James Louis Ferraro (born March 29, 1957) is an American litigation attorney and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

best known for representing thousands of blue collar workers in

mass tort A mass tort is a civil action involving numerous plaintiffs against one or a few defendants in state or federal court. The lawsuits arise out of the defendants causing numerous injuries through the same or similar act of harm (e.g. a prescription d ...

cases against major

chemical companies The chemical industry comprises the companies and other organizations that develop and produce industrial, specialty and other chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, the chemical industry converts raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, wa ...

such as

DuPont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

. In 1996, he successfully prosecuted the first case in American history against a chemical company for causing a

birth defect A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can range from mild to severe. Birth de ...

. The following year, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice named Ferraro a finalist for Trial Lawyer of the Year, for his work on the landmark case. In 2017, he wrote a book about his experience with the case titled ''Blindsided.'' The book became a bestseller the same year, appearing on the ''USA Today'', ''Los Angeles Times'', and ''Wall Street Journal'' bestseller lists.

Legal career

After graduating from law school in 1983, Ferraro worked briefly for a

civil litigation Civil law is a major "branch of the law", in common law legal systems such as those in England and Wales and in the United States, where it stands in contrast to criminal law. Glanville Williams. ''Learning the Law''. Eleventh Edition. Stevens. 1 ...

defense firm. On May 13, 1985, he opened his own

litigation practice, The Ferraro Law Firm, where he began working to represent

blue-collar workers A blue-collar worker is a person who performs manual labor or skilled trades. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involve manufacturing, retail, warehousing, mining, carpentry, electrical work, custodia ...

such as workers that had been exposed to

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

. By 1990 his firm was representing thousands of blue-collar workers. On June 15, 1997, he opened a second law firm, Kelley & Ferraro, along with Michael V. Kelley in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. The two firms combined have handled over 50,000 asbestos cases, as well as nationwide environmental toxic tort cases.

Litigation with widow of partner

Lynn Arko Kelley, the widow of Ferraro's partner, sued him for $3.5 billion. Little is known about the case due to a gag order imposed by the court.

Dupont case

In 1996 Ferraro successfully went to trial against

in what was the first case ever prosecuted against a

chemical company The chemical industry comprises the companies and other organizations that develop and produce industrial, specialty and other chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, the chemical industry converts raw materials ( oil, natural gas, air, w ...

for causing a

. Seven years later, the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...

affirmed the verdict.

Book

In 2017, Ferraro released a book, ''Blindsided: The True Story of One Man's Crusade Against Chemical Giant DuPont for a Boy with No Eyes'' (Gildan Media). The book discusses the decade long courtroom battle waged in Florida to help bring justice and hope to the family of the young boy born with no eyes."Q&A: Jim Ferraro Talks His New Book on Groundbreaking Birth Defect Trial"
''Daily Business Review''. Retrieved 2017-06-18.

Politics

He counts

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pl ...

and

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

as his friends.

Philanthropy

Ferraro donates to a multitude of charities annually. He is on the Board of Directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of

Southern Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are Central Florida and North Florida. S ...

, the Children's Home Society, United Way of Miami-Dade, the Jackson Memorial Foundation and

Miami Project to Cure Paralysis The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis is a spinal cord injury research center and a designated Center of Excellence at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. The Miami Project was co-founded in 1985 by Barth A. Gree ...

. He is also a member of the University of Miami's Bowman Foster Ashe Society. For his philanthropy, in 1999 he was inducted to the Order of Saint John Knights of Malta, a worldwide organization dedicated to helping the sick and the poor. Past recipients include six former U.S. Presidents and Nobel Prize winners. In 2008, he donated $600,000 to the University of Miami Law School to establish The Ferraro Scholarship, an endowed scholarship fund. He is also a member of the University of Miami's Bowman Foster Ashe Society, established in recognition of individuals, families and organizations whose contributions are over $500,000. In 2008, he donated $1 million to the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. In 2010, he was chosen as one of the Twelve Good Men by the

Ronald McDonald House Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. RMHC has a global network of ...

of Charities of South Florida.

Near wedding

Ferraro left his bride at the altar in January 2008. He declined to say "I do" at the appointed moment. He was to marry Patricia Delinois. The incident caused the 75 guests great surprise. The would be bride's sister called Ferraro a "snake."

References

External links

The Ferraro Law FirmKelley and Ferraro LLPProject Blindsided
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferraro, Jim Living people 1957 births American philanthropists Lawyers from Greenwich, Connecticut Writers from Greenwich, Connecticut University of Miami School of Law alumni American sports agents Connecticut Democrats Miami Hurricanes football players Ohio lawyers People from Coral Gables, Florida People from Tisbury, Massachusetts Players of American football from Greenwich, Connecticut