Motley Rice LLC has achieved a slew of notable victories for plaintiffs in product liability matters, particularly related to dangerous or harmful medical drugs and devices, product recalls, vehicle defects and other hazardous products, including tobacco and opioid misuse. Co-founder Joseph Rice, who from the firm’s South Carolina headquarters has been instrumental in securing some notable settlements for plaintiffs in high-profile litigation and continues to maintain an active caseload, as is illustrated by his co-lead counsel roles in the national prescription opiate MDL, as well as a major toxic tort MDL relating to “forever chemicals”. Washington DC-based Linda Singer has also been pivotal to the firm’s work in the opiate litigation, acting for dozens of states, cities and counties in their attempts to claw back financial burdens placed on them over the years in their efforts to address the drug addiction, overdose, and other related costs. Singer’s work in this litigation is emblematic of her overarching expertise at representing public entities, an area where she is able to leverage her previous role as Attorney General of the District of Columbia to good effect. Other recommended practitioners include Carmen Scott, who specializes in handling mass tort pharmaceutical litigation involving women’s health issues; Kevin Dean, whose auto-related product liability expertise, particularly as it relates to airbag technology, is currently exemplified by his role on the plaintiffs’ leadership committee regarding the ARC airbag inflator MDL; Rhode Island-based trial lawyer Fidelma Fitzpatrick, who ‘fights vigorously for her clients in the courtroom’, and Washington DC-based Previn Warren, whose focus on protecting the rights of individuals against unfair and abusive conduct by tech and media companies includes a high-profile role as co-lead of an MDL against multiple social media platforms alleging that the defendants’ platforms are defective because they are designed to maximize screen time. All named practitioners are based out of South Carolina unless otherwise indicated.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Fidelma Fitzpatrick fights vigorously for her clients in the courtroom.'
Work highlights
- Representing more than 3,000 plaintiff communities in the National Prescription Opiate MDL.
- Representing multiple plaintiffs in the federal MDL and in California state court in the social media litigation that alleges social media giants exploited the insecurities of children to maximize profits and user growth.