Douglas Horelick

Full Profile

Doug has handled hundreds of complex civil litigation matters with a focus on products liability, general liability and catastrophic personal injury cases. He has secured numerous defense verdicts in cases valued in the eight figure range and resolved many more matters outside of the courts for clients in various industries.

In Doug’s nearly 20 years of experience, one of his areas of expertise has been products liability. Doug has handled hundreds of complex product liability cases involving tires, airbags, automobiles, motorcycle helmets, industrial hoses, automatic doors, treadmills, weight machines, asbestos, chairs, garbage trucks and welding torches—to name a few. Doug’s cases often involve multiple deaths, quadriplegia, brain damage and other catastrophic multi-million dollar exposures. He has secured numerous defense verdicts in several of these high value cases.

Doug currently serves as Regional Counsel for several product manufacturers. In that capacity, Doug has litigated in several venues throughout the United States, including in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana and Texas.

Admissions

• US District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida
• All Florida state courts

Education

• J.D., cum laude, University of Miami, 1998
• B.A., with distinction, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1995

Memberships

• Claims & Litigation Management Alliance

Experience

• Defense verdict for tire manufacturer in the first US Ford Explorer rollover death case involving a tire tread separation to proceed to verdict
• Defense verdict and successful appeal for product manufacturer in the death of a reverend's teenage son
• Defense verdict upheld for manufacturer in case involving the death of a toddler
• Defense verdict and key appellate ruling in a products liability personal injury case. Case involved a rollover accident alleged to be caused by tire tread separation. The 11th Circuit not only upheld a defense verdict for the tire manufacturer, but also clarified for the first time that it was both appropriate for a trial court to instruct the jury on Florida's "Government Rules Defense", and that compliance with FMVSS testing is sufficient to trigger it. This ruling is significant for all manufacturers as this defense states that the jury is to presume a product is not defective if a manufacturer complies with relevant governmental rules.
• Defense verdict upheld on appeal with a significant written decision concerning the proper scope of discovery in a products liability case. Case concerned an alleged tire defect with multiple deaths and injuries. In upholding the defense verdict, the appellate court ruled that it was appropriate for the trial court to have limited discovery in the case to the tire specification at issue.
• Verdict in favor of intervenor (firm’s client) in commercial litigation case involving international letter of credit transaction. Verdict upheld on appeal, with an additional award of pre-judgment interest.
• Summary judgment for manufacturer upheld on appeal in wrongful death and brain injury case
• Summary judgment for manufacturer upheld in the wrongful death of a seven-year-old girl
• Summary judgment for multinational tire manufacturer in personal injury case

 Presentations

• Co-presenter, "Dark Waters and Forever Chemicals: The health risks and environmental liabilities arising from the industrial use of PFAS," Liability Insurance Conference, September 2021, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• "Automated Vehicles: A Crash Course on Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and a Roadmap to the Future," Claims and Litigation Management Midwest Conference, June 2018
• "Strategies for Successfully Navigating the #1 Judicial Hellhole in the US – Florida,” Clyde & Co, May 2018
• "Money, Trash & Memories: Insights from the Dark Side of Florida Courts," South Florida Seminar, Association of Corporate Counsel, August 2017
• "Adapting to Autonomous Vehicles: Roundtable Discussion," Global Client Week, Clyde & Co, July 2017
• "Litigation Trends in Florida: Damages, Daubert and Digital Developments," South Florida Seminar, Association of Corporate Counsel, September 2016
• "Trends and Defense Strategies in US Product Liability," Global Client Week, Clyde & Co, July 2016
• "Mock Trials in the Modern World: A Demonstration of the Latest Technology, Techniques & Strategies to Improve Your Chances of Success," Claims & Litigation Management Atlanta Conference, Products Liability Track, May 2016
• "Obamacare: Are You Using It Effectively to Reduce Damages in Your Personal Injury Cases?", Claims & Litigation Management Annual Conference, April 2016
• "Controlling Damages to Avoid Damage Control: Creative Strategies At All Phases of Litigation to Outplay Your Opponent," 2015 Florida Liability Claims Conference, June 2015
• "Update on Automotive Liability and the Latest Claims," Perrin Product Liability Conference, February 2015

Publications

• "Death knell for the Obamacare defense: Alternative Strategies for Reducing Personal Injury Damages in the Era of Trump," Claims & Litigation Management Magazine,  February 2017
• "Fighting fictional damages in US personal injury cases," Insurance Day,  September 2016