E. Ralph Walker, Of Counsel

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With more than thirty-five years of significant trial experience on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants, Ralph Walker serves as an integral member of the Baudino Litigation Team.  He draws on that experience to provide strategic direction for the firm’s litigation matters.  Ralph directly supports Karin Middleton, Baudino’s lead litigator and serves as a mentor to the junior members of the team.

Prior to joining Baudino in 2004, Ralph’s practice focused almost exclusively on product liability, mass torts, class actions, and  commercial litigation, involving such products as tobacco, diet pills and asbestos.  As a result, he has developed multi-jurisdictional experience with issues of strict liability, negligence, breach of  warranty, fraud, conspiracy and punitive damages.  In addition to complex litigation, Ralph handled numerous medical and allied staff matters and physician licensure issues. 

Ralph is also deeply involved in several current litigation cases including Civil, Government Regulatory and Antitrust defense.  Moreover, he partners with Jan Gibson on all types of insurance matters for our healthcare clients, including coverage, Directors & Officers Liability, general liability, bad faith claims, denials and risk evaluation.

Ralph prides himself on his passion for the law.  That passion, coupled with his extensive experience, continually proves to be an invaluable resource for the firm and its healthcare clients.

RECENT REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

  • Served on litigation team that successfully defended Antitrust case against a hospital client that was dismissed by the District Court, now vigorously defending on appeal against plaintiff’s claims.  Provided complex litigation advice.
  • Successfully defended a hospital client against three, non-merit class action suits for hospital billing practices.

CAREER EXPERIENCE

  • Negotiated a $14 MM settlement with Amana, regarding a defective furnace class action suit.
  • Negotiated a $10 MM settlement of thirty cases regarding Fen-Phen diet pills.
  • Successfully prosecuted the case against the Tobacco industry on behalf of the State of Iowa, resulting in a $1.7B settlement.
  • Defended and settled over 10,000 tire worker/asbestos cases.
  • Defended asbestos manufacturing clients in over 250 jury trials in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard litigation.
  • Defended the first national soft tissue sarcoma/dioxin case for a Fortune 500 client resulting in a pre-trial dismissal.
  • Medicaid recovery action against the Tobacco Industry.
  • Product Liability/Asbestos Defense work in Iowa, Illinois, & Pennsylvania.
  • Product Liability, Mass Torts, Class Actions:  cigarettes, diet pills, asbestos, furnaces, agriculture  processing equipment, toxic chemicals and substances, industrial manufacturing equipment, construction materials and chemical efficacy matters.
  • Commercial Litigation

EDUCATION

  University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (J.D., 1972)

  Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (B.A., 1969 Cum Laude)

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  American Bar Association

  American Health Lawyers Association

  Iowa State Bar Association

Polk County Bar Association

Pennsylvania State Bar Association

C. Edwin Moore American Inn of Court

LECTURER

  European Community, London, England
          Topics:  trial tactics, risk management, punitive  damages, insurance coverage, and
          legal case load management technology.

  MINESAFE Convention, Perth, Australia
          Topic:  the importance of monitoring and investigating third party screening to prevent product liability litigation.