Tobacco Litigation
Tobacco
When Harris County commissioners needed a lawyer to represent the interests of Harris County versus the tobacco companies, they turned to Richard Mithoff. He was appointed lead lawyer Harris County and led a group of lawyers in a settlement involving all 254 counties in Texas. They were successful in resolving the case quickly and awarding funds to counties that have benefited residents in many ways.
“Mithoff has been one of Houston’s most respected attorneys for decades, handling such high-profile cases as the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Enron-related litigation on behalf of JPMorgan/Chase and highly publicized bus and plant explosions.”
–Houston Chronicle, June 26, 2019
“Mithoff, a Houston personal injury lawyer, is no stranger to winning big payoffs for large groups of people. He negotiated a $2.3 billion settlement with the tobacco industry for Harris and other counties, and he won $80 million for residents of a nursing home who were killed in a 2005 bus explosion while fleeing Hurricane Rita.”
– Houston Chronicle, November 22, 2017
Publicly reported verdicts and settlements, examples of which follow, reflect our approach to the trial and settlement of cases. Some of the more high-profile cases were the subject of extensive news coverage, which very often include examples of the kind of evidence taken into account by the juries deciding these cases.
Coverage of the Tobacco Case
Star Lawyer to Aid County in Quest for Tobacco Funds
Deal on Tobacco OK’d By Local Officials
Attorney in Tobacco Deal Reduces Fee
No Sleaze in $20 Million Lawyer’s Fee
DISCLAIMER
Verdicts and settlements as reported in these multiple news sources reflect the amount of these verdicts and settlements at the time they were reported and do not necessarily reflect the amounts ultimately recovered by the parties and may not be representative of results in other similar cases.
Reported amounts will not reflect attorneys’ fees (typically up to a 40 percent contingent fee) or case expenses. Jury verdicts may have been settled pending an appeal for a lesser amount and may have been settled on a confidential basis by agreement of the parties as approved by the court.
Mithoff has been the subject of profiles in a number of publications, including:
- Texas Super Lawyers “Legends of the Law” (“notching hundreds of $1 million-plus personal injury and commercial verdicts and settlements;” “an uncanny ability to grasp the heart of a case and craft persuasive arguments to sway judges and juries”)
- Houston Chronicle “A Sense of Empathy” (“a sense of empathy has helped Mithoff become one of nation’s most successful trial attorneys;” “connecting with both judges and juries through his mild manner and straight-forward approach.”)
- Detroit Free Press “Liability of Silence” (“Beating big corporations with big verdicts made Richard Mithoff one of the country’s best-known product-liability attorneys.”)
- Houston Business Journal “Attorney Wins Cases for Causes in Trials by Fire” (“one of the state’s most prominent legal renegades”)
- The Texas Lawbook “Richard Mithoff: Million-Dollar Verdicts that Save Lives” (“wins the old fashion way–by out-thinking outworking and outperforming his opposition.”)
- Texas Super Lawyers “Straight Up and Unshaken” (“a master at connecting with a jury.”)
- Texas’ Best Lawyers “Richard Mithoff Fighting for an Emotionally Charged Verdict in Louisiana” (“one of the most emotionally challenging of his storied career.”)
- Lawyers Weekly USA “The Richest Small-Firm Lawyers in America” (“clients flock to Mithoff knowing he can get the job done quickly.”)
- Houston Press “Best Civil Attorney” (“legal dynamo developed his considerable skills, grace and guts under the best.”)
Mithoff has received a number of awards in recognition of his lifetime achievements, including:
- Texas Super Lawyers Top 10 in Texas
- University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus Award
- University of Texas Law School Lifetime Achievement Award
- Lifetime Excellence in Advocacy Award Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists (see tribute by Justice Tracy Christopher)
- Leon Green Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Legal Profession Texas Law Review (see tribute by former Chief Justice Tom Phillips)
- Professional Excellence Award, Lifetime Achiever — Texas Lawyer
- Lions of the Bar – The Texas Lawbook
- Champion of Justice Award – Texas Watch
- Chrys Dougherty “Good Apple Award” – Texas Appleseed
- Jurisprudence Award – Anti-Defamation League
Mithoff has been elected to fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers, and the American Board of Trial Advocates.
We are dedicated to achieving the very best result in your case, whether by jury verdict or settlement. Attorneys with Mithoff Law have access to the best experts available, based on over 50 years of preparing cases for trial. We know how and when to consult engineers and experts who can reconstruct the facts of your case.
In naming Mr. Mithoff the “Best Civil Lawyer” in Houston in 1998 and again in 2004, the Houston Press described his courtroom style as “dazzling his opposition with pretrial maneuvers and connecting emotionally with any juror he needs,” while noting that he has “earned a reputation for honesty and forthrightness with clients, judges, and the media.”
Practicing in the area of general civil litigation, Mithoff Law has focused on personal injury and commercial litigation, including medical malpractice, products liability, aviation and admiralty cases. Mr. Mithoff and the firm have recovered more than $1 million by verdict or settlement in several hundred personal injury and commercial cases, and has successfully defended a number of clients in commercial cases involving claims of several hundred million dollars in the areas of breach of contract, antitrust, trade secrets and patent infringement.
His diverse list of clients has included San Diego Padres owner John Moores, ConocoPhillips, Texas Heart Institute, shareholders of BP stock following the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, singer Willie Nelson, the Berry children orphaned after a car accident which killed their parents, the family of former Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams, the family of police-shooting victim Pedro Oregon, the Democratic Party of Texas, J.P. Morgan/Chase in the Enron litigation, Momentum Operating Co. in a Texas Panhandle oil and gas dispute and the families of five men killed in the 2005 BP Texas City explosion.