Print Page     
Larry E. Cotten
Partner


Practice Areas

  • Civil Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Mass Tort Defense
  • Personal Injury
  • Premises Liability
  • Products Liability
  • Torts
Admissions

  • State Bar of Texas
  • United States District Court
    (all Districts in Texas)
  • United States Court of Appeals,
    Fifth Circuit
  • United States Supreme Court
 
Education

  • J.D., University of Houston Law Center (1979)
  • B.A., Economics, University of Texas (1976)
Martindale-Hubble® Rating: AV

E-mail:
cotten@cottenschmidt.com

420 Throckmorton Street
Suite 500
Fort Worth, Texas 76102

817-338-4500 (Main)
817-288-7140 (Direct Dial)
817-338-4599 (Fax)

General

Larry E. Cotten is a partner in Cotten Schmidt, specializing in litigation, including commercial, toxic tort, premises and products liability. Larry has served as regional and state coordinating counsel and lead counsel for companies with national "mass tort" litigations involving allegations of property damage and personal injury.

Larry has served as trial counsel for DuPont in the Texas premises liability litigation as well as assisting in the silica and benzene litigations. In the work for DuPont, Larry and Cotten Schmidt have served as regional (multi-state) counsel in the successful defense of the TMJ implant litigation. DuPont won every TMJ case that was decided to a final judgment by the courts. FIFTY-SIX (56) courts in a row ruled in favor of DuPont and every appellate court ruling was also in favor of DuPont. A defense judgment or favorable dismissal was entered for DuPont on all of the claims including those in Texas and all other regions for which Cotten Schmidt served as regional counsel.

In the Benlate™ litigation, as a part of winning a trial in Parker County, Texas, Larry and the firm successfully established the acceptance of the Daubert standard in Texas for the admission of expert witness testimony which was adopted by the Texas Supreme Court in E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. v. Robinson, 923 S.W.2d 549 (Tex. 1995)

The firm has worked collaboratively for over a decade with Crowell & Moring, Mehaffy Weber and others in defending DuPont in premises litigation involving claims concerning alleged asbestos exposure. Larry headed Cotten Schmidt trial teams in obtaining no liability trial victories in three wrongful death cases -- one in Victoria County, one in Dallas County and the third working as co-counsel with Mehaffy Weber in Jefferson County where the damages sought were in excess of one billion dollars.

Larry is proud to have been selected to serve as trial counsel for E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, General Electric Co., Griffin, L.L.C., AT&T, TIN, Inc., Amadeus IT Group SA, and The Electric Insurance Company as well as his other clients.
Memberships and Affiliations
  • State Bar of Texas
  • Tarrant County Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
Reported Decisions
  • E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Inc. v. Robinson, 923S.W.2d 549 64 USLW 2047, Prod.Liab.Rep (CCH) P 14,294, 38 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 852 (Rex., Jun 15, 1995) (NO.94 0843).
  • Robinson v. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Inc., 888 S.W.2d 490 (Tex.App. Fort Worth, Jul 06, 1994) (NO. 2 93 251 CV). Subsequent History: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Inc. v. Robinson, 923 S.W.2d 549 (Tex. 1995), reh'g. overruled.
  • Malone v. Carl Kisabeth Co., Inc., 726 S.W.2d 188, 4 UCC Rep.Serv.2d 1075 (Tex.App. Fort Worth, Jan 28, 1987) (NO. 2 85 118 CV).
  • Rimmer v. McKinney, 649 S.W.2d 365 (Tex.App. Fort Worth, Mar 1, 1983) (NO. 2 82 086 CV).
  • Strain v. Harelson Rubber Co., 742 F.2d 888, 40 Fed.R.Serv.2d 104 (5th Cir. (Tex), Oct 01, 1984) (NO. 84 1219).
Other
  • Served in the United States Air Force from 1969 through 1972 as an airborne combat crew member in Southeast Asia. Graduated from the Defense Language Institute West Coast, Presidio of Monterey, California as a Chinese linguist (Mandarin).
 

420 Throckmorton Street, Suite 500, Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Phone: (817) 338-4500 Fax: (817) 338-4599
All contents of this site, unless otherwise noted, are © 2006 Cotten Schmidt, L.L.P.
All Rights Reserved.