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Thompson Coburn has a long history in tobacco litigation, including the defense of complex class action, mass tort, RICO and cost recovery cases.  The firm has served as national counsel in dozens of tobacco cases across the United States filed by smokers, governmental entities and health care providers.  Given the extraordinary challenges, complexity and financial risk that characterize this litigation, it is understandable that relatively few firms have been chosen to represent tobacco companies as national counsel.  To succeed in this environment, legal teams must have a great depth of experience and a mastery of scientific and technical issues; they must efficiently and effectively manage huge volumes of data; and they must advocate with credibility, clarity, focus and resolve. Thompson Coburn is proud of its track record in this most challenging legal setting. Our accomplishments reflect the depth of our practice and our ability to create legal teams with the proven ability and experience to meet our clients’ needs.

Partners

Blackwell, A. Elizabeth

Cornfeld, Richard S.

Cox, James M.

Garlock, Steven E.

Minton, Michael B.

Musgrave, John R.

Rowley, Carl L.

Ryder, Bruce D.

Shaw, Booker T.

Werstak, Susan L.

Wheeler, Jason A.

Senior Counsel

Newbold, J. William

Counsel

Mofidi, Manooher

Associates

Cole, Michael D.

Counts, Heather F.

Manger, Allison N.

Manger, Ryan K.

Orlowsky, Daniel J.

• Lorillard Tobacco Company
• Philip Morris USA, Inc.
• Brown & Williamson Tobacco
• R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.

• Tobacco Litigation, Medical Monitoring Cases, Civil Action No. 00-C-6000
  This product liability class action of 270,000 West Virginia cigarette smokers was tried to a jury verdict. The first trial ended in a mistrial. The second trial lasted 26 trial days. We obtained defense verdicts on all counts, including product defect, negligence and breach of voluntary undertaking.
• United States of America v. Philip Morris USA Inc., f/k/a Philip Morris Inc., et al.
  We tried this case as part of our ongoing role as national counsel for Lorillard Tobacco Company. A team of our attorneys and staff lived in Washington, D.C., for nearly a year defending Lorillard at trial. The case was extraordinarily large and complex by any measure. In fact, it is one of the largest trials in American history. Tens of millions of pages of documents were produced before trial, and hundreds of expert and fact depositions were taken. Following the trial, the parties submitted proposed post-trial findings and conclusions that totaled nearly 5,000 pages. The District Court filed its 1,652-page opinion in August 2006, which, upon motion by Defendants, was stayed by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in October 2006.
• We continue to represent Lorillard in matters related to the recent U.S. Court of Appeals decision in United States v. Philip Morris, Inc.; in a lawsuit brought by 52 Missouri hospitals seeking to recover unreimbursed costs of treating smokers; and in a consolidation of some 700 personal injury cases in West Virginia.