Vance Wittie represents clients in appellate, class action, and products liability litigation.
Litigation Matters
Litigation matters of Mr. Wittie include:
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Obtained dismisal of suit alleging "wrongful settlement" by an excess reinsurer.
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Obtained reversal of order denying arbitration in a reinsurance dispute.
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Successfully prosecuted appeal for reinsurer in complex premium dispute with agent.
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Obtained affirmation of order enforcing Florida judgment in crop insurance case where defendant contended judgment was not entitled to full faith and credit.
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Obtained (and defended on appeal) summary judgment in case where plaintiffs attempted to assert vicarious liability theories against automobile manufacturer based on negligent acts of dealership employees.
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Successfully defended on appeal summary judgment on behalf of automobile manufacturer based upon necessity of expert testimony to establish defect.
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Successfully resisted class certification in pharmaceutical mass tort litigation.
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Successfully defended Japanese fishing tackle manufacturer in claim brought by local sales representative.
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Reversal of a class certification order on behalf of an automobile manufacturer.
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Obtained abatement of class action brought against three automobile manufacturers based on primary jurisdiction of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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Successfully urged on appeal application of 1995 tort reform legislation to breast implant cases.
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Obtained dismissal of clients in mass tort litigation alleging occupational exposure.
Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments
Mr. Wittie is admitted to practice in Texas (1985); the U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas; and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits. He is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Civil Appellate Law and is a member of the Dallas Bar Association. Mr. Wittie clerked with the Honorable Charles Ben Howell in the Dallas Court of Appeals (1985-1986).
Presentations and Publications
Mr. Wittie has written "Appealing Remand Orders" for The State Bar of Texas' The Appellate Advocate and "Recent Trends in Consumer Class Actions" for the Texas Association of Defense Counsel. He has also authored several "Products Liability Updates" and "Medical Malpractice Updates" for the State Bar of Texas Continuing Legal Education Program and United States Supreme Court Updates and Court of Appeals procedural updates for the State Bar’s publication, Appellate Advocate. Mr. Wittie has also written several articles for the Japanese-language publication, International Legal Strategies and contributed an article to a 2009 DRI Compendium on Punitive Damages entitled, "Constitutional Defenses Against Class-Wide Litigation of Punitive Damages." In addition, he has contributed to Sedgwick's Product Liability Advisory and Class Action Alert newsletters, and his articles have appeared in Insurance Law360, Product Liability Law360 and Appellate Law360.
Mr. Wittie has addressed several continuing education seminars in fields such as aggregate litigation threats to the health insurance industry, the Class Action Fairness Act, trends in automotive products liability and consumer class actions, and legal writing. He is a contributor to Sedgwick’s Appellate Strategist blog.