Lovett, John

Chris Lopata handles complex and general civil litigation, specializing in product liability, toxic torts, credit reporting, and a wide range of business litigation. As part of Jones Day's national representations of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Sherwin-Williams, Chris has appeared in state and federal courts across the country in actions related to tobacco and lead pigment in paint. Chris has served as lead trial counsel for an array of commercial disputes in New York State courts. Chris also has counseled clients who have sought and obtained favorable settlements in non-trial bound business disputes.

Chris has substantial experience, during both pretrial and trial phases, defending against complex damages claims. In the course of coordinating damages defenses for clients and codefendants in joint defense groups, Chris has developed considerable knowledge of complex issues such as market share and other collective liability theories, public and private nuisance, class actions, medical monitoring, unfair trade practices, and governmental accounting. In 2006, Chris successfully obtained dismissal of all alleged compensatory damages, totaling tens of millions of dollars, which were being sought by the state of Rhode Island in a public nuisance action.

Chris has identified, worked closely with, and developed a wide range of expert witnesses, including accountants, economists, statisticians, historians, and chemists. Chris has extensive experience coordinating the use of computer litigation support and record collection services. Though most of Chris's experience is in the civil arena, he has also handled pro bono criminal matters, including State of New York v. LaPorte, 306 A.D.2d 93, 762 N.Y.S.2d 55 (1st Dep't 2003), in which he obtained a unanimous reversal of conviction and a new trial for a client sentenced to 12 years in prison for armed robbery.

Prior to joining Jones Day, Chris worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Business News. He has also reported for the CBS Morning News, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Business Journal, and the St. Louis Riverfront Times.

He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and the New York State Bar Association.