John Robinson serves as Regional Oversight Partner for all New England states. While he is admitted to practice in both Massachusetts and Connecticut, he regularly litigates throughout New England and nationwide. John has substantial experience in handling both the pursuit and defense of subrogation claims and leads of the firm’s Subrogation practice group. He also handles a wide range of complex tort and class action matters, with deep experience defending large-scale mass tort litigation, including representing individual physicians in the Nationwide MDL opioid litigation.
- Successfully represented multiple paper mill owners in federal court class action in Maine, obtaining dismissal of all claims alleging that the mills’ discharge of residual PFAS substances into surface water, land and wastewater systems, and contaminated bio-solids spread as fertilizer. Plaintiffs allege this resulted in further PFAS contamination of their groundwater and property, causing serious health risks and property damage.
- Successfully, over the past 20 years, handled the pursuit and defense of large-scale subrogation matters, including a claim involving alleged damages of $200 million.
- Lead trial lawyer securing defense verdict in December 2025 in natural gas explosion product liability case involving catastrophic loss of both legs by Plaintiff in Milwaukee, WI.
- Represents client nationally with respect to explosion and fire loss litigation.
- Represented multiple paper mills in multiple plaintiff action in Maine Superior Court. Allegations very similar to above class-action resulting again in dismissal.
- Recently tried fitness industry personal injury case to recent defense verdict in Massachusetts.
- Recently tried elevator industry case to near verdict dismissal/successful resolution in Connecticut.
- Secured dismissal with prejudice on behalf of a designer and manufacturer of boilers and other power generation equipment in a $40 million lawsuit brought pursuant to the Connecticut Product Liability Act. The utility plaintiff, serving the north-eastern United States, alleged that defects in the client’s product damaged turbines and related power plant equipment. John led the defense team and obtained outright dismissal at the close of fact and expert discovery following the filing of multiple Daubert motions and a motion for summary judgment.
- Turek, et al. v. United Technologies Corp., HHD-CV14-6053742-S (Conn.Super.) (awarded non-suit judgment for discovery violations in multi-plaintiff matter involving alleged hexavalent chromium exposure).
- Represented clients in numerous commercial litigation matters ranging from broker/dealer securities class action litigation, securities fraud litigation, insurance broker/dealer litigation, and other commercial disputes.
- Successfully defended (resulting in a no pay dismissal) aerospace anti-poach class action litigation in Connecticut District Court on behalf of engineering and manufacturing company.
- Represented manufacturer of blood oxygenator in defense of wrongful death claim brought on behalf of the estate of the then 53-year-old director of Yale University’s psychology department.
- Represented a state university and public works department in the northeast in a $20-million multi-party matter alleging defective design and construction of the library on the university’s law school campus.
- Defended thousands of mass/toxic tort claims throughout career including thousands of living malignancy and wrongful death claims.
- Speaker, Double Jeopardy!: Ethics Update 2017, Gordon & Rees New York and Hartford Legal Education Conferences, May 2017
- Speaker, How to Manage and Minimize the Mass in Mass Tort, Gordon & Rees New York Legal Education Conference, May 2016
- Speaker, Litigating Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer (for defense), Current Concepts & Controversies in Asbestos-Related Diseases Course, Massachusetts General Hospital, September 2014
Admissions
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
- U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
Memberships
- State Bar of Connecticut, Member of the Litigation Section Executive Committee (past)
- State Bar of Massachusetts
- International Association of Defense Counsel
- Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association, Board of Directors (past)
- DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar
- Hartford County Bar Association
- Connecticut Bar Foundation, James W. Cooper Fellows
Education
- J.D., cum laude, Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, 1994
- Member, Catholic University Law Review, 1992-1994
- B.S., Catholic University of America, 1990
Honors
- Super Lawyers® distinction, 2006-2007, 2017-2024
- Best Lawyers in America® “Lawyer of the Year” distinction in Product Liability Litigation , Hartford, 2021, 2024
- Best Lawyers in America® distinction in Product Liability Litigation , 2018-2026
*Not admitted to practice in Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont