Buffy J. Mims is an accomplished trial attorney who has handled cases in a wide range of practice areas, including product liability, toxic torts, environmental and natural resource damages, federal claims, project development litigation and internal investigations.
Buffy has been instrumental in achieving defense verdicts for numerous ‘bet-the-company’ trials. She has extensive experience in the defense of corporate clients in complex and mass tort litigation in both state and federal multidistrict proceedings.
In Buffy’s most recent trial, she secured a complete defense verdict in a jury trial of six test plaintiffs alleging damages resulting from the spraying of an aerial herbicide in southern Colombia.
In 2016, Buffy was instrumental in forcing a favorable settlement on the last day of trial for a 26-year-old personal injury case in the Civil District Court for Orleans Parish, Louisiana, an ATA-certified hellhole jurisdiction.
In 2014, Buffy was trial counsel in a pharmaceutical product liability case in federal court in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she secured a complete defense verdict as to all claims following a seven-day jury trial.
Buffy also litigates parallel tort actions seeking personal injury, property and medical monitoring damages; she has successfully defended such cases whether filed by individual plaintiffs, as part of a mass tort or as a class action.
She manages and develops defense of product liability cases, analyzing ongoing litigation, coordinating the work of counsel across the country, selecting and preparing expert witnesses and deposing treating physicians.
She has managed massive discovery efforts and handled class certification litigation in complex, multi-defendant product liability cases.
Buffy also defends clients (including those in the health care industry and defense contractors) against qui tam actions filed under the False Claims Act, government investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice or other federal agencies and in civil or criminal prosecutions brought by the U.S. Attorney.
In her environmental practice, Buffy has handled complex litigation involving claims of natural resource damages and recovery claims related to one of the largest dredging projects in the country. She also advises clients regarding the defense of potential claims and the pursuit of potential contribution actions.
Buffy devotes significant time to her community in pro bono service, working with civil justice organizations and the Board of Professional Responsibility of the D.C. Bar.
Representative Matters:
- Quinteros, et al., v. DynCorp et al., No. 7-1042 (D.D.C., April 20, 2017). With a trial team partner, Buffy obtained a unanimous jury verdict finding no liability in tort in a case where six test plaintiffs claimed damages resulting from a herbicide used to spray illicit coca plants in the Republic of Colombia.
- Ezeb v. Sandoz Pharm. Corp., No. 1992-20622 (La. Civ. Dist. Ct., Orleans Parish, June 21, 2016). Buffy and a trial team partner persuaded the plaintiff to accept a settlement favorable to Sandoz on the last day of trial before closing arguments. The settlement finally ended the 26-year-old personal injury case, venued in an American Tort Reform Association-certified “judicial hellhole.”
- Earp v. Novartis Pharm. Corp., No. 11-680 (E.D.N.C., May 14, 2014). With a trial team partner, Buffy obtained a complete defense verdict following a finding by the jury that the alleged failure to provide an adequate warning or instruction regarding the use of chemotherapy drugs Zometa and Aredia wasn’t the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s jaw injury.
Education:
- J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1996
- B.A., Temple University, 1993
Bar Admissions:
- District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
Community Involvement:
- Children’s Law Center, Pro Bono Attorney (2007-2015)
- Lawyers for Civil Justice
- Legal Counsel for the Elderly, Advisory Committee
Memberships:
- American Bar Association
- National Bar Association
- Women’s Bar Association
- Chair, Litigation Forum (2010-2012)
- D.C. Board of Professional Responsibility
- Member, Alternate Hearing Committee
- Defense Research Institute
Cost
Rate : $$$