Thomas B.K. Ringe III
Partner
Duane Morris LLP
30 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4196
USA
Phone: +1 215 979 1160
Fax: +1 215 689 3851
Email: TBKRinge@duanemorris.com

Thomas B.K. Ringe III focuses his practice on the defense of consumer and commercial civil actions for large companies. These include mass tort, consumer class actions, professional responsibility matters and various litigation and regulatory matters for pharmaceutical and dietary supplement companies. Mr. Ringe also concentrates on scientific and medical issues in the law, including the development of scientific evidence and expert witness testimony.

Mr. Ringe acts as national coordinating counsel for foreign and domestic companies in U.S. litigation and corporate matters. Recently he directed the defense on expert issues of a major pharmaceutical company in a large mass tort. Mr. Ringe was the national coordinating counsel for a foreign corporation with the litigation of hundreds of products liability and class action matters, including the defense of suits involving ephedra-containing dietary supplements. Mr. Ringe served as a member of the Defense Coordinating Counsel in the multidistrict litigation matter In Re Ephedra products liability litigation 04 MD 1598 (JSR). Mr. Ringe also acts as regional and national counsel for several insurance companies, for whom he directs the defense of complex cases, including class action and professional liability matters. Mr. Ringe consults with businesses about litigation risk management, including matters relating to research and development, document retention and corporate structure.

Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, he is a member of the American, Pennsylvania, New Jersey State and Philadelphia bar associations. He is a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.

Mr. Ringe is a 1995 graduate of Temple University Graduate Law Center (LL.M., Trial Advocacy), a 1982 graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and a graduate of Duke University (B.A., Accounting).

Representative Matters

• Served as national counsel, and member of the MDL Defense Coordinating Counsel, in the matter of In re Ephedra Liability Litigation 04 MD 1598 (JSR).
• Directed litigation of products liability matters, including the defense of more than 100 suits and 10 consumer class actions involving ephedra-containing food supplements.
• Defended more than 18 sudden cardiac death cases involving decedents less than 40 years old, including:
  • High income earner, mother of two (34) died while biking with no history of heart disease. Proved she had ARVC instead of drug-related cardiac arrest.
  • Iraq war veteran (26) taking client's product died suddenly. His estate claimed it was due to product. Proved his death was caused by an allergic response to anesthesia.
  • New Jersey police officer (21) died while training. Proved death was due to a genetic pre-disposition to ARVC. Settled on terms very favorable to client.
  • Florida army father of 3 (29) died during a parachute jump. Proved it was due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and not due to client's product.
  • Worked closely with nation's leading cardiac pathologists and electro-physiologists on all cases.
• Defended more than 100 cases, including class actions, involving the advertising of dietary supplement product.
• Directed expert-witness strategy in mass tort alleging autoimmune disease resulting from use of a prescription medicine to treat acne.
• On behalf of the largest auto insurance carrier in Pennsylvania, designed a method to defend claims from underinsured and non-insured motorists, proving that plaintiff's payment by check constituted a knowing and intelligent waiver. Saved company millions of dollars and set the standard for insurance companies to defend these coverage actions.
• Represented major accounting firm in errors and omission claim involving tax advice.
• Designed and implemented comprehensive risk-management strategies for product-safety issues for a major dietary supplement company.
• Counseled foreign and domestic consumer products companies on corporate structure issues.
• Counseled large national insurance broker in financial products and environmental insurance coverage litigation exposures.

Professional Activities

• New Jersey State Bar Association
• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• The Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel

Admissions

• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
• Supreme Court of New Jersey
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

Education

• Temple University Graduate Law Center, LL.M., Trial Advocacy, 1995
• University of Miami School of Law, J.D., 1982
• Duke University, B.A., Accounting, 1979

Experience

• Duane Morris LLP
  - Partners Board, 2003-2008
  - Partner, 1993-present
  - Associate, 1986-1992
• Palmer, Biezup & Henderson, Philadelphia, PA
  - Associate, 1982-1986

Honors and Awards

• Recognized as a Super Lawyer in Pennsylvania
• AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Selected Publications

• Co-author, "Electronic Control Devices: Science, Law, and Social Responsibility," Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association 2012; 125:2406-2408; originally published online April 30, 2012