Cassisa, Jr.

Paul has tried many lawsuits --- in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Texas. His products liability trial experience includes pharmaceutical and medical device cases for Johnson & Johnson, Janssen, McNeil and Ethicon, and automotive cases for General Motors, Mazda and Nissan. 

• Drug & Device Litigation
• Products, Catastrophic & Industrial Litigation
• Drug & Device Litigation - Trials

Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare

Paul is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has been recognized by Lawdragon 500 (Product Liability and Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Litigation), The Best Lawyers in America®, which selected him as Lawyer of the Year for Product Liability Litigation–Defendants in 2013, and Mid-South Super Lawyers. He is AV®-Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®.

He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Loyola University in New Orleans and his B.A., cum laude, and M.J. from Louisiana State University. He is admitted in both Mississippi and Louisiana.

• Lead trial counsel for Johnson & Johnson, Janssen, McNeil and Ethicon in pharmaceutical and medical device products liability cases.
• Lead trial counsel for General Motors, Mazda and Nissan in automotive products liability cases.
• Federal and state court appeals in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Trials

• Anthony v. Genie Industries, Circuit Court of Leflore County, Mississippi (May, 2023).
• Heinrich v Ethicon, USDC of Nevada (February, 2023).
• Richards v. Ethicon, USDC for the Eastern District of Texas (October, 2022).
• McBroom v. Ethicon, USDC of Arizona (September, 2021).
• Salinero v. Ethicon, USDC for the Southern District of Florida (January, 2020).
• Samuels v. Sinha, Chancery Court, Lafayette County, Mississippi (October, 2019).
• Yeager v. Southern Cardiovascular, Circuit Court, Lafayette County, Mississippi (October, 2017).
• Bindom v McNeil, Civil District Court, Orleans Parish, Louisiana (June-July, 2016).
• Broome v General Motors LLC – County Court, Jackson County, Mississippi (July, 2015).
• Taylor v Johnson & Johnson, Circuit Court, Copiah County, Mississippi (November, 2014).
• Lifestyle Homes v A-Tech Engineers – Circuit Court, Desoto County, Mississippi (August and December, 2014) – Arbitration.
• Taylor v Johnson & Johnson – Circuit Court, Copiah County, Mississippi (August, 2014).
• Hunt v. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, USDC for Eastern District of Louisiana (March-April, 2014).
• Esquivel v. Johnson and Johnson, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania (January, 2014).
• Esquivel v. Johnson and Johnson, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania (May, 2013).
• Reckis v. Johnson & Johnson, Superior Court, Plymouth, Commonwealth of Massachusetts (January-February, 2013).
• Maya v. Johnson & Johnson, Court of Common Pleas, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania (March-May, 2011). 
• Hoffpauir v. Linde Lift Truck, USDC, Western District of Louisiana (September, 2009). 
• West v. Drury Company, USDC, Northern District of Mississippi (June, 2009). 
• Doyle v. General Motors Corp., Rapides Parish, Louisiana (March, 2009). 
• Simmons v. General Motors Corp., St. Clair County, Alabama (February, 2009). 
• Bellow v. General Motors Corp., Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana (October, 2007). 
• Burns v. General Motors Corp., Hinds County, Mississippi (September, 2007). 
• Cook v. General Motors Corp., Pearl River County, Mississippi (August, 2007). 
• Jacobs v. General Motors Corp., Morgan County, Alabama (February, 2007). 
• Beckham v. General Motors Corp., Jackson County, Mississippi (October, 2004). 
• Dykes v. General Motors Corp., Shelby County, Tennessee (March-April, 2004). 
• Bennett v. General Motors Corp., Hinds County, Mississippi (October, 2003). 
• Vassar v Mazda Motor of America, Inc., Monroe County, Mississippi (September, 2003). 
• Forbes v. General Motors Corp., Marion County, Mississippi (May, 2003). 
• Caboni v. General Motors Corp., USDC for the Eastern District of Louisiana (May, 2003). 
• Myles v. General Motors Corp., Humphreys County, Mississippi (November, 2002). 
• Williams v. General Motors Corp., Orleans Parish, Louisiana (June – July, 2002). 
• Lewis v. General Motors Corp., Lawrence County, Mississippi (April, 2002). 
• Smith v. General Motors Corp., Greene County, Mississippi (March, 2002). 
• Mulcahy v. General Motors Corp., Elmore County, Alabama (January, 2002).

Reported Cases

• Honeywell, Inc. v. Gibson, 2020 WL 957416 (N.D. Miss. 2020).
• Anthony v. Genie Industries, Inc., 2019 WL 5777385 (N.D. Miss. 2019).
• Salinero v. Johnson & Johnson, Inc., 400 F.Supp.3d 1334 (S.D. Fla. 2019).
• Salinero v. Johnson & Johnson, Inc., 2019 WL 2410076 (S.D. Fla. 2019).
• Johnigan v. Ethicon, Inc., 2018 WL 6335774 (E.D. La. 2018).
• Johnson & Johnson, Inc. v. Fortenberry, 234 So.3d 381 (Miss. 2017).
• Smith v. General Motors Corp., 2017 WL 4582330 (N.D. Miss. 2017).
• Clark v. General Motors LLC, 2017 WL 3581671 (S.D. Miss. 2017).
• Whitaker v. General Motors, 2017 WL 2424717 (E.D. La. 2017).
• Mays v. General Motors, 2017 WL 1398471 (N.D. Ala. 2017).
• Whitaker v. General Motors, 2017 WL 1346271 (E.D. La. 2017).
• Clark v. General Motors LLC, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81831 (N.D. Miss. 2016).
• Thompson v. General Motors LLC, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50411 (N.D. Miss. 2016).
• Moore v. General Motors LLC, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43041 (W.D. Tenn. 2016).
• Moore v. General Motors LLC, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15987 (W.D. Tenn. 2016).
• Underwood v General Motors LLC, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 124774 (M.D. La. 2015), aff’d 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 6201 (5th Cir. 2016).
• Cantrell v. General Motors LLC, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 165614 (N.D. Miss. 2014).
• Thomas v. FireRock Products, LLC, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 86492 (N.D. Miss. June 25, 2014).
• Hunt v. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 39542 (E.D. La. 2014).
• Hunt v. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, U.S. Dist. 14263 (E.D. La. 2014).
• Broome v. General Motors LLC, 145 So.3d 645 (Miss. 2014).
• Kennedy v. UCB Pharmaceuticals, et al, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 113874 (W.D. La. 2014).
• Lucas v. General Motors LLC, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 111272 (W.D. La. 2014).
• Hunt v. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 61955 (E.D. La. 2014).
• Jones v. Polaris Industries, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40354 (N.D. Miss. 2013).
• Steede v. General Motors LLC, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 184873 (W.D. Tenn. 2012), aff’d 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5557 (W.D. Tenn. 2013).
• Woolens v. Merck & Co., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 176692 (E.D. La. 2012). 
• Steede v. General Motors LLC, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 184628 (W.D. Tenn. 2012).
• Harris v. Merck & Co., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157079 (W.D. La. 2012).
• Hunt v. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 151318 (E.D. La. 2012).
• Hunt v. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150071 (E.D. La. 2012).
• Hunt v. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96557 (E.D. La. 2012).
• Hunt v. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 86950 (E.D. La. 2012).
• Graham v. Hamilton, 872 F. Supp.2d 529, 2012 U.S. Dist. 71962 (W.D. La. 2012).
• Postley v. General Motors, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 10865 (5th Cir. 2012).
• Graham v. Hamilton, 2012 U.S. Dist. 52492 (W.D. La. 2012).
• Steede v. General Motors LLC, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81103 (W.D. Tenn. 2012), aff’d 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79465 (W.D. Tenn. 2012).
• Steede v. General Motors LLC, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81292 (W.D. Tenn. 2012), aff’d 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79467 (W.D. Tenn. 2012).
• Graham v. Hamilton, 2012 U.S. Dist. 35316 (W.D. La. 2012), rev’d 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35322 (W.D. La. 2012). 
• Murray v. General Motors, LLC, 2011 WL 52559, rehearing denied, 2011 WL 3684517 (S.D. Miss. 2011), aff'd Murray v General Motors LLC, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 11323 (5th Cir. 2012). 
• West v. Drury Co., 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS1308 (5th Cir. 2011). 
• Rutledge v. Harley-Davidson Motor Co., 2009 WL 1635762 (S.D. Miss. 2009) aff’d 2010 WL 445498 (5th Cir. 2010). 
• Richardson v. General Motors Corp., 2009 WL 2487379 (N.D. Miss. 2009). 
• Brown v. General Motors Corp., 4 So.3d 400 (Miss. App. 2009). 
• Forbes v. General Motors Corp., 993 So.2d 822 (Miss. 2008). 
• Washington v. General Motors Corp., 2008 WL 1782344 (N.D. Miss. 2008). 
• Green-Johnson v. Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 2008 WL 941708 (E.D. La. 2008). 
• Roy v. Optima Batteries, Inc., 2008 WL 1968326 (W.D. La. 2008). 
• Lowery v. General Motors Corp., 2007 WL 4374291 (W.D. La. 2007). 
• Palmer v. State, ex rel. Dept. of Transp. and Development, 2006 WL 3110610 (La. App. 1st Cir. 2006). 
• Caboni v. General Motors Corp., 398 F.3d 357 (5th Cir. 2005). 
• General Motors Corp. v. Myles, 905 So.2d 535 (Miss. 2005). 
• Noah v. General Motors Corp., 882 So.2d 235 (Miss. App. 2004) cert. denied 882 So.2d 772 (Miss. 2004). 

• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Lawdragon, 500 Leading Litigators in America, Product Liability, Pharmaceutical & Medical Device, 2022, 2024-2025
• Best Lawyers in America®
  • Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, 2013-2025
  • Lawyer of the Year, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, 2013, 2020, 2022, 2024
• Super Lawyers®
  • Mid-South Super Lawyers, Personal Injury – Products: Defense, 2012-2021, 2023
  • Top 50: Memphis Super Lawyers, 2013
  • Top 50: Mississippi Super Lawyers, 2013
• Martindale-Hubbell®
  • AV®– Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
• Benchmark Litigation
  • Member of the team selected as nationwide Product Liability Firm of the Year, 2018

• Mississippi, 1986
• Louisiana, 1985
• U.S. District Courts
• Florida: Northern
• Tennessee: Western
• Louisiana: Western, Middle, Eastern
• Mississippi: Northern, Southern
• U.S. Court of Appeals
• 5th Circuit

• Louisiana State University, M.J., 1991
• Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1985
  • Loyola Law Review
• Louisiana State University, B.A., Journalism, cum laude, 1982

• Louisiana State Bar Association
• Mississippi Bar Association

• Panelist, "Trial Lawyer Roundtable," Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 2022.
• Presenter, (Tailoring Your Experiences, Resume and CV to Fit the Job): University of Mississippi Black Law Student Association Professional Symposium, Oxford, MS, October 27, 2018.
• Co-Author of Mississippi Section of DRI’s Products Liability Defenses, A State-by-State Compendium, 2014 and 2017.
• Presenter, (Opening Statements), "Trial Tactics," DRI in Miami FL, March 13, 2014.
• Speaker, "Insight into Effective Trial Techniques," Sirote & Permutt CLE in Birmingham, Ala., December 2009.