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Robert R. Hatten Speaker at CNU Commencement 2020/2021 PWHD’s Robert “Bobby” Hatten, Lead Trial Lawyer for the Asbestos Litigation Team, and Rector of Christopher Newport University, recently spoke at CNU’s commencement for both the 2020 and 2021 graduating classes. As a result of COVID-19, the class of 2020’s commencement ceremony did not occur until May of 2021, and the class of 2021’s commencement occurred the following weekend. Hatten’s commencement speech emphasized that graduates of both classes should be commended for enduring the challenges that the pandemic brought in 2020 and 2021 for academic success yet graduates still persevered against serious adversity and came out better prepared for their next challenge post-graduation. PWHD is a proud supporter of CNU. Read more about PWHD’s leadership and service to CNU, as well as other community contributions . Get to know more about Bobby Hatten .

Free Case Evaluation We ask that you complete as many questions below as possible, so our skilled attorneys are able to best understand your particular needs. If you require immediate assistance, please call us at (757) 223-4500 . First Name Last Name Phone Email Please select a litigation area that pertains to your issue/case: Asbestos Employment & Labor Personal Injury & Wrongful Death Products Liability Whistleblower / Qui Tam Workers' Compensation Other What injury, illness, or issue do you have? Submit

ASBESTOS LITIGATION What Did Companies Know? Read More ​ Asbestos Exposure What is Asbestos? What is Mesothelioma? Occupations at Risk Ship Builders, and Navy Veterans Asbestos Disease Claims Contact Us By the 1920s, the non-malignant disease of asbestosis, was known to kill or disable workers. By the 1940s, major medical journals began publishing articles linking asbestos to cancer. But companies continued to use the mineral in manufacturing and construction, failing to inform the public of the serious health risks associated with asbestos. Throughout 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, major journals published articles on asbestosis and how to protect workers and control the release of asbestos dust. And by the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, reports of a previously unheard-of asbestos cancer, mesothelioma, were published. If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos related disease like Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer, or Asbestosis, call us at 757-223-4545 ​ for a free consultation. You can also fill out our contact form for a free case evaluation. Asbestos Litigation Attorneys Robert R. Hatten Contact PWHD Hugh B. McCormick, III. Jean nette M. Dodson-O'Connell Geoffr ey R. Grau

PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION Talc Read More ​ Products Liability Home Asbestos Benzene Exposure Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit CPAP Machines Hernia Mesh Medical Devices Paraquat and Parkinson’s Disease Roundup Sunscreen and Benzene Zantac Contact Us Talcum powder (Talc) has been used for decades in a wide variety of consumer products. Because these consumer products were part of the cosmetic and fragrance industry, they were largely outside of the regulatory authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Key companies using talc in consumer products include Johnson & Johnson, Colgate Palmolive, Chanel, Claire, and Beauty plus, among others. ​ What is Talc? Like asbestos, talc is a rock that is mined from the ground. Because talc and asbestos are similar minerals, asbestos typically is found intermingled with talc. Talc is mined through blasting and open pit mining, and it is impossible to separate asbestos fibers from talc during the mining process or during the subsequent refining process. Nevertheless, the cosmetic and fragrance industry lobbied hard to avoid FDA regulation and to convince the FDA that there was no asbestos contamination in cosmetic talc. We now know that the cosmetic industry relied on tests of talc that did not have the sensitivity to find asbestos and that talc products have been contaminated with asbestos for decades. ​ There is no safe level for asbestos. The asbestos contamination in talc has been proven to cause mesothelioma and cancers of the reproductive organs, such as ovarian cancer. ​ If you have mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, or another cancer of the reproductive organs, and you routinely used a talc product throughout your life, contact us . We can help. Products Liability Attorneys Robert R. Hatten Contact PWHD Hugh B. McCormick, III. Jean nette M. Dodson-O'Connell Daniel R. O. Long

In remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr., the attorneys and staff at Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein, LC, extend our sincerest gratitude for the achievements of Martin Luther King, Jr. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., our office will be closed on Monday, January 16th, 2023. We look forward to assisting you when our office re-opens on Tuesday, January 17th, 2023.

PRINCIPLES & VALUES PWHD believes that everyone is entitled to prompt, courteous, accurate and ethical legal advice on fair terms. We want to partner with our clients to obtain the very best results possible for the client, depending on the client’s needs and desires. This requires direct, open and honest communication and cooperation between our attorneys, staff members and clients. We endeavor to communicate with our clients on a timely basis, return their phone calls and inquiries promptly, and keep them fully involved in the conduct of their cases. ​ PWHD has a solid appreciation for the civil justice system and right of jury trial. We believe that all people should have the right to request a trial by a jury of their peers, and that they should be able to have their day in court. If your case is one that should be tried, we will represent you zealously and to the best of our ability. If we believe that an option other than trial may be better for your case, we will candidly and respectfully discuss that option with you. ​ Finally, PWHD believes that we have an obligation to support our community and neighbors through various volunteer and not-for-profit enterprises. As a firm, we are constantly learning, growing and seeking ways to improve our services to our clients and community. Through these activities we hope to help at risk children and other vulnerable members of our community to grow and thrive. PWHD History PWHD News

HUGH B. McCORMICK, III PARTNER Hugh McCormick is a first chair trial lawyer and partner with Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein, LC, where he represents individuals and families whose lives have been devastated by mesothelioma and other asbestos related lung diseases. Mr. McCormick has litigated and tried cases involving mesothelioma in state and federal courts for over 20 years, and he has served on numerous trial teams that have achieved multi-million dollar verdicts for hardworking shipyard workers and navy sailors. Two of these verdicts were reported in Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly as “Virginia’s Largest Verdicts” for 2008 (#10) and 2010 (#5). Mr. McCormick grew up in Newport News, and has lived on the Virginia peninsula for over 45 years. Because of this background, he has had the privilege of representing friends, neighbors, church members, and parents of school mates who have been victimized by corporate indifference and greed. Education: Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit College of Law - Juris Doctor Washington & Lee University - Bachelor of Science Biology ​​ Admissions: Supreme Court of Virginia United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia ​ Honors: Best Lawyers in America (2021 & 2022) Awarded "AV" by Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory Super Lawyers ​ Associations: Virginia State Bar American Association for Justice Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (Board of Governors 2006-2010) Newport News Bar Association Email: hughmccormick@pwhd.com Phone: (757) 223-4556 Practice Areas: Asbestos Litigation Benzene Exposure CPAP Machines Hernia Mesh Jones Act Litigation Maritime Litigation Paraquat and Parkinson’s Disease Roundup Litigation Sunscreen and Benzene Talc Litigation Workers Compensation Zantac vCard Contact

2023 Best Lawyers Honorees According to Best Lawyers, "Only the top 5.3% of all practicing lawyers in the U.S. were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 29th edition of The Best Lawyers in America." Donald N. Patten Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs Robert R. Hatten 2023 "Lawyer of the Year" for Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs in Norfolk Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs Hugh B. McCormick, III Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs James H. Shoemaker, Jr. Employment Law - Individuals Litigation - Labor and Employment ​

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ASBESTOS LITIGATION Occupations at Risk Read More ​ Asbestos Exposure What is Asbestos? What is Mesothelioma? What did Companies Know? Ship Builders, and Navy Veterans Asbestos Disease Claims Contact Us Anyone who comes into contact with asbestos dust and fibers may be at risk. However, certain occupations have shown a high incidence of asbestos related disease due to their consistent and regular work with asbestos products. If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos related disease like Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer, or Asbestosis, call us at 1-800-459-1881 or locally at 757-223-4545 ​ for a free consultation. You can also fill out our contact form ​ for a free case evaluation. Workers including shipyard and Navy machinists, pipefitters, insulators, boiler tenders, and steamfitters at local shipyards and Navy installations. These workers used asbestos gaskets, packing, boiler refractories, pumps, valves, distilling units and other asbestos-containing equipment. These workers used asbestos gaskets, packing, boiler refractories, pumps, valves, distilling units and other asbestos-containing equipment. Operators and maintenance workers at large industrial plants such as refineries, paper mills, and other factories used the same products. The construction workers were also exposed through a variety of construction materials including asbestos-containing tile, roofing, drywall compound, asbestos-cement pipe, electrical components and other materials used on both residential and commercial sites. In addition to the foregoing occupational exposure, however, there have been many instances of “take-home” exposure through dust brought home on workers’ clothes and personal belongings. Many of these cases have arisen in our own community. Automobile mechanics were also routinely exposed to asbestos dust and fibers from brake and clutch pads, gaskets and other asbestos products during the normal and routine maintenance of cars, trucks, trailers, cranes and other heavy equipment. ​ If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with an asbestos related disease like Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer, or Asbestosis, call us at 1-800-459-1881 or locally at 757-223-4545 ​ for a free consultation. You can also fill out our contact form ​ for a free case evaluation. Asbestos Litigation Attorneys Robert R. Hatten Contact PWHD Hugh B. McCormick, III. Jean nette M. Dodson-O'Connell Geoffr ey R. Grau

ROBERT (BOBBY) R. HATTEN PARTNER Robert ("Bobby") R. Hatten is a pioneer and national leader in the field of asbestos litigation. Hatten served as a law clerk to the Honorable John A. MacKenzie in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. In late 1973, he joined the law firm of Patten & Wornom and was made Partner in 1976. From 1991 to 2019, Hatten served as the Managing Partner of Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein, L.C. Hatten began the representation of workers with asbestos disease in 1975, when he filed the first asbestos disability and death claims in the history of the state of Virginia against the Newport News Shipyard for workers’ compensation benefits under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. In 1976, Hatten and his co-counsel, Gene Locks of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Richard Glasser of Norfolk, Virginia, filed the first asbestos product liability claims in Virginia against more than 40 asbestos manufacturers and suppliers. In June 1978, Hatten and his co-counsel successfully prosecuted the first mesothelioma jury trial in Virginia (and only the third successful asbestos trial in the nation at that time) with a verdict against Johns-Manville Corporation in the amount of $750,000. From that time until the present, Hatten’s practice has been devoted exclusively to the representation of asbestos victims. He has published articles concerning asbestos litigation in the Washington & Lee University Law Review, the VTLA Journal, the Texas Lawyer, and the Washington Legal Times. His accomplishments include the first successful consolidation of more than 1,000 lawsuits, the first national settlement program with the asbestos industry, the first Virginia punitive damage jury verdict against the asbestos industry (1991) and the largest punitive damage verdict in an asbestos case (2011). For 6 consecutive years, Hatten’s verdicts against the asbestos industry were listed in the Top 10 Verdicts for the state of Virginia. These included the following multi-million dollar verdicts for mesothelioma victims: $7,500,000 (2016); $25,000,000 (2011); $5,977,482 (2010); $3,800,000 (2009); $4,390,000 (2008); $9,300,000 (2007); and $10,000,000 (2006). In 2006 Hatten won the landmark case of Jones v. John Crane in the Virginia Supreme Court which established that admiralty jurisdiction and maritime law applied to the claims of all shipyard and Navy asbestos victims. This legal precedent established the rights of family members of mesothelioma victims to receive compensation for the pain and suffering of their loved one after their death, it lessened the burden of proof for establishing liability of asbestos manufacturers, it extended the time allowed for filing asbestos lawsuits and it provides that the liberal remedies of maritime law would control the rights of shipyard and Navy asbestos victims--not state law. Email: rrhatten@pwhd.com Phone: (757) 223-4546 Practice Areas: Asbestos Litigation Toxic Tort Litigation (Carcinogens) Benzene​ Camp Lejeune Chemical Hair Straightener Pesticides Talc vCard Contact Education: Washington & Lee University Law School - Juris Doctor Hampden-Sydney College - Bachelors ​ Admissions: Supreme Court of Virginia Supreme Court of United States United States Court of Appeals ​ Honors: Best Lawyers in America (2001 - Present) Super Lawyers (2006 - Present) Best Lawyer of the Year in Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs 2023 Best Lawyer of the Year in Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs 2022 Best Lawyer of the Year in Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs 2015 and 2019 Best Lawyer of the Year in Personal Injury Litigation 2012 Rector of the Board of Visitors of Christopher Newport University and Member of the Board of Visitors since 2015 Chairman of the Board of Soundscapes for 12 years Consistently received highest rating of Martindale-Hubbell for thirty years Former Campaign Chair and Chairman of the Board of the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula Previously received the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Community and Justice Previously Johns-Manville Bankruptcy Reorganization Committee Member Previously Pittsburgh Corning Corporation Bankruptcy Reorganization Committee member Previously Chairman of the Litigation Section of the Multi-District Asbestos Litigation in Philadelphia, PA Previously Liaison to Congress for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America on asbestos-related matters Formerly served on the Board of Directors of the VTLA Former recipient of the first award for Courageous Advocacy from the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Previously designated by Virginia Lawyers Weekly as one of the top seven Leaders in the Law of Virginia Served on the Board of Trustees of St. Andrews Episcopal School Served on the Board of the Trustees for Hampden-Sydney College Served on the General Samuel V. Wilson Leadership Center at Hampden-Sydney College Served on the Board of Trustees for the Lexington Theological Seminary Founder of Operation Santa Co-Founder of the Virginia Asbestos Victims, Inc. ​ Associations: American Associate for Justice (fka American Trial Lawyers Association) Southern Trial Lawyers Association National Trial Lawyers International Association of Trial Lawyers

Mesothelioma Awareness Day Read More ​ Asbestos Litigation What is Asbestos? What is Mesothelioma? What did Companies Know? Occupations at Risk Ship Builders, and Navy Veterans Asbestos Disease Claims Contact Us This Sunday is Mesothelioma Awareness Day. In 2012, Virginia’s General Assembly designated September 26 as Mesothelioma Awareness Day in Virginia, to promote public awareness of the dangers of this deadly cancer and of asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer which develops in the mesothelium, the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs and is caused by asbestos exposure. ​ Many veterans as well as individuals who worked in shipyards, power plants, refineries, railroads, factories and other industrial settings were exposed to asbestos during the course of their employment and are at risk for contracting mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, including lung cancer and asbestosis. Housewives and children who lived with family members who worked in these industries are also at risk for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. ​ If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, you can discuss your potential claim with us at NO COST by calling us at 1-800-459-1881 or locally at 757-223-4545 for a free consultation, or fill out our contact form . We will come to you. Asbestos Litigation Attorneys Robert R. Hatten Contact PWHD Hugh B. McCormick, III. Jean nette M. Dodson-O'Connell Daniel R. O. Long Geoffr ey R. Grau