Overview

Jimmy House has focused his practice on managing litigation and counseling companies, businesses and municipalities, regardless of their size, on a variety of complex legal matters in both state and federal courts. Over the past 30 years of his legal practice, he has guided clients through product liability, premises liability, toxic tort, contractual disputes, and other matters.

Jimmy currently serves as a member of two National Coordinating Counsel teams and is involved in managing asbestos exposure cases in over 30 states. As a part of these National Counsel teams, Jimmy has served as Jurisdictional Manager, Trial Team Member, and Discovery Manager in thousands of asbestos exposure lawsuits, where both use of and exposure to traditional asbestos-containing products and talcum powder product is routinely alleged. He is involved with national docket and case management; developing overall litigation strategies, trial strategies and themes; maintaining historical and current litigation records to ensure accurate and timely reporting to his clients; performing early case evaluations to determine case value for individual and inventory resolution; developing new expert witnesses as well and the retention and management of historical expert witnesses; developing corporate witnesses and preparing them for depositions and/or trial; answering all discovery served on his clients; and, maintaining a working knowledge of product formulations, historical documents and literature, prior testimony and sworn statements of historical and current corporate representatives to ensure implementation of product defense theories for depositions, motion practice, discovery and trial.

Practice Areas

• Asbestos & Talc
• General Litigation
• Product Liability
• Toxic Tort

Education

• University of Alabama School of Law, JD, May 1992
  • Law and Psychology Review, Senior Editor
  • Environmental Law Society
• Millsaps College, BA Philosophy, May 1989,
  • Magna Cum Laude
  • Charter Member of the Mississippi Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa

Admissions

• Alabama, 1993
• Mississippi, 1993
• Tennessee 2012.
• Federal Courts:
  • US District Courts for the Southern District of Alabama, Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi, Courts of Appeal for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits

Experience

• Obtained summary judgment for interstate pipeline owner on property owner’s negligence claims following successful Daubert challenge of opposing expert witness metallurgist methodology and opinions, which was upheld on appeal following briefing and oral argument to the Mississippi Court of Civil Appeals.
• Obtained favorable resolution for an interstate pipeline owner through mediation and through dispositive motion practice for multiple property damage and timber loss claims related to the rupture and release of liquid propane from a buried interstate pipeline, which thereafter ignited and exploded, and involved an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
• Obtained favorable resolution through mediation and through dispositive motion practice for more than two dozen personal injury, property damage and business interruption claims made against a contractor performing directional drilling for placement of underground of fiber optic cables, where a commercial building exploded due to natural gas accumulation which entered the building through a rupture caused in underground gas and sewer lines connected to the building.
• Successfully defended a national moving equipment and storage rental company in cases filed and claims made in Mississippi state and federal courts for products liability, premises liability, false arrest, automobile accident and workers compensation matters.
  • Obtained favorable resolution for this client in a significant third degree burn single vehicle accident injury case by prevailing on Daubert challenge of plaintiff’s fire cause and origin expert, leading to summary judgment as to all claims by plaintiff.
  • Obtained dismissal for this client in a Motion for Judgement on the Pleadings in Breese v. Anderson, 2008 WL 2967181, No. 1:07CV1215-RHW (S.D. Miss. July 31, 2008).
• Obtained favorable resolution for an oil and gas supply company faced with outrage, negligence and negligent hiring, supervision and training claims under Alabama law in a notoriously plaintiff friendly venue in Alabama, which involved filing a petition for writ of mandamus to the Alabama Supreme Court to challenge the trial court’s denial of client’s motion to dismiss.
• Obtained dismissal of tens of thousands of alleged asbestos exposure personal injury and wrongful death claims pending in Mississippi state and federal courts, and MDL-875, for two Alabama domiciled industrial supply businesses.
• Served as coordinating and oversight counsel for Fortune 500 equipment manufacturer for asbestos exposure claims in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi and maintained weekly contact with client to manage claims, assign deposition coverage, prepare and argue dispositive motions and Frye/Daubert challenges, and work with national trial counsel to prepare expert witnesses, trial exhibits and jurisdiction specific motions in limine and jury instructions.
  • Obtained summary judgment for client in Morgan v. Bill Vann Company, Inc., et al., 969 F. Supp. 2d, 1358 (N.D. Ala. 2013) [and separate order entered granting client’s motion for summary judgment (dated August 30, 2013)];
• Obtained favorable rulings in circuit court bench trials and favorable verdicts in circuit court jury trials for the County of Mobile (Alabama) in eminent domain cases.
• Obtained defense verdicts in jury trials for the City of Mobile, Alabama in multiple property damage cases involving homeowner and business owner flooding claims during hurricanes and other catastrophic storm events.
• Obtained summary judgment for the City of Mobile, Alabama in multiple cases involving civil rights violations asserted under 42 USC §1983, where allegations were made against the city for excessive force, illegal search and seizure and high-speed pursuits involving City of Mobile police officers.
  • Significant City of Mobile cases:
  • Horne, et al. v. Mobile Area Water and Sewer System, et al., 892 So. 2d 972 (Miss. 2004);
  • Lee v. Minute Stop, et al., 874 So. 2d 505 (Ala. 2003);
  • Ott v. City of Mobile, 2001 WL 395113 No. 98-0635-CB-C (S.D. Ala. March 28, 2001);
  • Taylor v. City of Mobile, 2001 WL 303181, No. 97-0778-CB-M (S.D. Ala. March 19, 2001); Taylor v. Adams, 221 F.3d 1254 (11th Cir. 2000);
  • Bullard v. City of Mobile, et al., 2000 WL 33156407, No. 00-0114-CB-M (S.D. Ala. December 14, 2000); and,
  • Roy Black, Jr., et al. v. State of Alabama, et al., 71 F. Supp. 2d 1200 (S.D. Ala. 1999).
  • Sheth v. Webster, et al. 145 F.3d 1231 (11th Cir. 1998);
  • In re City of Mobile, 75 F.3d 605 (11th Cir. 1996);
  • Sierra Club, et al. v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, et al., 935 F. Supp. 1556 (S.D. Ala. 1996);
  • Rowley v. City of Mobile, 676 So. 2d 316 (Ala. Civ. App. 1995)
  • Craig v. City of Mobile, 658 So. 2d 438 (Ala. 1995).
• Defended the Mobile Housing Board and obtained favorable decisions for client in numerous employment hearings before the Mobile County, Alabama Personnel Board.
• Defended the City of Mobile, Alabama and the Mobile Housing Board, and obtained favorable resolution for clients in multiple workers’ compensation matters.
• Judicial Law Clerk for former presiding Justice Michael Sullivan, Mississippi Supreme Court, which involved extensive research and memorandum opinion writing on appellate cases assigned to Justice Sullivan.

Publications & Presentations

Distinctions

Associations

• Member of International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)
• Member of Defense Research Institute (DRI)
• Alabama Bar Association
• Mississippi Bar Association
• Tennessee Bar Association
• Mobile County, Alabama Bar Association
  • Young Lawyer’s President (1997-1998)
• Martindale Hubbell: AV Preminent Rating;
  • Best Lawyers in America (Mass Tort Litigation);
• MidSouth SuperLawyers

Civic Involvement

Outside the Office

Jimmy is an avid runner who has completed 15 marathons, including the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, 2 ultra marathons, and many half-marathons and 10k races. He is also passionate about cycling and has competed in numerous gravel bike and mountain bike races in Alabama and Mississippi. During the fall and winter months, he enjoys hunting in the Mississippi Delta.

Having grown up in Mobile, Alabama and attended the University of Alabama School of Law, Jimmy is a diehard Alabama fan. His daughter is a Mississippi State University Cheerleader so both Jimmy and his wife Susan enjoy spending time in Starkville, Mississippi, as fans of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.