Thomas Gressette, Jr.

Thomas Gressette, Jr. Personal Injury Lawyer

Rating:

Firm Summary

Tom is an experienced litigator who has handled complex cases in federal and state courts around the country.  He represents parties in all types of litigation ranging from business tort cases to contractual disputes to personal injury, including any necessary appeals.  Tom also knows the ins and outs of several unique types of cases; specifically, Tom represents all types of entities regulated by the South Carolina Public Service Commission.  These cases include water/sewer utility ratemaking cases, a wide range of regulatory proceedings, and matters involving solar and renewable energy projects.  Tom also routinely represents clients in cases under the jurisdiction of the South Carolina Administrative Law Court, including environmental permitting matters and other issues regulated by the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC).

Mr. Gressette represents plaintiffs in pharmaceutical and medical device cases, most of which are filed in federal court and assigned to respective Multidistrict Litigations (MDLs).  However, Tom’s MDL experience is not limited to personal injury claims.  In fact, Tom was actively involved in MDL 1358 in the Southern District of New York involving Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE).  In those cases, Tom was appointed Special Counsel to the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey and represented the State of New Jersey as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.  Tom is currently representing several defendants in MDL 2873 regarding Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Products that plaintiffs allege contaminated groundwater near sites where the products were used to extinguish liquid fuel fires in the past.

Tom’s experience in these cases managing and coordinating discovery involving multiple parties and across numerous government agencies allows him to identify then implement efficient and strategic discovery plans.  Always with an eye toward trial and the necessary elements of proof, Tom’s approach to discovery is to streamline the pretrial exchanges of information necessary to protect his clients’ interests.

He is AV-Rated, the highest rating offered by Martindale-Hubbell®.  Tom is also recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for his work in Administrative and Regulatory cases as well as Commercial Litigation.

Originally from Florence, South Carolina, Tom has practiced law in Charleston for almost two decades. He is involved in the legal community and currently serves on the Board of the South Carolina Bar Foundation and is a member of the James L. Petigru American Inn of Court.  He is also a trained vocalist who has performed in a variety of venues, including as a soloist with the South Carolina’s Masterworks Choir and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

PRACTICE AREAS:
Commercial Litigation, Business and Contract Litigation, Utility Ratemaking, Administrative Law Proceedings, Condemnation, Multi-District Litigation (MDLs), Products Liability, Personal Injury Litigation, Toxic Exposure, Professional Liability, Business Torts, Broker-Dealer Liability, Mediator, Arbitrator, Special Referee

MEDIATION + ARBITRATION + SPECIAL REFEREE:
Tom believes in the power of Alternative Dispute Resolution and is a certified mediator.  He also works as a special referee pursuant to agreement of the parties to a case or by referral of a case from the presiding judge.

EDUCATION:
Clemson University, cum laude, 1993
University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1997

CLERKSHIP:
The Honorable C. Weston Houck, United States District Court Judge, District of South Carolina

BAR ADMISSIONS:
South Carolina
United States Virgin Islands
United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Supreme Court

CERTIFICATIONS:
South Carolina Council of Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (certified mediator)

HONORS:
John R. Holland Scholarship for Outstanding Commitment to Leadership and Extracurricular Activities
Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award
University of South Carolina School of Law “Compleat Lawyer” Award
AV rating, Martindale-Hubbell®

LEGAL + COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES:
Federal Bar Association
SC Chapter Board Member 2016 – 2019
National Professional Ethics Committee, 2010 – 2012
Fourth Circuit Vice President, 2008 – 2010
SC Chapter President 2007-2008
South Carolina Bar
South Carolina Bar Foundation, Board Member, 2020 —
Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section Board, 2015 – 2017
Bar H.E.L.P. Task Force, 2008 – 2010
Lawyers Helping Lawyers Committee, 2000 – 2001
Quality of Life Committee, 2000 – 2001
Inaugural Member, James L. Petigru Inn of Court, Charleston School of Law
Director of Programming, 2011 – 2012
Former Adjunct Professor, Charleston School of Law
Federal Pleadings and Practice
Criminal Law

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
The Enforceability of Step-Down Provisions in Automobile Insurance Policies, co-authored with Professor Constance A. Anastopoulo, 48 Mitchell Hamline Law Review 539 (2022)

The Heightened Pleading Standard of Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly and Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 58 Drake Law Review 401 (2010)

Teaching Privacy in the Age of Octomom, co-authored with Professor Constance A. Anastopoulo, 44 Valparaiso University Law Review 391 (2010)