Rick is a seasoned trial lawyer who defends companies when the stakes are high, the facts are complex, and the path to resolution demands a disciplined litigation strategy.
Rick leads Husch Blackwell’s Mass Tort & Product Liability practice group. He helps companies turn complex litigation portfolios into more manageable business risks, bringing greater consistency, cost control, and predictability to both individual cases and the portfolio as a whole. Rick works closely with in-house legal teams to develop practical defense strategies aligned with each client’s risk profile and business objectives, helping clients determine where to resolve and where to try cases.
Rick serves as National Coordinating Counsel and trial counsel in hundreds of cases involving alleged silica exposure from the fabrication and installation of quartz countertops. He also serves as National Counsel for a manufacturer of talc-containing products and as trial counsel in litigation involving asbestos, herbicides, and other alleged toxic exposures. Across these matters, Rick represents companies in the petrochemical, agricultural, construction, and automotive industries in claims involving mesothelioma, other malignancies, silicosis, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death.
A critical part of Rick’s trial strategy is developing and preparing expert teams. He works with defense experts to build clear, credible testimony and develops strategies for challenging opposing experts, helping clients address the scientific and technical issues that can drive both case outcomes and broader portfolio risk. His recent trial experience includes matters involving artificial stone countertops, herbicides, talc, and premises liability claims. In particular, Rick was co-lead trial counsel in a case recognized by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as a “Top Defense Verdict” and has been a member of the trial team in two major defense wins in cases involving a popular herbicide.
As a member of the firm’s Complex Torts (CXT) and Innovāt Alliance National Asbestos Defense teams, Rick helps clients move beyond case-by-case defense toward coordinated, portfolio-wide strategies. He combines claim evaluation, historical investigation, shared intelligence, and consistent execution across multiple jurisdictions to help clients strengthen their position across the litigation portfolio.
Whether managing a large litigation portfolio or preparing a high-risk matter for trial, Rick focuses on the outcomes that matter most to clients: disciplined spending, efficient resolution, consistent decision-making, and a defense strategy that supports long-term risk management. His goal is not to try every case, but to help clients make deliberate decisions about which matters warrant investment, which should be resolved efficiently, and which need to be tried. When trial is the right strategy, Rick brings the preparation, expert strategy, and courtroom experience necessary to pursue the client’s objectives.