Barbara L. Arras
Senior Partner
Barbara Arras represents defendants in toxic tort litigation primarily involving pulmonary diseases allegedly caused by asbestos and other pulmonary irritants and hematopoietic diseases allegedly caused by benzene. She is responsible for the medical defense in each case. Specifically, she analyzes the facts to formulate a theory of defense and identifies the correct scientific discipline needed to advance that theory. She then identifies and retains the best expert in that discipline from her wide network of contacts, she deposes plaintiffs’ experts, defends defense experts at their depositions, prepares Motions to Exclude plaintiffs’ experts, and opposes plaintiffs’ Motions to Exclude defense experts. She also has considerable expertise in management of complex toxic tort litigation nationwide, having spent nine years as in-house counsel with two Fortune 500 corporations.
Experience
- Defense of a paint company in a trace benzene multiple myeloma case which resulted in the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana excluding the plaintiffs’ modeling expert witness under Daubert and subsequently dismissing all claims against the client. On November 15, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court’s rulings in an unpublished opinion (Craig Moore, et al. v. International Paint, LLC No. 13-30281).
- Retained defense experts and deposed plaintiffs’ experts in multiple petroleum worker cases with alleged benzene related blood diseases.
- Provided the medical defense to vessel owner in a claim by an employee for alleged occupational asthma as a result of exposure to fumes during the BP oil clean up.
- Provided the medical causation defense in a rare pericardial mesothelioma case allegedly caused by asbestos but decedent had received massive therapeutic radiation while a teen for Hodgkin’s disease.
- Retained defense expert witnesses, defended defense experts in deposition and deposed plaintiffs’ experts in a kidney cancer case allegedly caused by benzene exposure.