LITCHFIELD CAVO is experienced in all aspects of product liability work and continues to perform a variety of roles when working with manufacturers, distributors and insurers to minimize product liability exposure, or to defend product liability claims throughout the United States. As trial counsel the Firm has successfully defended product liability claims in various state and federal courts. The Firm also performs as national coordinating counsel, successfully organizing the defense of related product claims, coordinating discovery, and managing those claims to resolution.

LITCHFIELD CAVO also counsels manufacturers and distributors on how to minimize their product liability exposure by retrofit campaigns that provide new components and warnings, careful in-house consideration of safety issues, and effective accident investigation. The Firm is also experienced with the complexities of defending foreign companies in United States litigation.

LITCHFIELD CAVO attorneys have worked with manufacturers and distributors of many products, including, but not limited to:

• National Coordinating Counsel for manufacturers of products such as printing presses, breast implants, butter flavoring for food additives and intra-ocular lenses. In this capacity we monitor current litigation, investigate reported accidents with products, review and organize key company documents, coordinate written and deposition discovery and participate in settlement or trial of all suits.
• Advisory Counsel to a manufacturer of industrial equipment concerning a retrofit campaign and preparation of related component kits, safety labels, correspondence to customers, and revision of operator manuals and training materials.
• Special Counsel for Multiple Cases involving related or identical design issues. We assist industrial equipment manufacturers on cases nationally involving guarding issues on its machines. We conduct early and thorough accident investigations in these specialized cases, prepare the technical arguments available to defend the equipment design and ensure that the group of nationwide cases are handled consistently over time and in different jurisdictions.
• Trial Counsel for many manufacturers including a recent lathe distributor in a six-week trial, obtaining a defense verdict against claims of negligence, strict liability and for punitive damages, and successfully defending the verdict on appeal.
• Trial Counsel defending a Class Action arising from salmonella contamination at a major dairy, which caused several hundred injuries due to milk contamination, and the successful defense against related claims for punitive damages at trial.