Ray Harris

Overview and Practice

For more than 30 years, Ray has represented clients in trials across the country, defending companies against product liability claims and representing businesses in fraud and contract disputes. He has served as national trial counsel and as expert evidence counsel for companies involved in toxic tort and product liability litigation. He has also served as counsel for Garlock and Georgia-Pacific’s affiliate Bestwall in their respective bankruptcy proceedings arising from asbestos claims.

Ray’s practice has emphasized presenting scientific and technical evidence to courts and juries and to deconstruct opposing evidence. Ray has had particular success proving the unreliability and inadmissibility of scientific evidence, even when the evidence had previously been widely accepted.

As Special Asbestos Defense Counsel for Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC, for example, Ray led the defense to the scientific merits of the plaintiffs’ claims against Garlock in its estimation trial. He coordinated the preparation and presentation of Garlock’s experts and the challenges to the Asbestos Creditors’ Committee’s experts. With co-counsel, Ray worked on the integration of Garlock’s defense to the merits of the claims with the other aspects of Garlock’s estimation case. The court ruled in Garlock’s favor, finding industrial hygiene evidence Garlock challenged is “pseudo-science at best” and concluding:

It is clear that Garlock’s products resulted in a relatively low exposure to asbestos to a limited population and that its legal responsibility for causing mesothelioma is relatively de minimis.

Ray is AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating in legal ability and ethics. He graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Arts degree (Mathematics) in 1985 and received his Juris Doctor degree from Baylor University in 1988. Ray speaks frequently at public and private conferences on trial tactics, challenging the reliability of expert testimony, and jury research.