Biography

Mr. Meaders’ litigation practice focuses on products liability defense and commercial litigation, general contract disputes, and employment disputes primarily in manufacturing and construction related industries.  Within his litigation practice he has represented manufacturers of automobiles, motorized vehicles, agricultural equipment, construction equipment, industrial equipment, medical devices, electrical appliances, home products, hand and power tools, consumer related products, food products, children’s products, toys, disposable lighters and others.  He also consults manufacturing clients on compliance with various governmental regulations and codes.

Mr. Meaders has won several defense jury verdicts and has extensive trial and appellate experience in state courts, federal courts and before the United States Supreme Court.  He has also represented clients on a local, regional, national and Multi-District Litigation basis with first chair trial experience in Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. 

Litigation Matters

A sample of current and recent litigation includes:

Successful defense and jury verdict for multinational manufacturer in large scale fire property claim to business.
Defense jury verdict in wrongful death claim for auto manufacturer regarding allegations concerning failure to incorporate rear back-up devices.
Defense of table saw manufacturer against claims of major arm damages from an alleged blade guard malfunction.
Defense of food product manufacturer and supplier against personal injury claim alleging contamination at manufacturing facility.
Successful prosecution of claims on behalf of Multidistrict Litigation defendant corporation against expert witnesses who prepared fraudulent reports and testimony. 
Defense summary judgment granted in rollover/ejection case on Daubert, no evidence of defect, and no alternative design grounds.
Defense of pharmacy in multi-plaintiff suit regarding alleged over prescription of pain killers and other medication. 
Summary Judgment for orthopedic medical device manufacturer on no evidence of defect and medical causation grounds.

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

Mr. Meaders is active in the Defense Research Institute and is currently the Chair of the DRI-Products Liability Committee Consumer Goods Specialty Litigation Group.  He serves as a current vice-chair of the ABA-TIPS Automotive Law Subcommittee and is the prior Newsletter Editor.  He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Dallas Bar Association, and the Defense Research Institute.  He is also a member of the Texas State Bar College.  Mr. Meaders is Sedgwick’s Pro-Bono Coordinating Partner, responsible for managing pro-bono services of Sedgwick’s Texas offices, and he serves on the Board of Trustees for Dickinson Place, a non-profit organization managing low income and geriatric housing.  

In 2004, Mr. Meaders was recognized as a “Rising Star” in the legal profession by Texas Monthly and Law and Politics Magazine.  He was also named one of the “Best Lawyers Under 40” in 2004 by D-Magazine.

Publications and Presentations

• “Accident Litigation and The Trucking Expert - From Selection Through Trial,” DRI’s In Transit (November 22, 2010).
• "Getting Corporate Representative Deposition Notices Right," Sedgwick’s Product Liability Advisory (August 9, 2010).
• “Proper Preparation is Essential for Rule 30(b)(6) Corporate Representative Depositions: Risks and Opportunities,” Corporate Counsel Weekly (July 14, 2010).
• "The CPSIA and State Statutes Create a Web of Consumer Protection Laws," American Bar Association's Products Liability (Spring 2010).
• “Texas Supreme Court Holds Foreign Manufacturers May Not Hide Behind Local Distributors to Escape Personal Jurisdiction,” Sedgwick’s Product Liability Advisory (April 2010).
• "Texas Supreme Court Hangs Plaintiffs' Expert Out to Dry in Whirlpool Case," Sedgwick’s Product Liability Advisory (February 2010).
• "Keep an Eye on the Horizon:  How the Changing Landscape of Products Liability Law Can Affect Your Bottom Line and Operations," Sedgwick webinar (November 19, 2009)
• “New Consumer Product Safety Laws, Business Litigation Focus,” Dallas Bar Association’s Headnotes (September 2009)
• “Does More In-vehicle Information Raise More Questions? An Inside Look at Warnings and Information-Based Claims,” DRI Strictly Automotive Seminar (La Jolla, CA, September 24, 2009)
• “How to Chose the Best Product Liability Expert,” Law360: Product Liability (June 23, 2009)
• Quoted in "Efficient Recall System Can Save Big Trouble: Experts,” Law360: Product Liability (June 16, 2009)
• “The Not-So-Trivial Pursuit of Expert Witness Issues in Automotive Cases,” Defense Research Institute  – Product Liability Committee Seminar Presentation (April 16, 2009)
• “Get the Lead Out or Else! New Consumer Safety Act,” Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, LLP client seminar (San Francisco, CA, April 9, 2009)
• "Expert Witnesses:  Motor Vehicle and Accident Reconstruction Cases," co-author, West/Thompson publisher (September 15, 2008)
• “The Scientific Method and The Warnings Expert,” ABA Section on Litigation, Products Liability (Summer, 2008)
• “United States: Texas Supreme Court Rules At-Will Employee´s Non-Compete Agreement Becomes Enforceable When Employer Performs Promises Made In Exchange For Covenant,” Mondaq (May 24, 2007)
• “Reinforcing the Levee Against Free Flowing Experts: the Scientific Method and the Warnings Expert,” Defense Research Institute Products Liability Committee Meeting, New Orleans, LA (February 8, 2007)
• "Attacking the Plaintiffs' Warnings Expert,'" presented at the DRI Products Liability Committee Meeting (Las Vegas, NV, 2006).
• “Licensor Liability; What’s in a Name?,” Defense Research Institute, For the Defense (December 2005)
• “Class Action Fairness Act; A General Overview,” Lorman Seminar, Dallas, TX (November 16, 2005)
• “Stewing Over Campbell, Decision Takes Issue of Punitive Damages Off the Back Burner,” Texas Lawyer (September 15, 2004)
• “Tales from the Far Side of Practice,” Trials and Tribulations, newsletter of the Defense Research Institute’s Trial Tactics Committee (Winter 2004).
• “Post-Sale Duty to Warn: Reasonableness and the Restatement,” Defense Research Institute’s Product Liability Convention, Juvenile Products Specialty Litigation Group, Las Vegas, NV (2000) 
• Editor, Consumer Goods and Office Equipment Quarterly Newsletter, Defense Research Institute (Spring 2000).
• "Pre-emption After Lohr: Application to Disposable Lighter Child Resistance Claims," presented at the National Defense Counsel Meeting (Phoenix, AZ, 1998)