This technical “know how” assists in management of the litigation process, whether with the selection and management of technical experts or the beginning-to-end execution of a plan to deal with difficult delay, product, equipment, or other construction-related claims and disputes.
Class Action. These claims cover a wide variety of business issues and industry sectors. We have handled a large volume of claims following named and unnamed hurricanes and other catastrophic events. While some follow a catastrophic event such as an industrial accident, others might be the result of a defective medical device or medication. We have also defended insurance advisers and other professional service providers against professional liability class actions.
Complex Insurance Coverage. Our lawyers regularly represent businesses in complex coverage litigation, at the trial and appellate levels. These cases often follow fires, explosions, floods, and other high-exposure losses.
Environmental Issues. Clients seek our help on such complex claims that involve air, ground, and water contamination, injuries, ruined habitats, or the extraction of minerals and the migration of chemicals.
Legacy Litigation. We defend companies in the oil, gas and chemical industries in lawsuits brought by a landowner or group of landowners, seeking compensation for various losses, clean-up, and other damages. In these matters, plaintiffs claim that the companies caused their property to become polluted and contaminated as a result something done in the past, often going back decades.
Products liability. Our lawyers handle lawsuits involving medical devices, drug recalls, heavy industrial equipment, and other defective products.

Our litigation support, e-discovery, and document management systems set us apart. Our team is supported by an experienced staff and sophisticated technology capable of managing millions of documents. Our experience helps us to smoothly conduct large-scale paperless document production, marshal the facts effectively, keep our clients in the loop in a timely, efficient way, and to remain focused on the best resolution.

Recent Experience Highlights

Client Story: Mass Tort Drywall Litigation

Where we started: Drywall distributors were involved in mass tort actions involving defectively manufactured drywall. Our roadmap: We sought a resolution as part of a global settlement agreement within Multi-District Litigation. Resolution: Our lawyers obtained dismissal of all claims through settlement or involuntary dismissal. In re Chinese Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2047 (E.D. La.)

Client Story: Post-Katrina Litigation

Where we started: Our lawyers represented multiple insurers, insurance brokers, and insurance agents in actions for damages caused to residential and commercial property by Hurricane Katrina. Our roadmap: We handled multiple matters included in this consolidated, natural disaster litigation. Resolution: One of our clients presented Keogh Cox with the Peacemaker Award in this litigation for outstanding legal counsel. In re Katrina Canal Breaches Consolidated Litigation, Case No. 05-4182 (E.D. La.)

Client Story: Oil Spill Litigation

Where we started: An insurer and commercial claimants were sued for recovery of damages against multiple parties caused by the explosion of an oil rig and a resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Our roadmap: We represented hundreds of businesses who were impacted by the spill, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue. Resolution: We successfully recovered lost revenues for businesses across the Gulf Coast region. In re Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon” in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, MDL No. 2179 (E.D. La.)

Client Story: Defense Verdict in Kaiser Plant Litigation

Where we started: We defended manufacturers of products who were sued for allegedly causing a catastrophic explosion of the Kaiser alumina plant in Gramercy, Louisiana. Property damage and lost revenue claims were estimated at nearly $500 million. Our roadmap: The damage claims were consolidated with personal injury claims by severely injured workers and a class action on behalf of the citizens of the two parishes surrounding the plant. Given the exposure in excess of available insurance, multiple defendants settled before trial, leaving only a designer/manufacturer of electric power systems and a designer/manufacturer of electrical components as defendants for the six-week jury trial. Resolution: The jury verdict for the defendants was named the defense verdict of the year by the National Law Journal. In re Gramercy Plant Explosion at Kaiser, Master Docket No. 25,975, 23rd Judicial District Court, St. James Parish, Louisiana.

Client Story: Bayou Corne Sinkhole Litigation

Where we started: Keogh Cox is currently representing one of the insurers in the Bayou Corne Sinkhole litigation pending in Louisiana’s federal and state courts. This case involves ten separate suits, proceeding simultaneously, seeking damages as a result of the formation of a 29-acre sinkhole of unknown origin in Assumption Parish, Louisiana. Our roadmap: There are complex causation theories, complex legal issues and a variety of large claimed damages, including business interruption, lost profits, personal injury, property damage and environmental damage. The numerous insurance coverage issues involve the multi-layer insurance programs, such as application of various exclusionary provisions, the triggering and exhaustion of coverage, the potential for multiple occurrences and application of horizontal loss spreading and choice of law issues. Resolution: The firm is actively involved in litigation of this complex, multi-party action.

More Details about Complex Litigation

Keogh Cox has years of experience throughout Louisiana’s local, state and federal courts with the full range of commercial, class action, mass tort and complex litigation issues, including:

Asbestos. We have handled many of the biggest and potentially costly civil lawsuits involving asbestos, benzene and other toxic tort claims in the recent history of this type of litigation in Louisiana. Because of our experience with this area of the law, we are skilled at early investigation, understanding the science, management of expert witnesses and the discernment of technical facts all components of a favorable resolution.
Construction Litigation. We have a lawyer on our team who is also a Professional Engineer. This gives our clients an advantage strategically and tactically at every stage of the litigation process, whether with the selection and management of technical experts, or the early development and the beginning-to-end execution of a plan to deal with difficult delay, product, equipment or other construction-related claims and disputes.
Class Action. These mass tort, service and warranty lawsuits have covered a wide variety of business issues and industry sectors. While some follow a catastrophic event such as an industrial accident others might be the result of a defective medical device or medication or something else in the life sciences. We have also defended insurance advisers and other professional service providers against professional liability class actions.
Complex Insurance Coverage. Our lawyers regularly represent businesses in complex coverage litigation, at the trial and appellate levels. These cases often follow fires, explosions, floods and other high-exposure losses.
Environmental Issues. Clients seek our help on such complex claims that involve air, ground and water contamination, injuries, ruined habitats or the extraction of minerals and the migration of chemicals.
Legacy Litigation. We are often called on to defend companies in the oil, gas and chemical industries in lawsuits brought by a landowner or group of landowners, seeking compensation for various losses, clean-up and other damages. These plaintiffs claim that the companies caused their property to become polluted and contaminated as a result something done in the past, often going back decades and accusing every operator or company that ever worked at or near the site.
Products liability. Our lawyers handle lawsuits involving medical devices, drug recalls, heavy industrial equipment and other defective products.

Our litigation support, e-discovery and document management systems set us apart from more general purpose law firms. They allow us to smoothly and seamlessly conduct large-scale, paperless document production (we have been paperless more than a decade), marshal the facts effectively, keep our clients in the loop in a timely, efficient way and always stay focused on the best resolution.