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Richard Ames

Richard Ames

Partner

San Francisco

415.989.5900

Expertise

Toxic Tort Litigation

• Mr. Ames has substantial experience in discovery, pretrial preparation, and trial of civil litigation matters.
• He represented Volkswagen of America from commencement through appeal and dismissal, resulting in the published opinion Volkswagen of America v. Superior Court (Rusk) (2006) 139 Cal.App.4th 1481, 43 Cal.Rptr.3d 723, on the subject of discovery of information submitted to asbestos bankruptcy trusts.
• Mr. Ames represents diverse clients in asbestos matters, including auto manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, industrial and commercial contractors, and premises owners. He has defended cases involving alleged exposures to wide variety of clients’ products including friction materials, aerospace adhesives, insulation, drywall products, flooring mastics, and others.

Trial Experience

• He represented a corporation in a successful suit for fraud and theft of assets against a corporate director in a civil lawsuit, defense of a contractors' lien dispute in Washington State, and a personal injury defense.
• Mr. Ames obtained the dismissal of several cancer cases following conclusion of plaintiff's opening statements.
• He also obtained the successful resolution of mesothelioma and asbestosis matters following opening statements.

Recent Publications/Presentations

• Deconstructing the Asbestos Defense, published in Risk and Insurance, Emerging Strategies for Risk (January 2008)
• "Aftermarket Liability for Pump Manufacturers" presented at the California Asbestos Litigation 2007 conference of the Association of Defense Counsel (May 1, 2007)