Joseph Blizzard

Joe is a litigator who has vast experience successfully defending major corporations against toxic tort claims involving personal injury and wrongful death. He has developed strategies for defending large numbers of complex cases involving exposure to asbestos, benzene, butadiene, silica and other potentially toxic substances, and has successfully implemented those strategies to achieve favorable outcomes for his clients. He has defended a broad range of clients in toxic tort litigation, including major oil and chemical companies, domestic and foreign automakers, a large engineering and construction company, a national retailer, and manufacturers of industrial boilers, plumbing fixtures, turbines and electrical equipment.

• Won summary judgment for a major oil company in an employee gross negligence wrongful death mesothelioma case in Harris County, Texas.
• Obtained a dismissal for a manufacturer of military equipment in a living mesothelioma case in Madison County, Illinois, despite evidence that the plaintiff was exposed to asbestos from working on that equipment.
• Won summary judgment for two premises defendants in a wrongful death mesothelioma case in Harris County, Texas.
• Won summary judgment for major oil company in a living mesothelioma asbestos exposure case in Alameda County, California.
• Defends a large national dairy company against asbestos exposure claims in Illinois and Louisiana.
• Defends as regional counsel a multinational oil company and its subsidiaries in all of their chemical litigation in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. 
• Defends these same companies against all asbestos-related premises and product liability claims in Texas and California. 
• Defends an industrial boiler manufacturer against all asbestos-related product liability claims in Texas. Notably, Joe has obtained either a voluntary dismissal or summary judgment on behalf of the boiler company in every one of its trial-set cases.
• Defended a global manufacturer of drilling equipment in a wrongful death mesothelioma case in Los Angeles, California, and secured a dismissal after locating key witnesses and documents and moving for summary judgment based on lack of causation. 
• Represents a large national retailer in a condemnation proceeding.
• Represented a large Texas franchisee of a popular restaurant chain in a condemnation proceeding.
• Prosecuted a suit involving a breach of a several-million-dollar equipment lease agreement on behalf of a commercial leasing company against a large construction company and recovered all past-due amounts owed to the client and all its attorneys’ fees.
• Prosecuted numerous suits on behalf of a bank affiliated equipment finance company, and successfully sequestered its equipment and recovered the deficiency balances. 
• Defended a global manufacturer of plumbing fixtures in a personal injury and property damage claim involving black mold contamination.
• Defended a large engineering and construction company in its asbestos-related litigation in North Texas, and obtained either a voluntary dismissal or summary judgment in every one of its trial-set cases. 
• Defended a worldwide manufacturer and supplier of offshore oil production products against asbestos-related claims in Texas and California, and created and implemented a strategy that resulted in the dismissal of all of its California cases within a week. 
• Defended domestic and foreign automakers, as well as a national retailer, against hundreds of product liability claims involving allegations of asbestos exposure from working on brake shoes, clutches and automotive gaskets. 
• Defended a Fortune 500 company against thousands of product liability claims in Texas involving allegations of asbestos exposure from working on a wide array of products, including turbine-generators, motors, transformers, switchgear, electrical panel boards, arc chutes and welding rods.
• Defended a large sand supplier against hundreds of silica-related product liability claims.
• Defended railway company against asbestos-related and other personal injury claims asserted under the Federal Employers Liability Act. 
• Defended numerous companies and individuals against various personal injury and wrongful death claims.

• Recognized as a Best Lawyer for Litigation - Environmental, The Best Lawyers in America, 2024
• Profiled as one of the leading Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Toxic Tort-Defense (2016-2019) lawyers in the United States, The Legal 500

• Dallas Bar Association