Paul V. Lankford

Partner

Primary Areas of Legal Practice

Commercial Litigation, Products Liability, Toxic Tort and Litigation Management

Professional Experience

Mr. Lankford has over 25 years of litigation experience.  He represents both individuals and companies on both the local and national level in all phases of commercial litigation, toxic tort litigation and products liability litigation.  He has provided counsel to a diverse group of industries, including aerospace, agricultural equipment, automotive, marine, petroleum, medical device, industrial and commercial construction, semiconductor manufacturing and diet product manufacturing and distribution.

He has successfully handled a wide array of product liability and toxic tort actions, including claims of fiber inhalation, chemical exposure, groundwater contamination, medical device defect, and automotive defect.  Mr. Lankford has extensive trial experience.

Mr. Lankford has served as national counsel for asbestos and benzene litigation for Fortune 500 companies, including Ford Motor Company and General Motors, LLC.  In these roles, he has managed and directed the defense of thousands of personal injury and wrongful death claims in numerous states.  In addition, he has held positions as national advisory counsel, national trial counsel, and national expert coordinating counsel for several companies as well.  Prior to forming two law firms, Paul Lankford served as a partner and Products Liability Department Co-Chair at Thelen Reid, a 600 attorney international Am Law 100 law firm.  Mr. Lankford has been recognized as a “Northern California Super Lawyer” since 2008.

Past and Present Representative Clients

Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company, Navistar, Inc., Daimler Trucks North America, Detroit Diesel Corp., Dentsply Sirona, Shell Oil Company, Bechtel Corporation, Texaco Refining & Marketing, Inc., Chrysler Corporation, Dole Foods, AXT Inc., ADNC Inc., Olympus, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC, Pacific Mechanical Corp. and Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation.

Representative Matters

• National counsel for Ford Motor Company for asbestos, benzene and litigation
• National counsel for General Motors Company for asbestos litigation
• National expert coordinating asbestos counsel and trial counsel for Navistar, Inc.
• Lead trial counsel for Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company, Navistar, Inc., Shell Oil Company, Bechtel Corporation and others
• Represented Bechtel Corporation as part of national counsel team defending thousands of personal injury and wrongful death cases involving exposure from asbestos
• Represented Shell Oil Company as part of national counsel team defending thousands of personal injury and wrongful death cases involving exposure from asbestos
• Represented semiconductor manufacturer in personal injury action alleging severe birth defects from in utero exposures to chemicals used in the manufacturing process
• Represented product supplier in multidistrict litigation involving personal injury and wrongful death claims from consumption of diet product
• Represented leading medical device manufacturer in claim of respiratory disease from alleged defective medical device
• Represented contractor in action alleging respiratory disease from inhalation of fiberglass
• Represented equipment manufacturer in claims of career ending injuries as a result of alleged defects in industrial construction equipment
• Represented manufacturer in action alleging millions of dollars in crop damage from defective product
• Represented property owner in action alleging contaminated groundwater from leaking underground fuel tanks
• Represented manufacturer of semiconductor manufacturing equipment in personal injury action alleging exposure to chemicals from alleged defects in design of equipment

Education

• University of San Francisco (J.D., 1995)
• University of San Francisco Maritime Law Journal Technical Editor, 1993-1994
• University of California, Riverside (B.A., 1991)

Bar Admissions

• California, 1995
• United States District Court, all California Districts

Trial Experience

Recent Trials to Verdict

• Cannard v. Ford Motor Co., 2015, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
• Holley v. Ford Motor Co., 2017, Court of Common Pleas, Beaufort, South Carolina
• Putt v. Ford Motor Co., 2019, Superior Court, Los Angeles, Ca.

Verdicts as Supervising National Counsel

• Adams v. Ford Motor Co., Los Angeles County, Ca.
• Creech v. DaimlerChrysler Corp., Seattle, Wa.
• Currie v. Ford Motor Co., Los Angeles, Ca.
• Farag v. Ford Motor Co., Los Angeles, Ca.
• Goebel v. Ford Motor Co., Los Angeles, Ca.
• Griffith v. Ford Motor Co., Seattle, Wa.
• Estate of Bobby Lee Herring, Sr. v. Ford Motor Co., Los Angeles, Ca.
• Holbrook v. General Motors Corp., Seattle, Wa.
• Lemberger v. General Motors Corp., Milwaukee, Wi.
• Morrison v. Ford Motor Co., Los Angeles, Ca.
• Pedrick v. Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler Corp., Seattle, Wa.
• Petitpas v. Ford Motor Co., Los Angeles, Ca.
• Russell v. Ford Motor Co., Los Angeles, Ca.
• Scott v. Ford Motor Co., Alameda, Ca.
• Steiner v. Ford Motor Co., et. al., Santa Barbara, Ca.
• Stoddard v. Ford Motor Co., et al., Paul, Mn.
• Villalpando v. Ford Motor Co., Alameda, Ca.