Peter J. Rotolo

For over twenty-five years, Peter Rotolo has represented international, national, and regional clients in every facet of litigation, with a particular depth of knowledge in civil and commercial actions and disputes.  Peter is a member of the firm’s Civil and Commercial Litigation sections in the New Orleans office of Chaffe McCall.

Peter’s successful pharmaceutical and medical device litigation includes matters involving multi-district litigation.  He has served on expert, deposition, and strategy teams in numerous multi-district litigation actions.  Peter has worked closely with clients on the defense against unfair trade practice claims brought by state attorneys general.  In addition, Peter has handled numerous matters involving tobacco litigation, general casualty litigation, insurance matters, and the defense of mass, class, and complex civil and commercial disputes.

Peter’s commercial litigation experience includes disputes involving:

• Banking
• Leasing
• Breach of contract

Peter’s recent success includes a multi-million dollar timber lease dispute that spanned several years.

Peter has been recognized as an experienced litigator who has the ability to recruit and prepare experts for trial. He has successfully appeared before district, state, and federal appellate courts.  On numerous occasions, Peter has argued before the Louisiana Supreme Court and has served as trial counsel outside of Louisiana.

Before joining Chaffe McCall, Peter had a civil litigation and insurance defense practice in North Louisiana. Clients also benefit from insights Peter gained while clerking for the Honorable Pike Hall, Jr., Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.

PRESENTATION AND PUBLICATIONS

• Peter has given continuing legal education presentations on topics involving complex litigation and trial preparation, including a presentation to the Defense Research Institute’s Products Liability Seminar Young Lawyer’s Session and the Defense Research Institute, Toxic Tort and Products Liability Seminar on continuing a law practice after a disaster.

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Selected in the 2021 Leadership in Law class by New Orleans CityBusiness
• Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, 2018 – 2022
• Selected as a “Local Litigation Star” for General Commercial and Product Liability by Benchmark Litigation, 2019- 2021
  
• AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating in Martindale-Hubbell
• Named as a “Top Lawyer” in Products Liability in New Orleans Magazine, 2021

• Assisted with liaison counsel coordination in a pharmaceutical MDL matter where he led in expert retention, development, and preparation for deposition and trial. Obtained numerous plaintiff, prescribing, and treating physician depositions
• Assisted with liaison counsel coordination and expert retention and strategy in a pharmaceutical MDL matter. Obtained trial plaintiff and prescribing and treating physician depositions and participated in strategy structure
• Successfully recovered millions of dollars for a client in a lengthy arbitration over a timber lease
• Prepped and defended company witnesses for depositions and obtained numerous plaintiff and treating physician depositions in pharmaceutical MDL. In addition, successfully removed outside contingency counsel from representing Louisiana Attorney General
• Prepped and defended sales representative depositions and took plaintiff and treating physician depositions in another pharmaceutical MDL
• Obtained plaintiff and treating physician depositions in several medical device MDLs
• Obtained numerous plaintiff depositions and assisted with the Louisiana bellwether trial in an MDL involving an agricultural product
• Briefed and argued numerous dispositive and pre-trial motions in state and federal court.
• Orally argued before the Louisiana Supreme Court and several Louisiana Courts of Appeal and federal courts