Burke, Erin L.

Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Erin Burke's practice focuses on complex civil litigation, with an emphasis on toxic and mass torts, and product liability. She has represented companies across the U.S. in both individual and class action litigation involving products including microelectronics and semiconductor technology, off-road vehicles, personal protective equipment, beverages, pesticides, sealants, roofing products, and truck/automotive parts. In addition, Erin has substantial experience in litigating cases involving health care, fraud and unfair business practices, contract disputes, business torts, and violations of California's Prop 65.

Erin's recent trial experience includes defending Dole in a five-month trial involving 12 Nicaraguan men who claimed that they were rendered sterile due to exposure to a pesticide while working on banana farms in Nicaragua in the 1970s. The jury returned a defense verdict for half of the plaintiffs, and the post-trial rulings knocked out several others. Erin also was a member of the trial team defending IBM in a high-profile case involving complex issues of chemical exposure and alleged health effects. The jury returned a unanimous verdict for IBM, which was recognized as one of the top defense verdicts of 2004. Currently, Erin is actively defending Yamaha Motor Co. in litigation across the United States involving a popular off-road side-by-side vehicle.

Erin is the hiring partner for the Los Angeles Office. She is a member of the State Bar of California, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the Association of Business Trial Lawyers.

Areas of Practice

• Product Liability & Tort Litigation
• Trial Practice

Representative Cases

• California Health Plan wins summary adjudication defeating Blue Shield's preliminary injunction in contract dispute , (2009)
• Chevron Corporation intervenes in shareholder litigation challenging Unocal merger
• Dole defends against multiple cases alleging pesticide link to field workers' infertility , (2009)
• Firestone Building Products wins summary judgment dismissing tort claims
• IBM wins defense verdict in San Jose workers' toxic tort litigation case
• Sutter Health defended in unfair pricing case
• Sutter Health defends against uninsured claims class action
• Textron successfully defends respirator product liability claims
• Yamaha defends nationwide litigation of product liability cases and claims involving the Rhino side-by-side ("SxS") vehicle , (2009)

West Practice Categories

Alcoholic Beverages, Apparel, Asbestos, Bankruptcy Litigation, Chemicals & Cosmetics, Class Actions, Complex Litigation, Federal Appellate Practice, Federal Claims Court, Federal Trial Practice, Firearms, Food & Agricultural Products, International Trade Litigation, Litigation & Appeals, Machinery & Tools, Medical Products & Devices, Military & Veterans Appeals, Motor Vehicle Defects, Multidistrict Litigation, Patent Litigation, Pharmaceutical Products, Products Liability Law, Recreational Products, State Appellate Practice, State Trial Practice, Tax Litigation, Tobacco, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, US Supreme Court

Bar Admissions

• California

Education

• Cal Poly - S L Obispo
• U of California - Davis

Published Works

• At Your Service? Ruling Makes It Too Easy to Serve Foreign Corporations, Los Angeles Daily Journal, 2009
• Have You Been Served? For Foreign Companies, It’s Hard to Tell, Los Angeles Daily Journal, 2009

Address

555 South Flower Street
Fiftieth Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071-2300

Phones

1.213.243.2692 (Business Phone)

Faxes

1.213.243.2539 (Business Fax)

Emails

Contact Us (Business Email)

Websites

http://www.jonesday.com