James B. Vogts

James Vogts is a partner in the litigation department of Wildman Harrold. His practice spans a variety of industries including chemical, pharmaceutical, large industrial machinery, and firearms, and he has earned a reputation for trying and winning highly publicized, precedent-setting, multi-district commercial cases in federal and state courts across the country. Jim has spent two decades counseling and defending national and international businesses in a wide variety of commercial cases including matters of commercial fraud, trademark infringement, and unfair trade practices claims as well as litigation avoidance issues. He has defended cases in nearly all of the 50 states and has personally tried cases to verdicts in Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. He has substantial experience coordinating and managing the defense of multi-defendant, industry-wide litigation brought by private plaintiffs, state attorney generals, and other governmental agencies and entities.

Representative Experience:

Served as lead joint defense counsel managing a highly publicized case on behalf of 40 firearm manufacturers and distributors in In re Firearms Cases, a case brought by 12 California cities and counties which alleged the defendants’ marketing and distribution practices violated California’s unfair competition law. Successfully argued summary judgment motion in the trial court and the appeal in the California appellate court.
Prosecutes and coordinates nationwide trademark infringement suits on behalf of an international manufacturer of electrical products
Managed nationwide product liability litigation for a self-insured machine manufacturer in the plastics industry for nearly 20 years. Coordinated strategy and defense for cases that often involved highly traumatic injuries and losses and successfully resolved these matters through dismissals and successful defense verdicts.
As counsel for Colt’s Manufacturing Co., Inc., Smith & Wesson, and Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc., served as one of several trial counsel in the precedent-setting six-week trial of Hamilton v. Accutek, et al. in the Eastern District of New York. Achieved favorable jury verdicts, defeating claims that the firearms manufacturers had negligently marketed and distributed their products and facilitated their acquisition by criminals.

Reported Decisions:

Square D Co. v. Breakers Unlimited, Inc., 2010 WL 381334 (S.D. Ind. 2010)
In re Firearms Cases, 126 Cal. App. 4th 959 (2005)
Halliday v. Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc., 770 A. 2d 1072 (Md. App. 2001)
Bolduc v. Colt's Manufacturing Co., Inc., 968 F. Supp. 246 (D. Mass 1997)
Cummins v. Lyle Industries, Inc., 93 F. 3d 362 (7th Cir. 1996)
Cockrell v. Koppers Industries, Inc., 281 Ill. App. 3d 1009 (1996)
Flynn v. Golden Grain Co., 269 Ill. App. 3d 871 (1995)
Smith v. City of Evanston, 260 Ill. App. 3d 925 (1994)
Awkwright Mut. Ins. v. Garrett & West, Inc., 782 F. Supp. 376 (N.D. Ill. 1992)

Professional Associations:

American Bar Association, Committee on First Amendment and Media Litigation

Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (CACP)

Defense Research Institute

Bar Admissions:

Illinois

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Please be aware, if you are not a current client of the firm, the attorney-client privilege does not exist and therefore confidential or sensitive information should not be sent in this email message.

I Understand
Cancel