Mr. McDaniel represents clients in complex product liability, personal injury, and commercial litigation matters. He has extensive experience representing manufacturers in state and federal courts involving claims of personal injury and property damage related to alleged product defects. He also has significant experience representing clients in other types of personal injury matters, including premises liability and motor vehicle collisions, and employment discrimination and employment-related breach of contract claims and lawsuits.
He serves as national product liability counsel for a Tier 1 automotive component part supplier and regional counsel for a major tire manufacturer. He has managed and actively participated in the defense of cases in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Mr. McDaniel regularly serves as the primary attorney in personal injury cases and handles all aspects of litigation. In this role, he conducts the initial investigation and leads discovery efforts to determine the facts of the case and develop a defense theory. He has extensive experience with drafting, researching, and briefing personal jurisdiction challenges on behalf of domestic and foreign product manufacturer clients in multiple jurisdictions. He has conducted numerous fact and expert witness depositions, including experts in the fields of accident reconstruction, biomechanics and occupant kinematics, and design and manufacture of seat belts and airbags. He has also defended depositions of his clients’ corporate representatives. He has drafted and argued successful dispositive motions, and he served as second-chair counsel in a two-week wrongful death trial that resulted in a defense verdict for his client.
Representative Experience
- Secured defense verdict for seat belt supplier in wrongful death lawsuit in Louisiana state court after two-week jury trial
- Obtained summary judgment in Arkansas state court in favor of tire manufacturer on all claims, including negligence, strict liability, and breach of implied warranty causes of action
- Defended foreign automotive component part supplier in highly publicized wrongful death lawsuit brought by the parents of a well-known movie and television actor, resulting in settlement after the filing and briefing of a personal jurisdiction challenge on behalf of the client
- Secured summary judgment in Texas state court for tire manufacturer on all claims by two plaintiffs
- Obtained summary judgment in Arkansas state court and successfully handled resulting appellate briefing for seat belt supplier in case involving recalled product
- Secured dismissals of automotive component part suppliers in two Texas state court cases and one case in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas after filing and briefing personal jurisdiction challenges
- Represented corporate defendants in employment discrimination and employment-related breach of contract claims and lawsuits as primary attorney
Education
J.D., University of Houston Law Center, 2007
B.A., Rice University, 2003
Admission
State Bar of Texas
Pro hac vice admission in numerous states with local counsel sponsorship
U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Western, and Eastern Districts of Texas
Affiliations
Houston Bar Association