Consumer and Industrial Products Litigation

Our lawyers are sensitive to the major trends confronting the consumer and industrial products sector. We guide clients through the details associated with an increased focus on environmental and sustainability issues; expanding consumer protection reforms and investigations; serious, and now monetized, class action lawsuits; technological advancement driving demands for increased personalization and efficiency; and far a greater level of focus on business transparency – particularly in the event of a recall.

Our Consumer and Industrial Products Litigation team has decades of experience obtaining favorable outcomes and providing comprehensive and coordinated legal services to businesses involved in the manufacturing, distribution, and sale of consumer and industrial products across a range of industries, including retail, healthcare and life sciences, manufacturing, food and agriculture, professional services, technology and telecommunications, and transportation and logistics. 

We recognize the challenges associated with today’s supply chain management. By understanding the interplay among suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, we navigate clients through the intricate web of entities and potential liability issues with confidence grounded in agile best practices, actionable solutions, sound legal theory, and practical business sense.

Our national footprint and depth of technological and other resources mean we safeguard your company’s bottom line across the most active jurisdictions for plaintiffs’ complaints in the country. At the heart of our approach to effectively representing consumer and industry products companies is a dedication to complete fluency in client products in order to leverage favorable results and protect household brands.

Product Liability Defense

In and out of court, we know the risks inherent in high-stakes product liability claims. We know what it takes to properly strategize and aggressively defend single and multi-plaintiff lawsuits, mass and class action claims, and multi-district litigation (MDLs). You can depend on Barnes & Thornburg to defend the increasing  waves of lawsuits funded by plaintiff-side financiers, which require far more aggressive litigation strategy that incorporates long- and short-term defense tactics given the new norm of more plentiful opposition funding.

Regulatory Compliance

Our goal is to help you avoid costly compliance problems while minimizing liability. We work closely with each client to ensure regulatory compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations – now considered a moving target given the government’s expanded role in oversight. We review and advise on product design, development, labeling, safety warnings, and packaging to ensure all applicable and anticipated changes in the law and regulation are considered. We are also called upon to advise not only on recall events that ensure product safety, but also to help minimize a negative impact on our client’s image and brand.

Consumer Class Action Defense

Our litigators shine as lead national counsel, co-counsel, and local counsel in defending consumer and industrial class actions. We understand the impact that these claims can have on a business's reputation and bottom line. Our team delivers robust and highly strategic advocacy that often achieves favorable outcomes behind the scenes, as well as before judges and juries, at trial, and on appeal.