Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell LLP

Chairman: Michael L. O’Donnell
Co-Managing Partner: Carolyn J. Fairless, Michael T. Williams
Number of partners: 44
Number of lawyers: 106
Language: English

Firm Overview:
Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell lawyers have taken more than 1,100 trials and arbitrations to verdict or award and more than 300 appeals to opinion all across the nation, with exceptional results for our clients. Established in 1998, WTO today numbers approximately 100 trial lawyers and litigators. The firm represents sophisticated clients in high-stakes civil trials, appeals, and related litigation ranging from complex commercial to class actions to catastrophic torts.

Main Areas of Practice:
-Antitrust & Competition
-Appellate
-Class Actions
-Commercial Litigation
-Employment
-Environmental Litigation
-Financial Services
-Franchise & Distribution
-Healthcare
-Insurance
-Intellectual Property
-Mass Torts
-Medical Devices & Pharmaceuticals
-Oil & Gas
-Personal Injury Defense
-Professional Liability
-Toxic Torts
-Transportation

Complex Commercial: Jushi FL SPV, LLC v. San Felasco Nurseries, Inc. (AAA Case No. 01-10-0003) - Won a $14.3 million arbitration award, plus attorneys' fees, for a multistate cannabis operator in a Florida franchise dispute involving lost royalties and right-of-first-refusal issues.

Class Actions: Neale v. Volvo Cars of North America, LLC. (No. 10-4407, D. N.J. 2021) - Defeated a third class certification attempt brought by plaintiffs in four states against Volvo in an overly broad putative class action alleging defects in eight Volvo model sunroofs. The ruling is a significant setback to plaintiffs in the 11-year-old case that the court described as "tortured."

Product Liability: Nash v. Michelin North America, Inc. (No. 2019-CP-18-00080, Ct. Comm. Pls. S. Carolina. Dorchester Cnty.) - Won a unanimous defense jury verdict for Michelin North America in a $66 million product liability trial in South Carolina. The plaintiffs claimed that an allegedly defective Michelin motorcycle tire caused an accident resulting in catastrophic injuries.

Appellate: Successfully defended Colorado's new congressional map to the Colorado Supreme Court in a fast-paced appeal. The appeal raised complicated, novel questions of constitutional law, and was the first time the court applied Colorado's new laws governing congressional redistricting. Over a dozen parties filed briefs, and argument was held less than two weeks after the Commission adopted the map.

Employment: Won an appeal in the 10th Circuit for two mortgage brokers in a noncompete case against a leading financial institution, affirming a district court's prior denial of preliminary injunction. The plaintiffs had alleged that their former employees—WTO's clients—had breached noncompete and trade secret agreements when they left the company.

Professional Liability: Won the first medical malpractice defense verdict in plaintiff-friendly Las Vegas, New Mexico in over 35 years for a hospital in a $40 million case involving allegations of failure to diagnose and treat a lung disease which resulted in a patient's death. The jury unanimously found for WTO's client.