David J. Goodearl - Partner  

Dave Goodearl is a litigator with experience across a broad spectrum of disciplines, including product liability and toxic tort defense work, as well as commercial and securities litigation.

Product Liability/ Toxic Tort

Dave has represented a number of defendants in asbestos litigation in the role of both local and national counsel for over fifteen years. He has represented companies allegedly responsible for manufacturing equipment that incorporates asbestos-containing components, companies sued under premises liability theories, companies sued under the Labor Law, and companies alleged to have used contaminated talc in finished products. As part of his role in the national coordinating counsel team, Dave oversees the handling of every phase of hundreds of cases from the initial analysis and response through trial or settlement in a number of jurisdictions. In addition, Dave has been part of the national trial team for a handful of defendants in the asbestos litigation. He has examined adverse expert witnesses in the areas of medicine, Navy standards and practices, and state of the art. He has appeared as trial counsel on behalf of manufacturers of power generation and marine propulsion machinery in over 40 trials. Additionally, he has negotiated multi-jurisdictional settlements with numerous plaintiff firms.

Dave acts as liaison counsel for defendants in New York City asbestos cases brought by certain plaintiff firms. In this capacity, he coordinates broad discovery issues on behalf of defendants. He has also conducted the defense lead examination of hundreds of plaintiffs alleging malignant diseases resulting from exposure to asbestos.

Dave also has represented a manufacturer of welding equipment in products liability suits alleging wrongful death and serious bodily injury. He is part of the national coordinating counsel team responsible for handling these cases from beginning to end. In this role, Dave is responsible for setting litigation strategy, responding to discovery, deposing key witnesses and experts, and preparing defense witnesses for trial.

Dave also has represented a chemical distributor in alleged toxic exposure cases relating to solvents. Dave acts as local counsel for this distributor in jurisdictions in the Northeast.

Commercial Litigation

Dave has represented clients in commercial disputes involving breach of contract, trademark licensing and matters of corporate governance.