Gerald (Jerry) E. Burns is a trial lawyer who represents clients in complex civil litigation. He has tried cases to juries, judges and arbitrators, and he has won substantial awards as both a plaintiff and a counterclaiming defendant. He has also defended corporate defendants against multi-million dollar claims, both at trial and through pre-trial practice.
Jerry’s trial and litigation experience has encompassed such diverse areas as contract disputes, business torts, corporate governance, fiduciary liability, intellectual property, eminent domain, insurance coverage and product liability.
In addition, Jerry’s experience includes the following representative matters that were resolved prior to trial:
- Product Liability
- Defended a $20 million toxic tort claim in federal court in Waco, Texas. After taking over the case mid-stream, Jerry obtained rulings excluding the plaintiff’s causation experts and granting summary judgment for our client, a chemical manufacturer. Johnson v. Arkema, Inc., 685 F.3d 452 (5th Cir. 2012).
- Corporate Governance
- Obtained a victory for the minority directors of Watergate East, Inc. in a corporate governance dispute in Delaware’s Court of Chancery. The court held that our opponents, the majority directors, had improperly agreed to sell property to a developer who sought to convert the adjacent Watergate Hotel into apartments. Baring v. Condrell, 2004 WL 5389666 (Del. Ch.); “Watergate Co-Op Owners Win Ruling,” Washington Post, E1, October 19, 2004.
- Defended the founder of a start-up company in a case in Delaware Chancery Court alleging claims for fraud and interference with conduct. Encite, LLC v. Soni, et al., 2008 WL 2973015 (Del. Ch.)
- Insurance Coverage
- Obtained complete defense judgment in a federal court bad faith and insurance coverage lawsuit involving a novel issue of Pennsylvania law. Women’s Christian Alliance v. Executive Risk Indemnity, Inc., 2003 WL 21961434 (E.D. Pa.)
- Represented insurer in coverage lawsuit involving $25 million claim on fiduciary liability policy.
Jerry is also active in the community. He has been appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court as a hearing committee member of the court’s Disciplinary Board. In addition, he is a member of the Leadership Council of the Wistar Institute, a leading biomedical research facility located in Philadelphia.
Cost
Rate : $$$