Simon Greenstone Panatier

Simon Greenstone Panatier is a law firm based in Dallas, Texas, specializing in personal injury litigation and tort liability.

Simon Greenstone Panatier, PC
HeadquartersDallas
OfficesLong Beach
New York
No. of attorneys7 (shareholders)
21 (associates)
Major practice areasWrongful death
Product Liability
Torts
Key peopleJeffrey B. Simon
David C. Greenstone
Christopher J. Panatier
Date foundedFebruary 2006 (February 2006)
FounderJeffrey B. Simon
David C. Greenstone
Company typeProfessional corporation
Websitewww.sgptrial.com

History

The firm was founded as Simon, Eddins & Greenstone in 2005 by three lawyers from Waters & Kraus.[1]

Jeffrey Simon is one of the firm's founding partners. As of December 2015, Simon was head of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.[2][3] Simon holds an undergraduate degree from Colgate University and a law degree from the University of Texas.[4]

David Greenstone and Ronald C. Eddins received both their undergraduate and law degree from the University of Texas.

Cases

Simon Greenstone has represented numerous plaintiffs in asbestos-related cases, particularly victims of mesothelioma. In 2014, a Dallas County jury awarded a mesothelioma sufferer $18.6 million in damages, including $15 million in punitive damages.[5] In April 2016 an Arizona federal jury awarded $17 million in a wrongful death action,[6] the largest jury verdict in Arizona in 2016.[7]

On September 29, 2017, Simon filed a lawsuit on behalf of Upshur County in East Texas against a number of pharmaceutical companies for their role in creating and promoting the nation’s opioid epidemic, the first time that a Texas county had sued the companies.[8][9]

Racketeering

Simon Greenstone was one of five law firms sued for violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) by asbestos gasket manufacturer Garlock Sealing Technologies in January 2014. During its bankruptcy proceedings, Garlock convinced the presiding judge, George Hodges, that Simon Greenstone and other firms deliberately delayed filing claims against asbestos bankruptcy trusts on behalf of their clients in order to exaggerate Garlock's responsibility for their injuries.[10] Simon Greenstone later filed against Garlock that also alleged racketeering.[11][12] Simon Greenstone and Garlock reached a settlement in March 2016. EnPro, Garlock's parent company, agreed to form a $480 million bankruptcy trust to resolve all current and future asbestos claims.[11]

On January 25, 2016, John Crane filed to intervene in the suit against Simon Greenstone and made racketeering claims distinct from those made by Garlock.[11] Simon Greenstone filed a breach-of-contract suit against John Crane in federal court in Los Angeles, California alleging that John Crane violated previous settlement agreements when it filed to intervene.[11] In June 2016, John Crane filed an independent RICO suit against Simon Greenstone.[12] The Illinois federal court found it was the wrong jurisdiction and the case was dismissed without prejudice to refile in the proper courts.[13]

Philanthropy

Simon Greenstone Panatier provides $50,000 college scholarships for Dallas students whose lives have been disrupted by cancer.[14][15]

References
  1. O'Brien, John (February 24, 2015). "Law prof says firms facing Garlock's RICO cases are the progenies of Baron & Budd". Legal NewsLine. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  2. "Dallas Lawyer Takes Helm of Texas Trial Lawyers Association | Texas Lawyer". texaslawyer.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  3. "Plaintiffs in California asbestos cases feel they're being questioned to death". abajournal.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  4. "Jeffrey Simon is recognized by Continental Who's Who among Pinnacle Professionals - Yahoo Finance". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  5. Dean, Kenneth (September 8, 2014). "Family gets $18.6M Goodyear mesothelioma case". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  6. Goldberg, Stephanie (April 25, 2016). "Mesothelioma victim's family wins asbestos award". Business Insurance. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  7. "Simon Greenstone Earns 2016 Top Verdict Recognition in California, Arizona" (Press release). June 20, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  8. Rice, Sabriya (October 4, 2017). "East Texas county becomes first in state to sue pharma companies over opioid crisis". Dallas News. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  9. Council, John (October 9, 2017). "Dallas Lawyer Takes on the Drug Industry in a First-of-Its-Kind Federal Case". Texas Lawyer. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  10. O'Brien, John (26 January 2016). "Another company making racketeering claims against asbestos lawyers". Legal NewsLine. United States. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  11. Karmasek, Jessica (24 March 2016). "Asbestos firm says it settled with Garlock in RICO suit". Legal NewsLine. United States. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  12. O'Brien, John (6 June 2016). "Despite Garlock Settlement, Asbestos Lawyers Can't Shake Racketeering Claims Yet". Forbes. New York, NY. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  13. "udges Dismiss John Crane's RICO Suits Against Lawyers For Lack Of Jurisdiction".
  14. Miller, Robert (February 2015). "Dallas Children's Advocacy Center names 12 new board members, new chair". Dallas News Business. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  15. "The Simon Greenstone Panatier Bartlett Scholarship Benefiting Families Impacted by Cancer". Communities Foundation of Texas.
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