Brian P. Voke

BIOGRAPHY

Brian Voke acts as lead trial counsel in the defense and trial of complex products liability, toxic tort, negligence, professional liability, directors & officers, employment and insurance coverage matters. As one of the firm’s principal trial attorneys, Mr. Voke has tried a variety of complex matters in the state and federal courts in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Georgia.

He has more than 30 years experience defending and trying complex litigation for clients such as Axia NetMedia Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Mercedes Benz U.S.A., Nissan Motor Corp., American Honda Motor Company, Allied Waste Services, Tyco International, Ltd., Lafarge North America Inc., and other major corporations. He is also trial counsel for a variety of insurers including Berkley Public Entity Managers, Certain Underwriters at Lloyds, Church Mutual Insurance, Chubb, Burlington Insurance, Verus Underwriting Managers, Navigators Insurance, and Tokio Marine Kiln.

Mr. Voke, who holds a degree in Accounting from Boston College and who previously worked as an accountant, has also defended a wide variety of business litigation matters over the years for directors and officers, brokers and other professionals. Mr. Voke earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law.

Mr. Voke is the Past President of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association and was a Faculty Member at Stanford Law School for the IADC 36th Trial Academy. He is a member of the Product Liability Advisory Council. In 2005 he was the moderator for a one-week program on product liability law for China Pacific Insurance. In 2006, Mr. Voke moderated a one-week program on product liability for the People’s Insurance Company of China in Guangzhou, China. In 2010, he lectured at Lloyd’s of London on “Considerations in Defeating Class Certification in Products Liability Cases in the United States.”

Representative Jury Trial Verdicts

Manuel DeSousa v. Gensco Equipment (1990), Inc.
United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
Issue: Loss of two fingers allegedly caused by defective and unreasonably dangerous alligator shear
Result: Defense Verdict

Benoit v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc.
Norfolk Superior Court, Norfolk, Massachusetts
Issue: Brain damage allegedly caused by goods negligently loaded onto tractor trailer
Result: Defense Verdict

Bartolomeo v. Lynn Ladder & Scaffolding Co., Inc.
Worcester Superior Court, Worcester, Massachusetts
Issue: Blindness allegedly caused by defective ladder
Result: Defense Verdict

Berarducci v. Ford Motor Company
United States District Court, District of Connecticut, Hartford, Connecticut
Issue: Crush injuries allegedly caused by defective transmission
Result: Defense Verdict

Royce v. Ford Motor Company
Hillsborough Superior Court, Southern Division, Nashua, New Hampshire
Issue: Death allegedly caused by defective transmission controls
Result: Defense Verdict

Ramcharran v. Carint
United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
Issue: Degloving injury to hand crushed in printing press
Result: Defense Verdict

Hollis v. Ford Motor Company
United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
Issue: Crush injuries allegedly caused by defective transmission controls
Result: Defense Verdict

Johnson v. National Sea Products Limited
United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
Issue: Crushed hip allegedly caused by improperly packaged goods
Result: Defense Verdict

Saracen v. Figgie International, Inc.
United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
Issue: Major damage to hotel allegedly caused by defective sprinkler system
Result: Defense Verdict

Hoffman v. Ford Motor Company
Norfolk Superior Court, Norfolk, Massachusetts
Issue: Personal injuries allegedly caused by defective seatback
Result: Defense Verdict

Reported Cases

Bower v. Bower, 2011 WL 3702086, (D.Mass. April 05, 2011)
Metlife Auto & Home v. ADT Security Systems, Inc., 2011 WL 1223023, (D.Mass. March 31, 2011)
Bower v. Mirvat El-Nady Bower, 2011 WL 1253897, (D.Mass. March 14, 2011)
Santander Consumer USA Inc. v. Walsh, 762 F.Supp.2d 217, (D.Mass. November 30, 2010)
Turner v. Boyle, 425 B.R. 20, (D.Me. March 29, 2010)
Milward v. Acuity Specialty Products Group, Inc., 664 F.Supp.2d 137, (D.Mass. July 31, 2009)
Tabb v. Journey Freight Internations, 584 F.Supp.2d 334, (D.Mass. September 26, 2008)
American Capital Corp. v. Blixseth, 575 F.Supp.2d 379, (D.R.I. August 21, 2008)
Plunkett v. Valhalla Investment Services, Inc., 409 F.Supp.2d 39, (D.Mass. January 03, 2006)
Tarr v. Werner Ladder Co., 2005 WL 6001395, (D.N.H. October 03, 2005)
Lutts v. Smithkline Beecham Clinical Laboratories, Inc., 1999 WL 102749, (N.D.N.Y. February 24, 1999)
Schubert v. Nissan Motor Corp. in U.S.A., 148 F.3d 25 (1st Cir. 1998)
Johnson v. National Sea Products, Ltd., 35 F. 3d 626 (1st Cir. 1994)
Morrell v. Precise Engineering, Inc., 36 Mass. App. Ct. 935 (1994)
Ramcharran v. Carraro Graphic Equipment, Inc., 823 F. Supp 63 (D.Mass. 1993)
Albano v. Colby College, 822 F.Supp. 840, (D.Me. June 08, 1993)
Boston Helicopter Charter, Inc. v. Agusta Aviation Corp., 767 F. Supp. 363 (D.Mass.1991)
Holbrook v. Andersen Corp., 130 F.R.D. 516, (D.Me. April 26, 1990)

Representative Experience:

Manuel DeSousa v. Gensco Equipment (1990), Inc.
Beverly Shuman v. Temple Ner Tamid, Arlyne Greenspan, and The Religious School Committee
Bower v. El-Nady
Chartier v. Brabender Technologie, Inc.
Cavu Copters v. F&L Helicopter Transport
Metlife Auto & Home v. ADT Security Systems Inc.
Ray v. Mendenhall
Santander Consumer USA v. Walsh
Milward v. Acuity Specialty Products Group, Inc.
Adair v. Land Rover North America, Inc.
Dodson v. Ford Motor Company
Benoit v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc.
Storozuk v. Cumberland Farms, Inc.
Freitas v. Gaudreau and Dazey Corporation
Bedard v. State Industries
Bartolomeo v. Lynn Ladder
Hollis v. Ford Motor Company
Fortune v. Scott Technologies
Berarducci v. Ford Motor Company
Hoffman v. Ford Motor Company
Tabb v. Journey Logistics
Airline Cleared after Passenger Dies on Board
Guiffre v. Penske
Jakubowski v. United Plate Glass
Fringer v. Odesco
Saracen v. FIGGIE Int’
Gonsalves v. Griffin
Safety Insurance v. Honda
Commonwealth v. Doe
Royce v. Ford
Commonwealth v. Doe
Ramcharran v. Carint
Raymaakers v. Caterpillar
Johnson v. National Sea Products
Commonwealth v. Doe
Murphy v. Twichell
Leonard v. Massport
Brown v. Eaton
Walker v. General Motors
Bower v. Bower
Turner v. Boyle
Tabb v. Journey Freight Internations
American Capital Corp. v. Blixseth
Plunkett v. Valhalla Investment Services
Tarr v. Werner Ladder Co.
Lutts v. Smithkline Beecham Clinical Laboratories, Inc.
Schubert v. Nissan Motor Corp. in U.S.A.
Morrell v. Precise Engineering, Inc.
Albano v. Colby College
Boston Helicopter Charter, Inc. v. Agusta Aviation Corp.
Holbrook v. Andersen Corp.

MEMBERSHIPS

• American Bar Association
  • Vice-Chair, Commercial Transportation Litigation Committee
  • Member, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section
  • Member, Intellectual Property Committee
  • Member, Products, General Liability and Consumer Law Committee
• Defense Research Institute
  • Member, Product Liability Committee, 1985 – present
  • Member, Trucking Law Committee
  • Past Chair, Scaffolding, Cranes & Aerial Devices Specialized Litigation Group
• International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Faculty Member, IADC 36th Annual Trial Academy, Stanford Law School, Stanford, California, July 26 – August 1, 2008
  • Member, Product Liability Committee
• Maine State Bar Association
• Massachusetts Bar Association
  • Member, Civil Litigation Section
• Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association
  • President, 2000-2001; Board of Directors, 1990-1999, 2005-2007
• New Hampshire Bar Association
• Rhode Island Bar Association

AWARDS

• AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
• Named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer, 2006 – 2007, 2011 – 2018

Campbell Conroy & O’Neil obtains summary judgment in negligence and breach of warranty action

February 2020

Brian P. Voke and Ashley L. McCormack recently obtained summary judgment in a negligence and breach of warranty case filed in the Suffolk Superior Court. The plaintiff alleged that he sustained internal injuries when he ingested a lobster shell fragment within a lobster roll sold at a McDonald’s restaurant, and brought claims against the franchisee,…

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CC&O represented Axia NetMedia Corporation in the successful appeal of a decision overturning an arbitration award in its favor

PUBLICATIONS

Key Actions in the First 90 Days of a Product Liability Claim

Considerations in Defeating Class Certification in Products Liability Cases in the United States

The Use of Epidemiology in Tort Litigation

The Use of Toxicology in Tort Litigation, A Survey of Federal and State Jursidictions

Ethical Considerations in Alternative Fee Agreements for the Defense Lawyer

The Digital Millenium Act

Practical Consideration in the Use of Demonstrative Evidence, Winning the Defense Verdict

Sources of Proof In Toxic Tort Cases

NEWS

Campbell Conroy & O’Neil is Proud to Announce the Attorneys Named in the 2025 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®

October 2024

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The Best Lawyers in America® 2023 Edition Includes 22 Attorneys from Campbell Conroy & O’Neil

September 2023

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CAMPBELL CONROY & O’NEIL, P.C. CONGRATULATES ITS LAWYERS SELECTED AS 2020 SUPER LAWYERS

September 2020

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CC&O proudly announces its 2019 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars!

June 2019

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Campbell Campbell Edwards & Conroy Sponsors the 2018 Massachusetts Defense Lawyer Association’s Annual Meeting

March 2018

For over 30 years Campbell Campbell Edwards & Conroy, P.C. have been proud supporters and leaders of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyer Association (MDLA). Campbell Campbell Edwards & Conroy congratulates Michelle I. Schaffer, a Member of the firm, for her election to serve as the 2017 – 2018 President of the MDLA. Michelle is the third…

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