April 2, 2018
On April 2, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the Western District of Louisiana’s grant of summary judgment, finding persuasive the argument presented by Forman Watkins that the testimony of Appellant’s expert failed to create a genuine issue of material fact. The case was argued before a three-judge panel on March 5, 2018 by Alison McMinn and Peyton Smith.
March 27, 2018
On March 26, 2018, New Orleans attorneys Charles Abbott and Melissa Fuller were guest lecturers for LSU Law School’s Toxic Torts class. In addition to addressing emerging mass torts, Mr. Abbott and Ms. Fuller provided the second and third year law students with a historical overview of asbestos, benzene and silica litigation, and taught practical aspects and current trends in the litigation of these cases in Louisiana and across the country.
March 21, 2018
Click the image below to review the firm’s 2017 Pro Bono and Civic Engagement Annual Report and special thanks to our 2017/2018 Committee members: Alison O’Neal McMinn, Mimi Arthur, Courtney Hunt, Erin Latuso, Vernon McFarland, and Mitch McGuffey.
March 9, 2018
On March 7, 2018, New Orleans attorneys Charles Abbott and Chelsea Gaudin guest lectured at LSU Law School. Teaching both second year and third year law students in the Toxic Torts class, Mr. Abbott and Ms. Gaudin provided practical experiences and advice related to various topics and issues, including but not limited to causation, expert witnesses, and Daubert challenges of expert witnesses. This is Mr. Abbott’s sixth year guest lecturing in the Toxic Tort class at LSU Law School.
March 7, 2018
On March 5, 2018, Alison McMinn and Peyton Smith argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, defending the summary judgment granted to their client last year. The Appellant contended that summary judgment was improper because fact questions remained regarding the cause of a truck rollover because their expert witness testified that the only possible cause of the accident related to the packaging of the load. In response, Alison McMinn urged the court to affirm summary judgment by highlighting several deficiencies in the expert’s opinion to underscore its speculative nature.
March 6, 2018
The firm congratulates Charles Abbott, of our New Orleans office, for being selected by New Orleans CityBusiness as “One to Watch” in the February 2018 Legal issue.
February 8, 2018
Win Gault and Peyton Smith argued before the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday on behalf of Mahindra USA Inc. Sharon Garner assisted in the briefing. This wrongful death products liability case presented the Texas Supreme Court with the first opportunity to address the 2015 amendments to the Texas Residency Exception in the Forum Non Conveniens statute.
February 6, 2018
Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is proud to announce that Malissa Wilson was selected as one of the 2017’s Top Ten Leaders in Law by the Mississippi Business Journal. Each year, the Mississippi Business Journal recognizes a select group of 40 attorneys who exhibit both the legal success and the qualities of character that exemplify this honor. A reception and awards celebration was held in December to recognize the 2017 honorees.
January 24, 2018
In the wake of recent sexual misconduct allegations against numerous public figures, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—the agency responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting workplace harassment—has reported a deluge of visits to its sexual harassment website. And the National Women’s Law Center—an organization that disseminates information about the legal definition of harassment and how to file charges with the EEOC—has seen a five-fold increase in the number of calls about sexual harassment. Many expect this increased awareness of improper sexual behavior will lead to a dramatic increase in the number of workplace sexual harassment claims.
January 17, 2018
New Orleans Partner Amy Maccherone recently prevailed in an arbitration of a significant environmental contamination case. Maccherone’s client, a regional abrasive blasting and painting subcontractor, was accused of contaminating a jobsite with lead based paint during the performance of its work. The general contractor on the job claimed that the alleged contamination resulted in over $1.5 million in clean-up costs. It also claimed the Client was in breach of its subcontract and was liable for over $4 million related to that breach. In total, the general contractor sought roughly $5.5 million from the Client.