Speights & Runyan has been a leader in this field of litigation since the early 1980's. Among our accomplishments are the following:

We were lead counsel in the first asbestos building case tried in America which resulted in a settlement of almost twice the actual damages shortly before the case was submitted to the jury.

We served as lead trial counsel in the first case in America resulting in a verdict on behalf of a building owner. In 1986, we (Dan Speights) tried to verdict City of Greenville v. W.R. Grace and Co., resulting in a verdict for actual and punitive damages of $8,400,000. This case produced two written decisions which have been the hallmark of asbestos property damage litigation. City of Greenville v. W.R. Grace and Co., 640 F.Supp. 559 (D.S.C. 1986), aff’d 827 F2d 975 (4^th Cir. 1987). Since then, we have significantly participated in and affected the course of asbestos property damage litigation in America. In that regard, we have:

• Served as lead trial counsel in the first successful trial on behalf of a school district, a public building owner, a hospital, an airport, and a commercial building owner;

• Served as lead trial counsel and obtained the three largest final verdicts in asbestos building cases tried in America;

• Served as lead trial counsel and obtained the most successful verdicts in America against W.R. Grace, U.S. Mineral and National Gypsum and have obtained more verdicts against U.S. Gypsum than any other firm;

• Served as lead trial counsel on behalf of all building owners in America in the Johns-Manville Bankruptcy proceeding (Dan Speights);

• Won 19 of 20 cases that we have tried to verdict;

• Negotiated settlements or obtained verdicts during the past 11 years on behalf of our clients in excess of over $144,000,000;

• We successfully tried to verdict five cases in five states between 1991 and 1997:

The only law firm to represent property damage claimants in the three major bankruptcies relating to asbestos (Manville, National Gypsum and Celotex);

Served on the executive committees of two nationally certified asbestos class actions, one representing all school districts in America (37,000) and the other involving all lessees from the federal government (42,000 buildings);

Presently serve as co-lead counsel in a certified class action involving all colleges and universities in America, lead counsel in a class action for all South Carolina building owners and lead counsel in a certified class action involving home/apartment owners in Puerto Rico.

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