Motley Rice LLC Announces New Members: National Plaintiffs firm promotes three attorneys
March 18, 2015
MT. PLEASANT, SC – Motley Rice LLC announces three attorneys, T. David Hoyle (FL, GA, SC),James W. Ledlie (DC, SC, WV) and Lance Oliver (AL, DC, FL, SC), have become members of the firm. These new members possess years of experience in a variety of legal practice areas, including asbestos, toxic tort, securities fraud and complex litigation.
“All three have shown accomplishments in the practice with the firm and in our community. Each has exhibited qualities that parallel our firm’s philosophy and guiding principles, including taking on, persevering and succeeding in complex litigation and cases,” stated Motley Rice co-founder Joe Rice. “Our firm is proud to lead and be involved in so many diverse practice areas, and their experiences and leadership will contribute to our firm’s future.”
David Hoyle represents victims of corporate wrongdoing and negligence in litigation ranging from catastrophic incidents to asbestos exposure and environmental contamination. His practice focuses on complex personal injury cases involving catastrophic burns, brain injury, loss of limb and paralysis, as well as wrongful death cases resulting from negligence, industrial accidents and defective products. David is also heavily involved in the firm’s asbestos litigation, representing victims suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases as well as Canadian provincial workers’ compensation boards bringing U.S. civil actions. Most recently, David litigated the claims of victims against a convicted South Carolina child predator’s former employer, Pinewood Preparatory School, negotiating a resolution that includes the implementation of a new Child Protection Policy that includes the enforcement of stricter procedures and a decade of outside monitoring. A graduate of Wofford College and the University of South Carolina School of Law, David is an active member of the Charleston, S.C. community, volunteering with the Lowcountry AIDS Legal Clinic and is a member of the Ecclesiastical Court of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina. He is married to Erin E. Bailey and is the proud father of two sons.
James Ledlie is recognized for his litigation skills and client advocacy and is proud to have represented veterans in wrongful death and serious personal injury cases such as the firm’s ongoing burn pit litigation. Focusing on occupational disease, worker safety, products liability, consumer fraud and complex litigation matters, he has represented clients in jury trials and hearings across the country, including most recently in tobacco “Engle progeny” cases. James was co-lead counsel in a recent tobacco trial in Florida which resulted in a 17.2 million dollar plaintiff’s verdict against Philip Morris. James also has represented clients suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases caused by occupational or household asbestos exposure. Additionally, he has represented whistleblowers in qui tam actions alleging fraud against the federal government. He has spent many years representing numerous provincial workers’ compensation boards and private Canadian citizens in U.S. civil actions brought against U.S. manufacturers of dangerous products sold in Canada. Prior to joining Motley Rice, he served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable John C. Few, now Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals and was also a Law Clerk to the Honorable G. Ross Anderson, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. James received his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law and a Bachelor’s degree from Wofford College. He is the son of John and Peggy Ledlie of Columbia, SC. James is married to Caroline Bernard Ledlie and together they are the proud parents of two young boys.
Lance Oliver focuses his practice on class actions, mass torts and other complex litigation. Since joining the firm, Lance has represented institutional investors in securities fraud class actions and merger and acquisition litigation. Lance, for example, played a key role in resolving shareholders claims in In re Coventry Health Care, Inc. Shareholder Litigation and served as co-class counsel in Alaska Electrical Pension Fund, et al. v. Pharmacia Corp., et al. More recently, Lance has focused on trial work, serving as trial counsel in federal and state court for individual smokers and families of deceased smokers against tobacco manufacturers in the Engle-progeny litigation pending in Florida. Lance was counsel in Berger v. Philip Morris USA Inc. which resulted in a $27,010,000.14 verdict, with $20,760,000.14 of that total in punitive damages against cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA. Lance is admitted to practice law in Alabama, South Carolina, the District of Columbia, and Florida. He is admitted to numerous federal appellate and trial courts. He is also a member of the Board of Advocates for the Dee Norton Low Country Children’s Center based in Charleston, S.C. After graduating from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and Duke Law School, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable James Hughes Hancock of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama. He is a native of Enterprise, AL., and is married to Meghan Blaszak Oliver and is the proud father of James Briscoe Oliver and Caitlin Grace Oliver
About Motley Rice LLC
Motley Rice is one of the nation’s largest plaintiffs’ litigation firms. With a tradition of representing those whose rights have been violated, Motley Rice attorneys gained recognition for their pioneering asbestos lawsuits, their work with the State Attorneys General in the landmark litigation against Big Tobacco and their representation of 9/11 families in the ongoing lawsuit against terrorist financiers. The firm continues to handle complex litigation in numerous areas, including GM ignition switch and Takata airbag defects securities fraud, antitrust, consumer protection, mesothelioma, environmental contamination; prescription and over-the-counter drugs such as Lipitor®, Xarelto® and Tylenol®; medical devices; human rights; aviation disasters; and wrongful death. Motley Rice is headquartered in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., and has additional offices in New York; Connecticut; Louisiana; Washington, D.C.; Rhode Island and West Virginia. For more information, contact Motley Rice co-founder Joe Rice (DC, SC) at 1.800.768.4026 or visit www.motleyrice.com. Connect with us onFacebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter.
