Heidi Oertle defends product manufacturers, retailers, and premises owners in actions in state and federal courts across the country. She focuses on leading the defense of cases involving products and premises liability, mass torts, claims of respiratory injury and catastrophic injuries to children. She has successfully navigated many notoriously pro-plaintiff jurisdictions, including Cook and Madison Counties, Illinois; Hidalgo and Starr Counties, Texas; West Virginia; Mississippi; and Alabama.

Recent representative examples of Ms. Oertle's experience include the following:

• Jury trials. Ms. Oertle has tried cases in state and federal courts around the country.
• Mass torts. Ms. Oertle has led large-scale complex mass torts cases, including the World Trade Center Disaster Site litigation pending in the Southern District of New York, involving the claims of 10,000 individual plaintiffs.
• "No-injury" class actions. Ms. Oertle has defended class actions in which plaintiffs admit they have never been physically injured, but seek a product recall. A federal court in California refused to certify a purported class in one such case based in part on admissions Ms. Oertle obtained during the named plaintiff's deposition.
• 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.

Ms. Oertle has represented manufacturers of a wide range of consumer, commercial and industrial goods, including:

• Child restraints 
• Folding tables and chairs 
• High chairs, strollers and cribs
• Insulation products 
• Tractors and other heavy equipment 
• Drywall products 
• Valves 
• Food flavoring ingredients 
• Industrial chemicals 
• Construction formwork
• Coffee and beverage dispensing equipment

Speeches and Presentations

"What Happens in Vegas Doesn't Stay in Vegas When You Tweet About It: Using Social Networking to Defend Your Case," 2010 Defense Research Institute Products Liability Conference

"It Looks Like A Duck but Oinks Like a Pig: Dealing With Similar Incidents in Your Case," 2008 Defense Research Institute Products Liability Conference

Pro Bono Activities

Ms. Oertle is involved in various pro bono matters, including work at the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services' Howard Area Clinic. Since 2005, she has been part of a team that saved the life of a Georgia inmate who was sentenced to death in 1998. In June 2009, the habeas court issued an unprecedented order finding that his prior counsel were constitutionally ineffective and that he is mentally retarded and therefore cannot be put to death. The habeas court then remanded the entire case for a new trial. While the State appealed the habeas court's order to the Georgia Supreme Court, it did not appeal from the finding of mental retardation and that his prior lawyers were ineffective. A final decision is still pending.

Awards and Honors

Illinois Rising Star — Personal Injury Defense: Products, Illinois Super Lawyers
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Distinguished Service Award (2005)