John Galvin | Partner

Admissions: Missouri | Illinois

Practice Areas: Complex Litigation | Product Liability | Environmental Law | Pharmaceutical Litigation | Commercial Litigation | Class Action

Education: Washington U. (J.D.), '86 | Marquette U. (B.A.), '82
Certification for Mediation Training for Civil Cases, University of Missouri, Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution (2010).

Peer Ratings and Recognition: Martindale Hubble AV rated | Missouri Super lawyers 5+ years

Contact: p: 314.588.7000 x 112 | f: 314.588.1965 | e: JGalvin@FoxGalvin.com

Biography:
John Galvin has obtained newsworthy results for major US and international clients in litigation at the local, regional, and national levels. He has taken cases to verdict in some of the most challenging state and federal courts, winning over 90% of the cases he has tried. These include cases involving catastrophic injury alleging defects in a variety of products, from automobiles to construction equipment to farm implements, as well as various business litigation claims. When the judges of the Circuit Court for the City of St. Louis needed a lawyer to represent them in a dispute with a state governmental agency, they hired John. He successfully argued the case before the Missouri Supreme Court, bringing home a victory for the Circuit Court judges.

John's trial experience has led to him being asked to serve as a member of national trial teams in major pieces of litigation, including:

  • MTBE Product liability litigation for Shell Oil Company
  • Baycol Litigation for GlaxoSmithKline
  • Hemophilia/AIDS litigation for Baxter Healthcare

In addition to these roles, John has been involved in leadership roles in other MDL litigation, including In re: Yasmin/Yaz, In re: Lawnmower Engine Horsepower, and In re: Genetically Modified Rice. In the genetically modified rice litigation, John was retained as National Settlement Counsel, charged with the job of resolving over 8,000 claims alleging economic losses due to a decline in the price of US long grain rice, with the alleged damages in the billions of dollars.

Working with a team of Fox Galvin lawyers, John has also successfully defeated a number of class action cases, including:

  • Reversal of a "drive by" nationwide class action brought against an auto manufacturer
  • Dismissal of a putative nationwide Madison County class action alleging billing fraud
  • Denial of class certification in a St. Louis case alleging fraud in taxicab charges
  • Denial of class certification by an MDL judge in the S.D. of New York involving groundwater contamination

John's involvement in environmental litigation includes cases involving oil refineries, underground storage tanks, nuclear fuels facilities, and gasoline pipelines. He has litigated matters involving both air and water claims, under a variety of federal and state statutes, as well as common law personal injury and property damage claims. He has been retained, for example, by an oil company to defend government and neighborhood claims brought relating to a 1988 release of over 100,000 gallons of gasoline from a pipeline.

John and his wife Suzanne are also the founders of New Commandment Ministries, a Christian charitable organization dedicated to helping children at risk, providing projects for education, medical and vocational training both here and abroad. John has participated in five mission trips to Nairobi, Kenya, where NCM has started medical clinics, built school classrooms and kitchens, and initiated sewing and computer labs. Additionally, John works as a Chaplain, certified in disaster response counseling, with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and has been deployed to earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and shootings to provide emotional and spiritual care for victims of crises.