To view this, you need to install the Flash Player 5. Please go to here and download it.

James J. Pettit, has been a partner in the firm since 1989 and is the Managing Partner of the New Jersey office. He has tried numerous bench and jury trials in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, both in federal and state courts and has obtained five (5) verdicts in excess of one million dollars ($1,000,000.00).

Mr. Pettit manages all operations in the State of New Jersey for Locks Law Firm. He has handled complex litigation in pharmaceutical litigation and other product liability, mass torts and class actions.

Practice Areas

Pharmaceutical/Medical Devices Litigation
Fungal Meningitis from NECC compounding of spinal injection products
(Accutane®, YAZ®, Yasmin®, Ocella, Kugel Mesh, Medtronic leads, Vioxx, Fen-Phen, Fosamax, Digitek®, Fentanyl Pain Patch, ACTOS and Fresenius recalled dialysis products (Granfulo/NaturaLyte))
Defective Motor Vehicles
(Airbags, seatbacks, seatbelts, rollovers, unsafe interiors, steering fluid)
Workplace Injuries
(Chemical exposures, explosions, falls)
Traumatic Brain Injury
Class Actions
(Digitek®, Fen-Phen, Mercury, Medical Monitoring, Kiddie Kollege)
Conrail Train Derailment in Paulsboro, NJ
Asbestos
Qui Tam Whistleblower Litigation
NFL Concussions

James J. Pettit, Esq.

Certification

Certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Civil Trial Attorney in 1996 and re-certified in 2004 and 2009.

Education

Temple University 1973
Loyola Law School (Los Angeles) 1980

Licenses

California 1980
Pennsylvania 1982
New Jersey 1983

Trials

Defective Seatback
This case involved Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
Obtained $2.1 million jury verdict in Mercer County, New Jersey against DaimlerChrysler Corporation.
Class Action
Lead Trial Counsel in 5-week trial with $1.5 million verdict in 2011 for children exposed to mercury at Kiddie Kollege Day Care in Gloucester County, seeking Medical Monitoring for neurocognitive deficits
Filed class action against Conrail for economic loss arising from November 30, 2012 train derailment in Paulsboro, New Jersey.
Co-lead trial counsel in statewide class action jury trial against Wyeth involving Fen-Phen (Diet Drug Litigation) which lasted over two months in Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Asbestos
Dozens of jury verdicts in federal and state court in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, including verdicts of $5 million punitive damages, $1 million compensatory, $1.6 million compensatory, $1.3 million compensatory and $1.2 million compensatory.
Defective Airplane Compartment
Won a $300,000 jury verdict against Boeing in federal court in Camden, New Jersey, arising out of a defectively designed flight attendant compartment.

Settlements

Settled complex asbestos product liability cases totaling millions of dollars.
Settled complex pharmaceutical product liability cases totaling millions of dollars (confidential amounts).
Settled motor vehicle product liability cases involving unsafe interiors and rollovers resulting in death (confidential amounts).
Settled silicosis, workplace explosion, workplace fall and other complex occupational torts, motor vehicle, hotel accident, and store fall accident cases.

Complex Litigation Positions Held

Court-appointed Plaintiffs' Lead Counsel, Kiddie Kollege mercury contamination class action.
Mr. Pettit was appointed Liaison Counsel by the New Jersey Mass Tort Judge for all Phenylpropanolamine ("PPA") litigation in New Jersey.
Court-appointed to federal MDL Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in In Re Digitek® litigation
Selected by fellow plaintiffs' counsel as co-lead trial counsel in Vadino v. American Home Products class action diet drug jury trial in New Jersey.
Co-chair of statewide Propulsed Discovery Committee in New Jersey.
Conducted foreign discovery in France under the Hague Convention in Fen-Phen litigation.

Appellate Work

Mr Pettit has briefed and argued many cases to the appellate courts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Pettit’s appeal issues involved complex issues of medical monitoring , the right to file a second lawsuit arising out of the same toxic exposure, the jurisdiction of federal courts, the defense of punitive damages awards, forum non conveniens, corporate indemnity and foreign discovery under the Hague Convention.

Memberships

American Association for Justice
New Jersey Association for Justice
New Jersey State Bar Association
Legislative Coordinator, Product Liability & Toxic Tort Section (2008)
Secretary, Product Liability & Toxic Tort Section, NJ State Bar Association (2010)
Delegate, General Council (2008)
Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers
Philadelphia Trial Lawyers
Camden County Bar Association

State Bar Positions

2010 – Chair, Products Liability & Toxic Tort Section
2009-2010 – Council Delegate

Recent Lectures/Seminars

May 15, 2008 - with NJSBA – Products Liability overview
April 2, 2009 - with NJSBA – Law on Product Warnings and Choice of Law
April 27, 2009 - with NJSBA – Use of Technology in the Courtroom
May 14, 2009 - with NJSBA – Mass Torts (with Judges Higbee, McCormick and Happas)
May 25, 2010 - with NJSBA – Mass Torts - Ethics, Liens and Strategies
April 2010 – Camden County Bar Association - Trial Technology
April 2011 – New Jersey Association for Justice - Mass Torts
April 2011 – New Jersey Association for Justice - Depositions
June 2011 – Camden County Bar Association - Electronic Discovery & Social Networks
Feb 2012 – NJSBA - Ethics in Social Networking
May 2012 – CCBA: Ethics in Social Networking
August 2012 – Harris Martin - Asbestos-Federal Court

Board Affiliations and Appointments

Chair of the Product Liability & Toxic Tort Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association 2010-2011
2011 NJ Association for Justice (NJAJ), appointed Member, Civil Practice Committee

James Pettit Articles

March 2011 – New Jersey Law Journal - Medical Monitoring
August 2011 – New Jersey Lawyer Magazine - Medical Monitoring

Common Name Misspellings: petit, petite, petit, pettitt

A personal injury lawyer at our New York, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey office can review the details of your claim and help you determine the best course of action to settle your dispute.  Contact Locks Law Firm to schedule a consultation.

Back to top

If you are a New York, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey resident and are in need of personal injury lawyer, contact the Locks Law Firm.

Our Partners:

Back to top

Contact a Pennsylvania, New York, or New Jersey personal injury lawyer for a case evaluation and consultation.