Brian Voke

Attorney Brian Voke

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Brian Voke acts as lead trial counsel in the defense and trial of complex products liability, toxic tort, negligence, professional liability, directors & officers, employment and insurance coverage matters. As one of the firm’s principal trial attorneys, Mr. Voke has tried a variety of complex matters in the state and federal courts in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Georgia.

He has more than 30 years experience defending and trying complex litigation for clients such as Axia NetMedia Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Mercedes Benz U.S.A., Nissan Motor Corp., American Honda Motor Company, Allied Waste Services, Tyco International, Ltd., Lafarge North America Inc., and other major corporations. He is also trial counsel for a variety of insurers including Berkley Public Entity Managers, Certain Underwriters at Lloyds, Church Mutual Insurance, Chubb, Burlington Insurance, Verus Underwriting Managers, Navigators Insurance, and Tokio Marine Kiln.

Mr. Voke, who holds a degree in Accounting from Boston College and who previously worked as an accountant, has also defended a wide variety of business litigation matters over the years for directors and officers, brokers and other professionals. Mr. Voke earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law.

Mr. Voke is the Past President of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association and was a Faculty Member at Stanford Law School for the IADC 36th Trial Academy. He is a member of the Product Liability Advisory Council. In 2005 he was the moderator for a one-week program on product liability law for China Pacific Insurance. In 2006, Mr. Voke moderated a one-week program on product liability for the People’s Insurance Company of China in Guangzhou, China. In 2010, he lectured at Lloyd’s of London on “Considerations in Defeating Class Certification in Products Liability Cases in the United States.”

Representative Jury Trial Verdicts

  • Manuel DeSousa v. Gensco Equipment (1990), Inc.
    • United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
    • Issue: Loss of two fingers allegedly caused by defective and unreasonably dangerous alligator shear
    • Result: Defense Verdict
  • Benoit v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc.
    • Norfolk Superior Court, Norfolk, Massachusetts
    • Issue: Brain damage allegedly caused by goods negligently loaded onto tractor trailer
    • Result: Defense Verdict
  • Bartolomeo v. Lynn Ladder & Scaffolding Co., Inc.
    • Worcester Superior Court, Worcester, Massachusetts
    • Issue: Blindness allegedly caused by defective ladder
    • Result: Defense Verdict
  • Berarducci v. Ford Motor Company
    • United States District Court, District of Connecticut, Hartford, Connecticut
    • Issue: Crush injuries allegedly caused by defective transmission
    • Result: Defense Verdict
  • Royce v. Ford Motor Company
    • Hillsborough Superior Court, Southern Division, Nashua, New Hampshire
    • Issue: Death allegedly caused by defective transmission controls
    • Result: Defense Verdict
  • Ramcharran v. Carint
    • United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
    • Issue: Degloving injury to hand crushed in printing press
    • Result: Defense Verdict
  • Hollis v. Ford Motor Company
    • United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
    • Issue: Crush injuries allegedly caused by defective transmission controls
    • Result: Defense Verdict
  • Johnson v. National Sea Products Limited
    • United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
    • Issue: Crushed hip allegedly caused by improperly packaged goods
    • Result: Defense Verdict
  • Saracen v. Figgie International, Inc.
    • United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
    • Issue: Major damage to hotel allegedly caused by defective sprinkler system
    • Result: Defense Verdict
  • Hoffman v. Ford Motor Company
    • Norfolk Superior Court, Norfolk, Massachusetts
    • Issue: Personal injuries allegedly caused by defective seatback
    • Result: Defense Verdict

Reported Cases

  • Bower v. Bower, 2011 WL 3702086, (D.Mass. April 05, 2011)
  • Metlife Auto & Home v. ADT Security Systems, Inc., 2011 WL 1223023, (D.Mass. March 31, 2011)
  • Bower v. Mirvat El-Nady Bower, 2011 WL 1253897, (D.Mass. March 14, 2011)
  • Santander Consumer USA Inc. v. Walsh, 762 F.Supp.2d 217, (D.Mass. November 30, 2010)
  • Turner v. Boyle, 425 B.R. 20, (D.Me. March 29, 2010)
  • Milward v. Acuity Specialty Products Group, Inc., 664 F.Supp.2d 137, (D.Mass. July 31, 2009)
  • Tabb v. Journey Freight Internations, 584 F.Supp.2d 334, (D.Mass. September 26, 2008)
  • American Capital Corp. v. Blixseth, 575 F.Supp.2d 379, (D.R.I. August 21, 2008)
  • Plunkett v. Valhalla Investment Services, Inc., 409 F.Supp.2d 39, (D.Mass. January 03, 2006)
  • Tarr v. Werner Ladder Co., 2005 WL 6001395, (D.N.H. October 03, 2005)
  • Lutts v. Smithkline Beecham Clinical Laboratories, Inc., 1999 WL 102749, (N.D.N.Y. February 24, 1999)
  • Schubert v. Nissan Motor Corp. in U.S.A., 148 F.3d 25 (1st Cir. 1998)
  • Johnson v. National Sea Products, Ltd., 35 F. 3d 626 (1st Cir. 1994)
  • Morrell v. Precise Engineering, Inc., 36 Mass. App. Ct. 935 (1994)
  • Ramcharran v. Carraro Graphic Equipment, Inc., 823 F. Supp 63 (D.Mass. 1993)
  • Albano v. Colby College, 822 F.Supp. 840, (D.Me. June 08, 1993)
  • Boston Helicopter Charter, Inc. v. Agusta Aviation Corp., 767 F. Supp. 363 (D.Mass.1991)
  • Holbrook v. Andersen Corp., 130 F.R.D. 516, (D.Me. April 26, 1990)

Representative Experience:

  • Manuel DeSousa v. Gensco Equipment (1990), Inc.
  • Beverly Shuman v. Temple Ner Tamid, Arlyne Greenspan, and The Religious School Committee
  • Bower v. El-Nady
  • Chartier v. Brabender Technologie, Inc.
  • Cavu Copters v. F&L Helicopter Transport
  • Metlife Auto & Home v. ADT Security Systems Inc.
  • Ray v. Mendenhall
  • Santander Consumer USA v. Walsh
  • Milward v. Acuity Specialty Products Group, Inc.
  • Adair v. Land Rover North America, Inc.
  • Dodson v. Ford Motor Company
  • Benoit v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc.
  • Storozuk v. Cumberland Farms, Inc.
  • Freitas v. Gaudreau and Dazey Corporation
  • Bedard v. State Industries
  • Bartolomeo v. Lynn Ladder
  • Hollis v. Ford Motor Company
  • Fortune v. Scott Technologies
  • Berarducci v. Ford Motor Company
  • Hoffman v. Ford Motor Company
  • Tabb v. Journey Logistics
  • Airline Cleared after Passenger Dies on Board
  • Guiffre v. Penske
  • Jakubowski v. United Plate Glass
  • Fringer v. Odesco
  • Saracen v. FIGGIE Int’
  • Gonsalves v. Griffin
  • Safety Insurance v. Honda
  • Commonwealth v. Doe
  • Royce v. Ford
  • Commonwealth v. Doe
  • Ramcharran v. Carint
  • Raymaakers v. Caterpillar
  • Johnson v. National Sea Products
  • Commonwealth v. Doe
  • Murphy v. Twichell
  • Leonard v. Massport
  • Brown v. Eaton
  • Walker v. General Motors
  • Bower v. Bower
  • Turner v. Boyle
  • Tabb v. Journey Freight Internations
  • American Capital Corp. v. Blixseth
  • Plunkett v. Valhalla Investment Services
  • Tarr v. Werner Ladder Co.
  • Lutts v. Smithkline Beecham Clinical Laboratories, Inc.
  • Schubert v. Nissan Motor Corp. in U.S.A.
  • Morrell v. Precise Engineering, Inc.
  • Albano v. Colby College
  • Boston Helicopter Charter, Inc. v. Agusta Aviation Corp.
  • Holbrook v. Andersen Corp.

EDUCATION

  • 1980, B.S., Accounting, magna cum laude, Boston College
  • 1984, J.D., Vanderbilt University School of Law

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island

COURT ADMISSIONS

  • S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
  • S. District Court, District of New Hampshire
  • S. District Court, District of Maine
  • S. District Court, District of Rhode Island
  • S. District Court, District of Connecticut
  • S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit

INDUSTRIES

  • Automotive
  • Construction Industry Litigation
  • Insurance Defense
  • Power and Hand Tools
  • Transportation / Trucking

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Business and Commercial Litigation
  • Directors’ and Officers’ Liability
  • Employment Litigation
  • Insurance Defense
  • Personal Injury / Negligence
  • Premises Liability
  • Products Liability Defense
  • Professional Liability
  • Toxic Torts / Mass Torts Defense