Biography

Mr. Cauley serves as lead national and regional counsel for several product manufacturers and other businesses in a wide variety of high-exposure litigation, including death and catastrophic injury cases, class actions, commercial and other civil litigation.  He has tried cases for a wide variety of manufacturers ranging from motor vehicles to construction equipment to household chemicals. 

Mr. Cauley has been tapped to coordinate the defense of class action suits on a national basis from coast to coast and served as lead counsel in MDL proceedings.  As a trial lawyer, he has likewise been called upon to defend clients in many locales throughout the United States, in addition to his home state of Texas.

Litigation Matters

A sample of trials including those for product manufacturers:

• Successfully defended manufacturer against fraud and tortious interference case where Plaintiffs sought over $60 million in damages (Hi-Class Business Systems of America, Inc. v. Case Corporation, 184 S.W. 3d 760 (Tex. App.-Dallas 2005, pet. denied)).
• Defense verdict for automaker in wrongful death case alleging absence of backup assist technology (only the second case of its kind to go to trial in the country and the first to include a claim that the vehicle should have been equipped with a rearview monitor).
• Defense verdict for automaker in wrongful death case involving claims of suspension and seat belt defects.
• Defense verdict for automotive supplier in burn case alleging failure of replacement part.
• Defense verdict for equipment manufacturer in environmental contamination claim (Vine Street, LLC v. Keeling ex rel. Estate of Keeling, 460 F.Supp.2d 728 E.D. Tex. Nov. 06, 2006).
• Defense verdict for trucking company in wrongful death action (Bedford v. Moore, 166 S.W.3d 454 (Tex.App.-- Fort Worth 2005, no pet.)).

Some representative class action matters are:

• National coordinating counsel on behalf of an auto manufacturer in the Takata II seat belt putative class actions.  Dismissal of Texas action reported at (Everett v. TK-Taito, 178 S.W.3d 844 (Tex.App.--Fort Worth 2005, no pet.)).
• National counsel for an automaker defending two groups of class actions pending alleging odometer over-registration mileage in violation of the Federal Odometer Act and state law consumer fraud laws – several federal cases seeking to certify a nationwide classes which have been consolidated as a federal MDL in Tennessee and California cases seeking to certify a class of California residents that have been consolidated in Los Angeles. 
• As national counsel, defended auto manufacturer in several federal actions in Washington, Oregon, California and South Carolina alleging speedometer failures that were consolidated as an MDL.
• National counsel for the automaker in class actions pending in California, Texas and Florida that claimed breach of express warranty and violation of consumer fraud statutes alleging excessive tire wear from claimed suspension defects.
• National counsel for automaker in class actions pending in California and Louisiana that claimed breach of express warranty and violation of consumer fraud statutes for alleged failure to disclose engine defects.

Presentations & Publications

• “Making Business Changes with Class Actions Pending,” presented at the International Association of Defense Counsel Midyear Meeting (2009).
• "What Is the World Coming To? -- Roadmap to the Evolving World of E-Discovery," presented at the International Association of Defense Counsel Midyear Meeting (2005). 
• "Recent Tort Reform Legislation in Texas," International Association of Defense Counsel Newsletter (2003). 
• "But What About the Things I Threw Away? Spoliation Implications for Discarded Documents and Data," presented at the ALFA Product Liability Practice Group Seminar (May 2000). 
• "Modern Discovery Warfare: Can the Enemy Invade Your Computer?" International Association of Defense Counsel, Corporate Counsel College (1998). 
• "Products Liability Update," State Bar of Texas Litigation Update Institute (1997). 
• "Coping with the Changing Environment of Personal Injury Practice," University of Texas Products Liability and Personal Injury Law Conference (1997). 
• "Post-Sale Obligations of the Manufacturer," American Law Firm Association (1996). 
• Coauthor of Sales, "Product Liability Law in Texas" (1985).

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

Mr. Cauley is a member of the Product Liability Advisory Council,and is active in the International Association of Defense Counsel, where he serves in a leadership role on the Products Liability Committee and the Class Action Committee.  He was appointed the CLE Program Chair for the 2010 Midyear Meeting on February 13-18 at the Naples Grande in Naples, Florida. He was selected to participate as a faculty member for the IADC trial academy in 2005. In February 2011, Mr. Cauley was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) Foundation. He has also been selected to Texas Monthly's list of "Super Lawyers" for the state of Texas for the last several years. Mr. Cauley is a member of the American Bar Association, Dallas Bar Association and Defense Research Institute.