Class Actions

New Orleans Louisiana Class Action Lawyers

The firm of Herman, Herman, Katz & Cotlar, LLP in New Orleans, Louisiana, has successfully handled numerous class action cases. These cases, because they involve multiple parties and significant amounts of money, require knowledge and insight into the effective management of complex litigation.

In addition to representing plaintiffs, HHKC attorneys have also represented defendants, taught class actions as adjunct professors, served as expert witnesses and consultants, and provided seminars to other members of the bench and bar.

When Mark Essex unleashed a one-man terrorist attack on the Downtown Howard Johnson’s in New Orleans in 1972, the parents of two honeymooners who died in the fire contacted HHKC. There was no precedent, at that time, for holding a hotel liable for a terrorist attack by a third party. But a young Russ Herman was moved to do what he could to help the family – and to prevent further attacks by encouraging hotels to beef up security. Thinking out-of-the-box, collaborating with other attorneys, and with unwavering tenacity, Herman was successful in achieving a landmark recovery.

A few years later, when the Continental Grain elevator exploded in 1976, Herman was tapped for the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, where he helped to forge the template by which most mass disaster tort cases are prosecuted today.

Since that time, HHKC has participated in several mass and class action cases involving fires and explosions, (as well as consumer, commercial, and products liability disputes), including the Kaiser explosion in Gramercy, the Gaylord explosion in Bogalusa, the Shell Norco litigation (in which HHKC represented the PSC), and the IMC nitromethane plant explosion in Sterlington, Louisiana, wherein HHKC and the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee recovered over $85 Million for the class.

UPDATE:

12/4/2007 Herman Mathis Files Witch Creek Fire Class Action in San Diego

Herman Mathis files class action in Superior Court of San Diego against the San Diego Gas and Electric Co., whose defective power lines are believed to have caused the Witch Creek and Rice Canyon fires. Having assembled a team of experts and investigators to go to the scene, Herman Mathis and its California co-counsel observed SDG&E investigators, adjusters and utility workers gathering information and making alterations and repairs. Due to concerns about potential spoliation, SDG&E was placed on notice, an ex parte motion was prepared, and Herman Mathis and its California co-counsel have secured an agreement from SDG&E and its counsel on preservation. The case is: Wood, et al v. San Diego Gas and Electric Co.

We invite you to explore our site to learn more about our firm, our representative cases and the ways that you can promote a safe work environment.

Whether injuries have resulted from electrocution, an explosion or a fire, on land in a refinery or on an off shore oil rig, our attorneys are tenacious in helping clients obtain remuneration for their injuries.

Contact Herman, Herman, Katz & Cotlar, LLP today for a free initial consultation with a member of our legal team.