Merideth concentrates on major toxic and environmental tort litigation, as well as high stakes product liability matters and consumer class actions. She has worked on hundreds of these types of matters, honing her ability to clearly assess litigation risk and manage it efficiently and effectively, which clients greatly value. Merideth’s skills and case management abilities have been recognized in Legal 500, where one client described her as “efficient, hardworking, and responsive. Thoughtful, effective, and strategic approach to litigation and case strategy. Outstanding communicator. I would trust Merideth in a lead role on any litigation matter.”

Clients also appreciate Merideth’s extensive network of experts, which she enlists to help clients navigate the complex scientific issues accompanying mass tort and environmental litigation. She possesses a deep understanding of client needs and operations, having acted as in-house counsel during a long-term secondment with an industrial equipment manufacturer.

Toxic and Environmental Tort

Merideth guides clients through individual and class actions involving PFAS, PCBs, asbestos, hexavalent chromium, petroleum, coal combustion residuals, wood dust, and other chemicals and substances. Her experience extends to water, air, and site contamination and novel theories of nuisance.

Merideth brings an inventive approach to analyzing new claims, leading to early dismissal opportunities and leverage points. And as a proactive advisor, Merideth is strategic and practical with the insight she provides clients when assessing, quantifying, and managing tort risk outside of litigation to minimize the likelihood of future claims.

Consumer and Industrial Products, Including Wrongful Death and Personal Injury

Merideth defends a variety of product liability claims, with a particular focus on health effects litigation arising from alleged exposure to substances. She is creative in finding avenues to federal forums, pursuing resourceful jurisdictional challenges and crafting early dispositive motion strategies.

Merideth’s experience includes exposure claims involving asbestos, talc, silica, formaldehyde, wood dust, food contaminants, and others. As national coordinating counsel for one client’s mass tort litigation, she led a team that cut the size of the docket in half in the first five years through development and execution of a proactive and multi-faceted defense strategy.

She defends product-related consumer class actions brought under state consumer protection statutes, as well, and counsels clients in related-litigation avoidance through effective consumer communications. Merideth works with clients to manage risk related to Prop 65, product recalls, incident responses, and product-related contract negotiations, contract disputes, and indemnity matters.

Merideth is also known for her work leading clients through both premises and product liability litigation involving catastrophic injury and death in industrial operations. Her team supports immediate incident response and investigation and provides counsel to minimize risk in the event of possible litigation.

Pro Bono

Merideth brings her passion for strategizing and winning to an active pro bono practice, where she has represented victims of domestic violence in child custody and visitation matters. She currently advocates on behalf of family members seeking to care for loved ones through guardianship proceedings.

Bar Admissions

Education
JD, William & Mary Law School, cum laude, Editor-in-Chief, William & Mary Law Review, 2013

BS, Nutritional Sciences, Texas A&M University, summa cum laude, 2010

• Member, Virginia Bar Association
• Board of Directors, Connor’s Heroes
• Member, YMCA of Greater Richmond, Millennial Initiative Committee

• E. Randolph Williams Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service, 2016-2017

• Litigation forecast for PFAS-containing consumer products, Thomson Reuters Westlaw
• Mitigating Risks of Consent-by-Registration Personal Jurisdiction, Bloomberg Law
• COVID-19 Pushes Demand for Surface Disinfectants to Fever Pitch, Raising Regulatory and Litigation Risk, Thomson Reuters Westlaw
• TSCA Regulatory Action Raises Retailers’ Litigation Risk, Law360
• Current litigation trends for PFAS-containing consumer products, Westlaw Today
• 2022 Litigation Trends for PFAS-Containing Consumer Products and 2023 Preview, Retail Industry 2022 Year in Review
• 2020 Retail Industry Year in Review
• 2023 Retail Industry Year in Review