Kate Mercer-Lawson

Biography

Cases

• Won summary judgment for General Electric in a seven-figure asbestos case in plaintiff-friendly Ramsey County, Minnesota. The win came just three weeks before trial.
• Won dismissal for a Colorado-based manufacturer in an asbestos product liability case in the plaintiff-friendly "judicial hellhole" of St. Clair County, Illinois. WTO asserted jurisdictional defenses at the pleading stage and later won dismissal after the plaintiff's deposition.
• Handled behind-the-scenes case management and participated in all witness prep in a stray voltage trial.
• Handled all remaining mediations in a series of personal injury cases for a cab company that ceased operations.
• Sawyer v. Foster Wheeler (4th Cir. 2017) - Won for Foster Wheeler in an asbestos failure to warn case involving the government contractor defense. The Fourth Circuit reversed and remanded to the district court following WTO's arguments that evidence set forth by Foster Wheeler was sufficient to demonstrate a colorable defense establishing federal jurisdiction.
• Ripley v. Foster Wheeler (4th Cir. 2016) - Won for Foster Wheeler in an asbestos failure to warn case involving the government contractor defense. The Fourth Circuit reversed and remanded to the district court following WTO's arguments in this matter of first impression.
• Taken over 100 expert and fact depositions in asbestos cases nationwide.
• Argued a motion to dismiss in Wyoming state court that drew praise from the court.
• Argued a winning opposition to plaintiffs' motion to dismiss a counterclaim in Wyoming state court.
• Led trial preparation efforts, under senior supervision, for a major industrial manufacturer facing hundreds of millions in damages as a result of a catastrophic accident. Drafted Daubert motions, developed expert witnesses, and prepared experts for depositions and trial. The case settled shortly before trial.
• Represented a utility company in the retrial of a $1 billion dollar lawsuit brought by a consortium of dairy farmers alleging stray electricity from our client's facilities and transmission lines depressed herd production. The parties reached settlement on the eve of the retrial.

Publications & Speaking Engagements

• Tribute to the Late Mary Harter Mitchell, 44 Ind. L. Rev. 657 (2011).
• The Pitfalls of an Internet Persona: Evidentiary and Privacy Concerns of Online Social Media, 28 Mich. IT Law 9 (2011).
• Survey of Recent Developments in Indiana Evidence Law, 45 Ind. L. Rev. 1147 (2012).

Press

• Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell Elects New Partner in 2021
• DRI The Voice, February 1, 2017.
• Law Week Colorado, "WTO Brings on Five in Fall," November 17, 2015.
• WTO Welcomes Five Associates

Other Experience

Legal Memberships, Activities, and Honors

Teaching Positions

Personal Interests