Overview

Greg Coleman is a Senior Partner of Milberg with over 30 years of trial and appellate experience. Mr. Coleman’s practice focuses on class actions, products liability, medical practice, personal injury, complex multi-district litigation, litigation, toxic torts, premises liability, ERISA, ERISA class actions, drug and medical device litigation, and workers’ compensation.

Mr. Coleman received his B.A. with highest honors and distinction from Jacksonville State University in 1986. He attended The University of Tennessee College of Law, graduating in 1989. In addition to distinguishing himself academically, Mr. Coleman was a member of the National Trial Moot Court Team, was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award for National Trial Team, and was listed in Who’s Who Among Rising Young Americans. In addition, the College of Law bestowed upon him the honor of inclusion into the National Order of Barristers for outstanding oral advocacy and trial skills.

Leadership Roles

• Co-lead counsel in a defective products case against Electrolux where he and co-counsel successfully obtained a settlement on behalf of a class of more than one million members regarding defectively manufactured dryers. The settlement resulted in an expected utilization settlement value of over $35 Million
• Lead trial counsel in an ERISA class action against AK Steel Corporation where he successfully obtained a $178.6 million settlement on behalf of a class of over 3,000 retirees of AK Steels Butler Works Plant in Pennsylvania in 2011. Excerpts from the final approval hearing before Judge Black:

     [T]he class has been enormously well represented by the attorneys in this case. I started with the observation that this was a historic moment. I genuinely believe that.

     The plaintiffs and the members of the class have been enormously well represented by counsel.

     [T]here is no doubt that the settlements herein represent excellent result for the class members and obviate all risk of continued litigation.

     [T]he Court finds that the hourly and salaried settlements represent excellent result for the class members and provides them with a substantial benefit.

     I reach the conclusion based on acknowledging the extraordinary benefit achieved for the class, the high level of value of these plaintiffs counsels services. The lawyers here are excellent, highly regarded, and their service has brought great value to the class.

     I acknowledge this was a complex and demanding case involving a great deal of work and that the end result occurred largely, if not fully, attributable to the diligence, determination, hard work of plaintiffs counsel, who were vigorously contested, as the company was represented by extraordinary lawyers.

     -Judge Timothy S. Black, Southern District of Ohio, Western Division

• Lead trial counsel in an ERISA class action case against AK Steel Corporation where he successfully obtained a $15.8 million settlement on behalf of a class of over 250 retirees of AK Steels Zanesville Works Plant in Ohio in 2012
• Lead counsel in a week-long trucking accident trial where he obtained the largest negligence verdict in the state of Tennessee for 2009. Jenkins v. Keeble, Davidson County
• Co-lead counsel in a class action case involving Jewelry Television
• Co-lead counsel in a Fair Labor Standards Act case against Westgate Resorts styled Davis v. Planet Hollywood Las Vegas in U.S.D.C., District of Nevada, which has now been settled
• Co-lead counsel in a Fair Labor Standards Act case against Westgate Resorts styled Watson v. Westgate Resorts, Inc. in U.S.D.C., Eastern District of Tennessee, which has been settled

Greg Coleman has been and is currently involved in complex product liability and drug product liability litigation and has tried more than one hundred (100) jury trials and countless other bench trials during his career. He has tried jury trials in states other than Tennessee and has been admitted pro hac vice in complex matters around the country, including a six-week long jury trial in Sacramento, California, for which he was lead counsel.

Reported Cases

• West v. East Tennessee Pioneer Oil Co., 172 S.W. 3d 545, Tenn. 08/18/2005 – Tennessee Supreme Court case in which the Supreme Court ruled a convenience store had a legal duty to the plaintiffs Gary West and Michelle Richardson for selling gas to an obviously intoxicated driver, who then had an accident with Gary West and Michelle Richardson on the roadway. This case was the first case to find that a convenience store had a legal duty to a driver on the roadway (Gary West and Michelle Richardson) for selling gas to an obviously intoxicated driver who then had an accident with his clients.
• Satterfield v. Alcoa, Inc., 266 S.W. 3d 347 (Tenn. 2008) – Tennessee Supreme Court case in which the Supreme Court ruled that a duty is owed by Alcoa to a non-employee household member as it relates to the household members contraction of mesothelioma.
• Merkner v. AK Steel, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12742, 48 BNA 1923
• Lowther v. AK Steel, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181476, 54 BNA 1931

Accolades