Paul M. Lavelle

Paul Lavelle practices and has extensive trial experience in the areas of commercial litigation, products liability, construction, environmental law, and general civil litigation.

• Loyola University College of Law (J.D., 1981)
  •  Law Review: Loyola Law Review
• University of Scranton (B.S., 1978)

• All Louisiana State and Federal Courts
• U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 5th and 9th Circuits

• International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy
• AV rating by Martindale Hubbell

• Obtained a Rule 50 Dismissal in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana after Plaintiff rested in a trial involving a products liability claim against the manufacturer of drilling equipment. In granting the Motion to Dismiss, the Court agreed with our argument that the use of the equipment at the time of the accident was not a reasonably anticipated use as defined in the Louisiana Product Liability Act.
• Represented a manufacturer at trial involving Louisiana’s Law of Redhibition in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The plaintiff asserted claims of Redhibitory defect involving three marine diesel engines. The trial resulted in a jury verdict significantly below plaintiff’s lowest settlement demand.
•  Represented the manufacturer of a valve involved in a chemical plant chemical release in a trial involving 20 Bellwether plaintiffs in a Mass Tort action in state court in Louisiana resulting in 10 dismissals and 10 awards of varying amounts.
• Represented the owner of a chemical plant involved in a chemical release in a trial involving 20 Bellwether plaintiffs in a Class Action in state court in Louisiana resulting in a range of awards and several dismissals which served as the basis for settlement for the entire class.
• Represented the manufacturer of equipment installed during the renovation of a municipal airport in a contract dispute with the general contractor in a jury trial in Louisiana State court resulting in an award for the contractor of less than 20% of claimed damages. On appeal, we successfully had that award reversed and judgment rendered for our client, on our claim against the contractor, in a significantly higher amount.
• Represented a company that leased property in conjunction with its operations servicing oilfield equipment against a premise owner’s claim of property damage for naturally occurring radioactive material.
• Defended an oilfield property damage remediation case involving indemnity and insurance issues as well as issues related to the authority given to the state under Louisiana Act 312.
• Obtained dismissal of a quality control inspection company involved in a pipeline construction project from a class action by residents of neighborhoods in proximity to a natural gas pipeline, arising out of construction accidents resulting in dispersal of natural gas.
• Represented a company in the investigation of a fire at a diesel storage tank farm that resulted in a determination that our client’s equipment was not involved in the cause of the fire thereby preventing the filing of a lawsuit against our client.
• Defended multiple plaintiff personal injury claim allegedly caused by exposure to a chemical leaking from a tanker truck. The case was tried in state court in Washington Parish; Louisiana The jury returned a defense verdict in just 45 minutes of deliberation after a five week long trial.
• Defended class action alleging exposure to a chemical dispersed into a neighborhood as fugitive dust during reclamation of the chemical substance from a former industrial site. The case was tried in Civil District Court in New Orleans.
• Defeated a consumer class action asserted in Federal Court in Missouri against a national consumer service company. The plaintiff alleged a nationwide class definition for two contractual claims and a state wide class under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA). The MMPA claim was dismissed on summary judgment prior to the class certification hearing. The two contractual claims, for which national class certification was sought, were defeated by showing that plaintiff failed to meet the perquisites of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23.
• Obtained an injunction in a copyright infringement and Lanham Act false advertising case involving proprietary programming software. The case was tried in US District Court in the Southern District of New York.
• Obtained a preliminary injunction in a similar copyright infringement case involving proprietary programming software. The case was tried in U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida, Fort Myers Division.
• Defended the Board of Trustees of a church in a case involving claims for injunctive relief, breach of fiduciary and defamation in connection with a suit by its former Pastor who was dismissed by the Board. The case was tried in Civil District Court in New Orleans amid local media attention.
• Obtained the dismissal of a business owner in a premises liability case arising out of a shooting that occurred in the business’ parking lot by a security guard. The case was tried in Civil District Court in New Orleans.
• Defended a multi-fatality and catastrophic injury case resulting from a tractor trailer accident.
• Obtained a defense verdict for a vessel owner in Jones Act personal injury case in US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
• Defeated a brain injury claim arising out of a low speed impact motor vehicle accident after a three week jury trial involving a great deal of expert biomechanical and medical testimony.

• Author: “Louisiana,” a chapter of Punitive Damages A State-by-State Compendium 2009, a publication of the Defense Research Institute
• Author: "Handling Expert Witnesses in Discovery," a chapter of A Young Lawyer's Guide to Defense Practice – 2006, a Defense Research Institute publication
• Author: “Internet Resources for the Defense Litigator,” For The Defense, December 1997

• Named one of Texas' "Top Rated Lawyers ®" by ALM/LexisNexis Martindale Hubbell, 2012
• Bernard J. Caillouet Award for Law Related Education
• Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
• Volunteer of the Year Award 2005 Jefferson Bar
• American Jurisprudence Award in both Constitutional Law and Corporations
• Selected for inclusion in 2008, 2010, & 2012 Louisiana Super Lawyers

• Defense Research Institute
  • Chair of the Law Institute
  • Past Officer
  • Past Board of Directors
  • Product Liability Committee
  • Past Chair of the Technology Committee
  • Past Chair of the Electronic Discovery Task Force
• Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel
• Louisiana State Bar Association
• Jefferson Bar Association
  • Board of Directors
  • Past President