News & Events Archive

Affirming the trial court’s ruling which dismissed HPTY’s client, the California Supreme Court held definitively that “a product manufacturer generally may not be held strictly liable for harm caused by another manufacturer’s product,” regardless of whether that harm was foreseeable. 

Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young is saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague John E. Talmadge on October 28, 2011 at the age of 73. Always good natured and kind, John will be sincerely missed. 

The HPTY team of Erin Hayner, Susan Egeland, Lauren Wood, and Ed Slaughter won summary judgment in Los Angeles County on behalf of their client, a national retailer and manufacturer of construction materials.

Rob Gilbreath was recruited to join a prestigious team of appellate specialists seeking to protect a favorable ruling by the Texas Supreme Court regarding breach of a loan agreement.

Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young LLP proudly announces that Best Lawyers magazine named Albert H. Parnell "Atlanta Best Lawyers Mass Tort Litigation Lawyer for 2012.”  Al, known for his outstanding career and leadership in Mass Tort Litigation, has served as lead counsel in over 200 asbestos and toxic tort cases in over 25 states.

Last summer, Robert Gilbreath was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society. The group recently put out its first issue of the Journal of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society. The cover story by David A. Furlow – “The Legendary Life and Tumultuous Times of Chief Justice John Hemphill” – is a historical piece on the first chief justice of Texas.  

Warner Fox and Shane Keith obtained a directed verdict on behalf of HPTY's client, Marriott International, in a hotly-contested negligent hiring and premises liability claim.

Lauren Wood and Mark Hilliard filed and won summary judgment in a wrongful death case in Alameda County, California. HPTY represented a construction materials manufacturer and retailer.

Fourteen lawyers lawyers from HPTY were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2012 (Copyright 2011 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.). 

Kim Jackson and Bryan Grantham prevailed on summary judgment on behalf of a national security company and their local vendor.  

Kim Jackson and Bryan Grantham, on behalf of an attorney-client, obtained a dismissal of a Plaintiff's complaint in an action alleging legal malpractice, fraud, and violations of the Georgia RICO act. 

Ed Slaughter obtained a dismissal for HPTY's client, a national supplier of automotive products. 

On May 16, 2011, the Los Angeles Superior Court filed a Petition to Coordinate the asbestos cases pending in Los Angeles, Orange, and San DiegoCounties (“LAOSD Cases”).  In accordance with the California Rules of Court, the California Judicial Council appointed a judge to determine if the cases are complex and subject to coordination.  Judge Munter of the San Francisco Superior Court presided over the hearing on the Petition for Coordination on August 15, 2011.  He issued an order recommending coordination on August 16, 2011.

When a prominent Atlanta, Georgia law firm, practicing in the area of real estate foreclosure, found itself facing class action allegations of wrongful foreclosure, fraud, RICO, RESPA, FDCPA, wire fraud, and other claims in a robo-foreclosure case against several major mortgage lenders, it turned to partner T. Ryan Mock Jr. and associate William M. Davis for assistance.

Ron Polly was recently honored as a leader in his field of Labor and Employment in the 2011 Chambers USA.

In a decision released July 8, 2011, the Florida Supreme Court ruled (5-2) that retroactive application of the medical criteria of Florida’s Asbestos and Silica Compensation Fairness Act (“ASCFA” or “the Act”) to claims that accrued before the Act’s effective date is unconstitutional. The Court further ruled that the rest of the Act is not severable from its medical criteria and thus cannot be applied to pre-Act plaintiffs at all.

San Francisco colon cancer expert withdrawn. HPTY forced the withdrawal of a plaintiff's claim that his colon cancer was caused by asbestos exposure by challenging the basis of their expert's opinions. 

Reno R. Cova was published in the July 2011 St. Louis Magazine as a Corporate Hero. 

The Atlanta and Dallas offices won separate summary judgments for Union Carbide Corporation and The Sherwin-Williams Company in an asbestos case pending in the MDL-875.

On June 30, 2011, the First Court of Appeals of Texas issued an opinion on the constitutionality of section 90.010(f)(1)(B)(ii)'s requirement of a pulmonary function test for plaintiffs claiming non-malignant asbestos-related injuries. The opinion is fairly narrow and tied to the unusual facts of the case.

When a Dallas law firm faced an emergency this week, it turned to HPTY appellate specialist, Rob Gilbreath, for help.  

Through the combined efforts of Alan Herman and Lisa Lazarus, a deposition of an opposing party plaintiff turned in to a stipulation of dismissal of the lawsuit

Claire Weglarz and Kevin Warren were named as 2011 Rising Stars in the Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine. 

The Georgia Court of Appeal affirmed summary judgment in favor of clients of Lane Young, Rob Gilbreath and Elizabeth O'Neill in a case alleging lawyers breached their fiduciary duties to a client.

Georgia Court of Appeals affirms HPTY's argument that a pathologist's specific causation opinion that each and every exposure contributes to disease does not satisfy the Daubert standard.  

Kim M. Jackson and Matthew McLaughlin won summary judgment for a lawyer in Georgia accused of breach of fiduciary duty, ordinary negligence and fraud.

Members of the St. Louis Office of Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young LLP walked in the 13th Annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® on June 11, 2011 in Downtown, St. Louis, Missouri.

HPTY hosted a retreat for personnel drawing from four of its seven national offices.

The Labor and Employment Team recently obtained a defense verdict on behalf of O'Reilly Auto Parts in a sexual harassment/retaliation trial in front of Judge Jeffrey Hamilton in the Superior Court of Fresno, California.

Stephanie Spardone, Beverly Bond and Barret Marshall successfully negotiated a voluntary dismissal of personal injury claims against an equipment manufacturer client. 

Ed Slaughter and Barret Marshall successfully negotiated the voluntary dismissal of 159 toxic tort claims pending against a client in Oklahoma.

Last year, a Dallas trial court held a local firm's client in contempt for lying during his deposition in a civil case and threw him jail. The firm turned to HPTY appellate specialist Rob Gilbreath for help, and Rob was quickly able to get the client released from jail with an emergency petition for writ of habeas corpus to Texas's Fifth Court of Appeals.

David C. Marshall received a defense verdict on May 27 after a two week trial in Greenville, South Carolina on behalf of a national building products manufacturer sued for wrongful death as a result of asbestos exposure. 

HPTY was proud to act as Community Sponsors at the 1st  Dress for Success Event. The fundraiser and luncheon was hosted by Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. Keynote Speaker WNBA All Star Nancy Lieberman addressed the event by relaying tips from her book “Playbook for Success.”  

U.S. District Judge Robreno granted summary judgment for three HPTY clients in separate product liability cases pending before the Federal Court in MDL 875. All three plaintiffs were diagnosed with malignancy, including mesothelioma, and filed wrongful death actions.

In March 2011, David Marshall, Chris Lang and Marc Wisehart authored an article entitled:  "Apportionment of Fault to a Non-Party: Pointing Fingers to Victory."  The article was published by the GDLA and appears in the 2011 Law Journal.

A team from Dallas including Robert Thackston, Robert Gilbreath, George Freeman, and Jason Gregory represented over 20 landowners in a nuisance suit to abate the noise from a motocross track in a serene country community. 

Robert Thackston secured a dismissal for his client during trial in New York County, New York. HPTY represented a supplier of plastic materials allegedly used in the manufacture of telephone and wiring equipment. Plaintiff worked in the telephone industry from 1967 to 1980 and alleged that exposure to asbestos during this time caused his mesothelioma. 

On February 11, 2011, Alan Herman and Allison Bloom received a defense verdict in a product liability case stemming from a fire in an RV Coach. 

David C Marshall and William T. Wood, III successfully defended an automobile manufacturer and dealer in a breach of warranty action in Cobb County, Georgia.  

The Maricopa County Superior Court dismissed all claims against the firm's client, a design engineering company that provided construction services at the Four Corners Power Plant in Farmington, New Mexico. The ruling stems from HPTY's motion for summary judgment arguing that the New Mexico Statute of Repose bars such claims against contractors and design engineers 10 years after substantial completion of their work.

Peter York and Kristin Brock obtained summary judgment in a catastrophic pool diving case in the Northern District of Georgia.  The quadriplegic Plaintiff was 29 years old at the time of the incident and had a $10 million life care plan. On December 21, 2010, the Eleventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's May 2010 ruling.

On December 16, 2010, the Kentucky Supreme Court issued a 31-page opinion preserving a favorable trial verdict accomplished by David Marshall and Eric Ludwig. The case, a wrongful death/product liability lawsuit, alleged plaintiff contracted lung cancer as a result of asbestos exposure in the small town of Benton, Kentucky. 

Ed Slaughter won a complete defense verdict on behalf of a national supplier of automotive components in a mesothelioma case pending in Los Angeles Superior Court.

David Marshall and Chris Lang successfully defended a lawsuit alleging personal injury, nuisance, breach of contract, and fraud in the state court of Cobb County, Georgia. The suit involved alleged mold exposure as a result of multiple flooding events at an apartment complex. 

The defense litigation law firm of Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young LLP proudly announces the opening of its newest office in San Francisco, California. Partners Todd Wade and Bill Fountain, formerly of HPTY's Austin, Texas office, moved to San Francisco to open the Firm's seventh office nationally and its second in California. 

On November 10, 2010 from 1:00 PM to 5:30 PM at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, California, Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young will be co-sponsoring the second annual Asbestos Defense Strategic Summit 2010.

On October 12, 2010, Rob Gilbreath presented argument to the Supreme Court of Texas on a novel issue: May a civil court exercise its contempt power to punish a party for committing perjury during a deposition?

Edward Slaughter and Macy Chan obtained summary judgment on behalf of their client, a manufacturer of friction products, in a living mesothelioma personal injury case.

Kim M. Jackson and Rob Gilbreath won summary judgment for Liberty International Underwriters (LIU) in a garnishment action filed by a bank that had obtained a $650,000 judgment against LIU's former insured. 

The lawsuit asserts that the state’s Medi-Cal (Medicaid) program violates the ambulance service providers’ constitutional rights by reimbursing providers at approximately 20% of the actual cost to provide patient transport.

Kim M. Jackson was recently retained by LEXIS-NEXIS Publishing to author a chapter in the upcoming book LexisNexis Practice Guide:  Georgia Trial Procedure. 

David C. Marshall and Chris J. Lang successfully defended a premises liability wrongful death case in the state court of Dekalb County, Georgia.

Matt Barr and Joe Wieseman secured summary judgment on behalf of an Arkansas-based bag manufacturer in defense of a multi-million dollar trademark infringement and civil conspiracy lawsuit.

HPTY attorneys Jack Sibley, Carl Anderson, Rob Thompson, and Rob Gilbreath obtained a favorable ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on behalf of client Osmose, Inc. 

Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young raised funds to benefit Blue Skies Riding Academy, a local Georgia charity that fosters neglected and abused horses.

David C. Marshall successfully represented a medical engineering firm responsible for de-commissioning an obsolete MRI machine that exploded during its moving.

On July 23, 2010, Kay Andrews was named a winner of the 2010 Austin Business Journal Award for "Profiles in Power/Women of Influence" in Central Texas. Kay was recognized as a woman who has made a difference in her community by blazing new trails and serving in a position of leadership in Central Texas. 

Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young is saddened by the sudden death of our friend and colleague Jennifer Holdren on July 17, 2010 at the age of 43.

Ron Polly and Alex Barfield won a motion for summary judgment on behalf of a defendant employer immediately prior to the start of trial in Louisville, Kentucky.

Lane Young, Elizabeth O'Neill, and Rob Gilbreath obtained a summary judgment for the defendants in a breach of fiduciary duties case pending in the Georgia Superior Court for Fulton County. The plaintiff sought recovery of over $4,000,000.

The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the summary judgment of legal malpractice claims granted to the clients of Kim M. Jackson, Robert B. Gilbreath and Matthew G. McLaughlin. Plaintiffs had failed to comply with OCGA 9-11-9.1 which requires a plaintiff in Georgia to file an expert affidavit in support of any professional liability negligence claim.

Rob Gilbreath secured an important victory for client Merrill Lynch in a Texas Supreme Court decision issued June 25, 2010. 

Claire Weglarz was named as a 2010 Rising Star in the Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine.

Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young nominated as one of the "Best Places to Work in Dallas-Fort Worth" in a survey conducted by Quantum Workplace, Inc.

Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young was listed No. 20 on the Atlanta Business Chronicle's Top 50 Law Firms of 2010. Several of the Firm's practice areas were also recognized.

Elizabeth O'Neill received a defense verdict in a products liability case pending in federal court in Georgia. 

Ed Slaughter, Jason Irvin, and Lauren Wood prevailed on a motion for application of New Mexico law at both the trial and appellate level in a case filed in Phoenix, Arizona. 

David Marshall obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a national building products manufacturer of asbestos cement pipe in a wrongful death case.

Located in East Texas, 96 miles southeast of Dallas, Thackston Farm provides a picturesque and secluded location for focused planning and training retreats for both corporations and law firms. 

Three new lawyers plus two existing lawyers with new California licenses join the California litigation team at Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young.

Al Parnell received a special award in recognition of his 30 years of service to the DRI at the annual DRI Asbestos Medicine seminar. DRI also honored Al in its For the Defense magazine. Cary E. Hiltgen, DRI President, authored an article in the magazine paying tribute to Al's long-standing contributions to DRI. Firm Managing Partner, Jack Sibley authored a tribute article to Al that appeared in the same magazine.