Heidi Oertle

Counsel

Heidi Oertle concentrates her practice in product liability and general litigation.

She has represented manufacturers of a wide range of consumer, commercial and industrial goods, including:

• Strollers
• Child restraints
• Folding tables and chairs
• High chairs
• Insulation products
• Tractors and other heavy equipment
• Drywall products
• Valves
• Food flavoring ingredients
• Industrial chemicals
• Construction formwork

Experience

Ms. Oertle has appeared in state and federal courts across the country. Her experience includes:

• Jury trials. Ms. Oertle recently first-chaired a breach of contract case involving an underlying products liability claim. She has also participated in several other state and federal trials on products liability cases.
• Mass torts. Ms. Oertle has experience managing large-scale complex mass torts cases, including the World Trade Center Disaster Site litigation now pending in the Southern District of New York, which involves the claims of nearly 10,000 individual plaintiffs.
• "No-injury" class actions. Ms. Oertle has defended class actions in which plaintiffs admit they have never suffered from the product defect of which they complaint, but seek money damages and a product recall.
• Mandamus proceedings. Ms. Oertle briefed a mandamus action arising out of a Texas state court judge's ruling that the plaintiff could conduct discovery on a wide range of products not at issue in the case. The Texas Supreme Court reversed that ruling and held that the plaintiff's discovery requests constituted an impermissible fishing expedition. The opinion is now widely cited in Texas by defendants resisting overly broad discovery.
  

Speeches and Presentations

"It Looks Like A Duck but Oinks Like a Pig: Dealing With Similar Incidents in Your Case," 2007 Defense Research Institute Products Liability Conference

Pro Bono Activities

Ms. Oertle is also involved in various pro bono matters, including a death penalty appeal in Georgia and volunteer work on family law and landlord-tenant issues at the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services' (CVLS) Howard Area Clinic.

Previous Experience

Prior to joining Schiff Hardin, Ms. Oertle worked as a communications consultant at Deloitte & Touche.

Awards and Honors

Illinois Rising Star — Personal Injury Defense: Products, Illinois Super Lawyers
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Distinguished Service Award

Education

Clerkships

Honorable Joseph R. Goodwin, U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia (2000-2001)