Jeffrey A. Hall

Jeff Hall is an accomplished advocate who has tried a broad range of cases to juries and judges throughout the country. Jeff has successfully defended clients in jury trials in plaintiff-friendly venues (including New Jersey, Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia, and West Virginia) and in bench trials against the Department of Justice in government-contract and False Claims Act cases. He has tried numerous complex cases, including environmental class actions and mass product-liability cases, to jury verdicts. Jeff also has substantial experience in federal and state appellate courts. 

Jeff has been recognized by numerous legal publications, including BTI which recently named him a 2020 “Client Service All Star,” Benchmark Litigation which has recognized him as a “Litigation Star,” and The National Law Journal which has recognized two of his jury verdicts as “Verdicts Of The Year.” Jeff has taught trial advocacy at The University of Chicago Law School. He joined Bartlit Beck at the firm's founding in 1993, after four years of litigation experience at Kirkland & Ellis and a clerkship for the Honorable James L. Ryan, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Prior to practicing law, Jeff was a CPA with PwC.

Cases Tried or Otherwise Taken to Judgment

In re National Prescription Opiate Litigation (N.D. Ohio)
Trial counsel for Walgreens in remedies phase of MDL trial in public nuisance case relating to the sale of prescription opioid medications, and in related state-court cases.

Appeal of Pratt & Whitney (Armed Services Board of Contract Appeal)
Represented Pratt in three-week bench trial of the Department of Defense's $210 million claim that Pratt breached government contracts and violated Cost Accounting Standards in accounting for jet-engine parts made by Pratt's risk- and revenue-sharing partners. The trial court rejected the DoD’s primary claim and otherwise ruled substantially in Pratt’s favor.

Massachusetts Mutual Life Ins. Co. Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Litigation (D. Mass.)
Represented MassMutual in its actions under the Massachusetts Uniform Securities Act, against underwriters Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs, arising from their sales of residential mortgage-backed securities to MassMutual in 2005-2007. Credit Suisse settled after four weeks of trial, taking an additional $79.5 million charge to earnings because of the settlement payment. Goldman Sachs settled shortly thereafter.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation v. United States (Court of Federal Claims)
Represented Sikorsky against Department of Justice in bench trial of government contract suit. Government sought $80 million plus interest on its claim that Sikorsky had overcharged for aircraft and parts by allocating material overhead costs in violation of Cost Accounting Standards during 1999-2005.

Judgment for Sikorsky; trial court rejected government's claim in its entirety.

Argued for Sikorsky on government's appeal to Federal Circuit. Judgment for Sikorsky affirmed on appeal.

Click here to read the Law360 article.

United States v. United Technologies Corp. (S.D. Ohio)
Represented UTC at trial and on appeal in the Department of Justice's $600 million False Claims Act lawsuit. The government claimed that UTC division Pratt & Whitney inflated prices of F-15 and F-16 jet engines in the "Great Engine War" with GE, a multibillion-dollar competitive Air Force procurement in the 1980s. 

After a ten-week bench trial, the trial court held that Pratt had made three false statements in a 1983 offer and imposed a $7.1 million statutory penalty, but the court rejected the government's $600 million damages theory, and held that actual damages were zero. After two rounds of appeals, the Sixth Circuit held that the trial record established that the government failed to prove any damages and remanded the case.

On remand, the government abandoned its damages claims, and in June 2016 the trial court entered final judgment awarding a total of $11.1 million ($1.2 million in disgorgement, $2.8 million in interest, and the $7.1 million penalty). The government declined to appeal, ending the case.

Click here to read Law360 article.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation v. United States (Court of Federal Claims)
Represented Sikorsky against Department of Justice in government contract action seeking $34 million on challenge to Sikorsky's overhead accounting practices. Trial court granted Sikorsky's motion for judgment on the pleadings, and rejected the government's claim in its entirety. Federal Circuit dismissed government's appeal.

Click here to read the Law360 article.

Administradora, et al. v. DuPont (Florida)
Represented DuPont in three-week Miami jury trial of product liability claims involving the Benlate® fungicide. Plaintiff, the largest of twenty-three Costa Rican citrus producers who brought the action, sought $42 million in damages and $20 million in prejudgment interest, costs, and fees. The jury found plaintiff 60% contributorily negligent and awarded substantially reduced damages, resulting in an award of a small fraction of plaintiff's claim. The trial outcome resulted in a settlement of all twenty-three actions on terms favorable to DuPont. 

Rago, et al. v. Federal Signal Corporation (Illinois)
Represented Federal Signal in two Cook County jury trials of product liability claims by Chicago firefighters alleging sirens caused permanent hearing loss.

2008 Trial (twenty-seven plaintiffs): Jury verdict for Federal Signal on all claims.

2009 Trial (nine plaintiffs): Jury verdict for plaintiffs, but for reduced damages (totaling $445,000).

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Super Helechos, et al. v. DuPont (Florida)
Represented DuPont in ten-week mass jury trial in Miami state court of product liability claims involving Benlate® fungicide. Plaintiffs, twenty-seven Costa Rican farms, claimed $396 million in damages. Trial court entered directed verdicts for DuPont on all claims of most of the largest plaintiffs (constituting 60% of plaintiffs' total claimed damages); jury awarded other plaintiffs a small fraction of amounts sought. 

On appeal, the Florida court of appeals (1) affirmed directed verdicts for DuPont on claims of the largest plaintiffs, and (2) reversed all jury verdicts for other plaintiffs due to numerous trial court errors. DuPont Wins Benlate® Appeal. DuPont subsequently resolved the entire action for a nominal amount.

Naftali, et al. v. DuPont (New Jersey)
Represented DuPont in New Jersey's largest environmental tort trial, a ten-week jury trial of personal injury, medical monitoring, and punitive damages claims of residents near a DuPont munitions plant. Trial was part of a mass tort lawsuit brought by 1,600 plaintiffs alleging toxic contamination caused by 90 years of plant operations.

Court dismissed punitive damages claims at close of evidence. Jury awarded no damages to seven of ten trial plaintiffs. Jury awarded three plaintiffs damages totaling less than $500,000.

Entire mass lawsuit and related federal lawsuit settled favorably after verdict.

Residential Funding Corp. (GMAC) v. DeGeorge Financial Corp. (D. Conn.)
Represented Residential Funding in jury trial of lender-liability case. DeGeorge sought $390 million in damages plus punitive damages. Residential Funding counterclaimed for $96 million.

Jury verdict for Residential Funding on all issues, including $96 million damages award.

The National Law Journal listed verdict as a Top Plaintiffs' Verdict for 2001.

Perrine v. DuPont (West Virginia)
Retained shortly before trial to represent DuPont in class action jury trial of toxic-tort claims. Class of 8,500 alleged community contamination by zinc smelter emissions over a century. Jury verdict for plaintiffs.

Represented company on appeal to West Virginia Supreme Court, which ordered retrial on statute of limitations defense and substantially reduced potential damages. Case settled favorably.

Wagner v. NL Industries (Pennsylvania)
Represented NL Industries in ten-week class action jury trial of claims of 7,500 residents seeking several hundred million dollars in personal injury and property damages due to lead emissions from factory over thirty-five years.

Jury verdict for NL on all issues. The National Law Journal listed case as a Top 15 Defense Verdict.

Argued summary judgment and jurisdictional issues on appeal to Pennsylvania Superior Court. Affirmed on appeal.

In re Harold C. Simmons Family Trusts (Texas)
Represented Mr. Simmons in eight-week jury trial of breach of trust action brought by daughters seeking control of billion-dollar trusts.

Case settled favorably after hung jury; Mr. Simmons retained control.

Hoover v. BISSELL (N.D. Ohio)
Represented BISSELL in Markman hearing and in jury trial of patent infringement action by Hoover. Hoover claimed $120 million in damages.

Case settled favorably at close of evidence.

Supracor v. Reebok (N.D. Cal.)
Represented Reebok in damages trial of licensing dispute. Supracor, represented by Wilson Sonsini, sought $100 million.

Case settled favorably after trial.

Patton v. Ohr Properties Management (N.D. Ill.)
Represented plaintiffs in housing race discrimination action. Jury verdict for clients, including punitive damages.

Lake County Forest Preserve District v. Carrolls (Illinois)
Represented family in two state court trials in eminent domain dispute over $30 million estate.

Verdicts for clients on all issues.

In re Asbestos IV (West Virginia)
Represented NL Industries in mass jury trial; case settled favorably during trial.

In re Petrova (I.N.S.)
Represented family of asylum applicants in bench trial. Judgment for clients.

Porter v. Saddlebrook Resort (Florida)
Represented Saddlebrook Resort in administrative trial of property nuisance action. Judgment for Saddlebrook on all issues.

Other Representative Cases

Pearson Family Foundation v. University of Chicago (N.D. Okla.)
Representing University of Chicago in dispute arising from $100 million grant agreement.

Elliott Associates, L.P., et al. v. AbbVie Inc. (Illinois)
Representing various investment funds in fraud actions arising from AbbVie's aborted $50 billion acquisition of Shire in 2014.

Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. v. Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (N.D. Cal.)
Represented MGIC in a mortgage insurance dispute in which Countrywide alleged over $1 billion in damages. Case settled favorably.

Dyson, Inc. v. BISSELL Homecare, Inc. (N.D. Ill.)
Represented BISSELL in Lanham Act action brought by Dyson concerning vacuum cleaner advertisements. Case settled.

BISSELL Homecare, Inc. v. Dyson, Inc. (W.D. Mich.)
Represented BISSELL in patent infringement action concerning vacuum cleaner technology. Case settled.

Swift Transportation Co. v. Ernst & Young
Represented Ernst & Young in accounting malpractice action arising from merger between Swift Transportation Company and a competitor. Case settled.

Lead Paint Litigation
Represented NL Industries in state and federal actions alleging personal injury and property damage arising from lead pigment and lead paint. Various cases won on summary judgment or motions to dismiss.

AIMCO v. National Union (D. Colo.)
Represented AIMCO in insurance dispute. Case settled favorably.

Agnes, et al. v. DuPont (D. New Jersey)
Represented DuPont in toxic tort action brought by 500 plaintiffs. Case settled favorably.

CRLI v. Ferguson
Represented CRLI in breach of contract action. Case settled favorably.

EchoStar v. News Corp.
Represented EchoStar in satellite television contract case seeking several billion dollars in damages from the News Corporation (Rupert Murdoch). Case settled favorably.

Biotech v. Bayer Corp.
Represented Bayer in antitrust action involving blood derivative product. Case settled favorably.

General Motors Pickup Truck Litigation
Represented General Motors in thirty-five state and federal consumer class actions alleging defects in more than five million vehicles. Presented oral argument before federal judicial panel on multidistrict litigation. Cases settled.

Carlson v. General Motors (D.S.C.)
Represented General Motors in nationwide consumer class action alleging defects in more than 500,000 diesel vehicles. Case settled.

General Motors/Allison Engine (Various)
Represented GM and former division Allison Engine in wrongful death actions alleging defect in gas turbine helicopter engine. Cases dismissed with no payment by GM.

Young v. Connecticut Mutual
Represented Corporate Compensation Plans, Inc. in trial court (Northern District of Illinois) and on appeal (Seventh Circuit) in business interference and contract case. Case won and affirmed on appeal.

Roots Partnership v. Lands' End
Represented Lands' End in trial court (Western District of Wisconsin) and on appeal (Seventh Circuit) in securities class actions. Cases won and affirmed on appeal.

Professional Activities and Community Service

Member of the Trial Law Institute and Diversity Law Institute

Board of Directors, PAWS Chicago