Biography: Product Liability Defence

Frank Rothrock is a founding partner of Shook, Hardy & Bacon's Orange County office. His background includes experience at both trial and appellate levels. He has represented defendants in litigation involving prosthetic heart valves, orthopedic appliances, breast implants, contraceptive devices, pharmaceuticals, heart-lung machines, ophthalmic instruments, dental appliances and hematology analysers. He has also represented defendants in litigation involving food-borne illness, electric and magnetic fields, and exposure to copper beryllium, asbestos, benzene, and chlorine.

Mr Rothrock is the former chairman of the Orange County Bar Association College of Trial Advocacy. He is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, the Defense Research Institute and the Orange County Bar Association.

Over the past 20 years, Mr Rothrock has lectured extensively on issues concerning product liability and civil procedure. He has been counsel for the defendants in several landmark decisions by the California Supreme Court: San Diego Gas & Electric Co v Superior Court, 55 Cal Rptr 2d 724 (1996); Stangvik v Shiley Inc, 1 Cal Rptr 2d 556 (1991), and a recent decision by the Nevada Supreme Court: Sanchez v Wal-Mart Stores, Inc, 221 P3d 1276 (2009). He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Coif. In 2009, he obtained a US$6.43 million judgment in what appears to be the first decision by an American court to enforce a Chinese judgment (the judgment was recently affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals). Hubei Gezhouba Sanlian Industrial Co, Ltd v Robinson Helicopter Co, 2011 US App LEXIS 6428 (9th Cir 2011).

Mr Rothrock is admitted to practice before the federal and state courts of California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. He is the author of several publications.