Simon Greenstone Panatier is a
law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
based in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, specializing in
personal injury litigation and
tort
A tort is a civil wrong, other than breach of contract, that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with cri ...
liability.
History
The firm was founded as Simon, Eddins & Greenstone in 2005 by three lawyers from Waters & Kraus.
Jeffrey Simon is one of the firm's founding partners. As of December 2015, Simon was head of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.
Simon holds an undergraduate degree from Colgate University and a law degree from the University of Texas.
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
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The area most commonly affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lini ...
. In 2014, a
Dallas County jury awarded a mesothelioma sufferer $18.6 million in
damages
At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognized at ...
, including $15 million in
punitive damages
Punitive damages, or exemplary damages, are damages assessed in order to punish the defendant for outrageous conduct and/or to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit. ...
.
In April 2016 an
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
federal jury awarded $17 million in a wrongful death action, the largest jury verdict in Arizona in 2016.
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.
Racketeering
Simon Greenstone was one of five law firms sued for violations of the
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.
RICO was e ...
(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.
Simon Greenstone later filed against Garlock that also alleged racketeering.
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.
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.
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.
In June 2016, John Crane filed an independent RICO suit against Simon Greenstone.
The Illinois federal court found it was the wrong jurisdiction and the case was dismissed without prejudice to refile in the proper courts.
Philanthropy
Simon Greenstone Panatier provides $50,000 college scholarships for Dallas students whose lives have been disrupted by cancer.
References
{{reflist
External links
Official website
Law firms based in Dallas