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Rodney L. Eshelman

Rodney L. Eshelman

Partner

San Francisco

415.989.5900

Expertise

Insurance Coverage Litigation

• Mr. Eshelman represents major insurers nationally in environmental and mass tort coverage litigation including asbestos, tobacco, silica, welding rods and benzene.
• He has provided overall guidance and strategy for trial of coverage and related litigation between an insurer and a major asbestos producer. The litigation ended with a national class action approved in the United States District Court in Texas, as well as a California appellate court decision confirming assignments of coverage were invalid.
• Mr. Eshelman obtained affirmance from Delaware Supreme Court of a decision by the trial court upholding the applicability of tobacco exclusions.

Products Liability Litigation

• Handled cases in California for major automobile manufacturers; settled or won at trial all cases including cases with trials that lasted more than 12 weeks.
• His clients have also included manufacturers of aircraft, pipelines, transportation equipment, machine tools, and consumer products.

Computer Litigation Support

• Mr. Eshelman pioneered the development of a computer litigation management system which has captured all work product in full text for over two decades to eliminate duplicative work.

Recent Publications

• Co-Authored with Jodi K. Swick, Who Is The Sole Survivor? A Corporate Successor's Right to Insurance Coverage, published in Commentary, Mealey's Litigation Report, Insurance, Vol. 21, #1 (November 1, 2006)
• Co-Authored with Robert Binion, The Effect of Venue Differences in Bad Faith Cases: The Good (Law), the Bad (Faith), and the Ugly (Truth), published in Coverage, a publication of the American Bar Association, Section on Litigation, Committee on Insurance Coverage Litigation (January/February 2006)
• Co-Authored with Don Willenburg, "Latching On": Asbestos Channeling Injunctions Should Protect All Settling Insurers, Regardless of Whether They Settle Before or After Plan Confirmation, published in Mealey's Asbestos Bankruptcy Report (November 2002)
• Unfair Share—Liability Based on Market Presence is not Strong Enough to Carry Lead Paint, published in San Francisco Daily Journal (June 14, 2000)
• Why Market Share Liability Doesn't Add Up, published in For the Defense (May 2000)
• Speculative Damages and Toxic Torts: Good Intentions Make Bad Law, For The Defense (May 1999)
• First Party Environmental Coverage Exclusions, Coverage (January/ February 1998)
• Contributing Author, Expert Evidence, A Practitioner's Guide to Law, Science and the FJC Manual, West Publishing Company (1997)
• RSI: Mass Tort or Much Ado About Nothing, Andrews Repetitive Stress Injury Litigation Reporter (November 1995)
• Non-Scientific Expert Testimony: Who is Watching the Gate in California?, California Litigation, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Spring 1995)
• Using Spoliation of Evidence in Products Liability Cases, California Litigation, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Fall 1992)