John W. Bruni is a Principal in the firm's Casualty Litigation Department and has more than 25 years of defense litigation experience in toxic tort, products liability, and premises liability claims. His clients include product manufacturers, industrial contractors, suppliers and distributors, utilities, employers, and owners in various product and premises liability, negligence, and toxic tort claims including asbestos, silica, and benzene exposure claims across the nation.
Mr. Bruni has significant experience with coal-fired power generating stations in Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia and counsels plant personnel on document retention policies. He also counsels and defends clients in defense litigation involving oil and gas leases, commercial contract disputes, worker’s compensation claims, and professional malpractice claims.
In his toxic tort practice, Mr. Bruni has been involved in the defense of a wide variety of asbestos and toxic tort cases for 20 years. He previously acted as lead coordinating defense counsel and was involved in securing the dismissal of over 1400 silica-based lawsuits litigated in Ohio.
He also counseled a large geotechnical construction firm in the defense of thousands of individual injury claims related to work the company performed at the World Trade Center in 2001 and 2002.
In 2024, Mr. Bruni was recognized in the 30th edition of The Best Lawyers in America© in the category of Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. For information about this selection and an overview of common third-party publications, rankings, and list methodologies, click here.
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Personal Injury
- Obtained numerous dismissals and orders granting summary judgment on behalf of an energy services holding company in asbestos litigation involving mesothelioma and/or lung cancer claims filed in Allegheny County.
- Successfully argued a motion for summary judgment on behalf of an industrial equipment manufacturer on the basis of the statute of repose wherein plaintiff argued that since an overhead crane ran on rails it was not permanently affixed to real property and thus not subject to the statute of repose; we presented argument to the Court that the overhead cranes at issue were custom designed and integrated into the facility such that they met the requirements of the statute of repose.
- Obtained dismissal of plaintiff’s claims in a benzene exposure claim filed against the manufacturer of automotive cleaning supplies wherein the plaintiff contended exposure to benzene caused him to develop acute myeloid leukemia; we established that the product allegedly manufactured by our client did not contain VOCs (volatile organic compounds) during the years of alleged exposure.
- Successfully represented a large general merchandise retailer in a slip and fall claim filed in Allegheny County wherein plaintiff alleged that she slipped on water that had been left on the floor by an employee operating a cleaning machine; we established the cleaning activities occurred two-to-three hours before she arrived in the store and that any remaining floor moisture was caused by another source, and therefore the store had no notice of the condition.
Construction
- Represented a structural steel supplier and fabricator in a multi-party construction defect claim relating to the design/construction of a three-unit condominium on Mt. Washington, New Hampshire; plaintiffs accepted a nominal settlement after we filed a motion for summary judgment seeking to dismiss all of plaintiffs’ claims against our client.
Commercial
- Successfully represented a regional airport authority in a breach of contract claim relating to plaintiff’s claim of a perpetual lease for the storage of his aircraft at an airport hangar; in addition to ruling that the lease in question was for a period of one year with a one-year renewal, the Court granted our motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claims based on breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, and deprivation of civil rights.
Property rights
- Successfully represented a natural gas company in an action brought by property owners to have a prior mineral rights lease deemed forfeited; we established that the landowners had failed to follow statutory notice requirements in advance of filing an affidavit of forfeiture with the county.
Workers’ Compensation
- Successfully represented employer in an action to terminate continued medical benefits for a claimant two years after surgery to his left knee; we established that the claimant’s continued treatment was not medically necessary nor related to the allowed conditions.
