R. Dean Gresham

Attorney Profile

Top Rated Personal Injury Attorney in Dallas, TX

Steckler Gresham Cochran PLLC
 | 12720 Hillcrest Rd, Dallas, TX 75230
Visit: http://www.greshampc.com
Phone: 972-833-8328
Fax: 972-387-4041
Selected To Super Lawyers: 2013 - 2020
Selected To Rising Stars: 2009 - 2013
Licensed Since: 2000
Practice Areas:
  • Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff (70%),
  • Personal Injury - Products: Plaintiff (10%),
  • Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff (10%),
  • Class Action/Mass Torts: Plaintiff (10%)
Languages Spoken:
  • English,
  • Spanish
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    Attorney Profile

    I am relentless in fighting for justice for my clients that have been injured or killed by the wrongful conduct of others.  I have faced off against some of the largest corporations in the country and won.  I bring a unique approach to litigation that helps me see solutions where other lawyers see problems.  I often take on and turn around legal cases that have often been turned down by other lawyers. Over my career, I’ve found that applying a creative, outside-the-box approach to these complex legal issues makes all the difference for my clients.

    My practice is focused on catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation across the country that arises from negligence, gross negligence, defective products, corporate greed, premises liability, malpractice, and toxic torts.

    I began my legal career defending companies that were sued for causing injuries.  After two years, I saw first-hand the greed and dishonesty of big corporations and insurance companies, and I switched sides to only represent people that were injured and needed a voice. 

    I am honored to have been chosen by my peers to receive many awards and accolades, including, among others:

    • One of the Best Lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine in 2009-2019
    • Elite Trial Lawyer Award for Child Abuse category by the National Law Journal (2019)
    • One of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Texas by the The National Trial Lawyers Association (2010-2019)
    • Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters (2009-2019)
    • One of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Texas (2018)
    • Nations Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel (2019)
    • Litigator Award which is awarded for superior litigation achievement to only 1% of all lawyers
    • AV® Preeminent-rated attorney by Martindale Hubble

    The cases below provide just an example of how my team and I seek to achieve justice for our clients and achieve change for our community.

    Commercial Trucking and 18-Wheeler Crashes and Wrecks:

    Over the years, Dean has represented multiple people catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases arising out of 18-wheeler wrecks across the country. 

    In 2006, Dean represented the families of 10 people that were killed when an unqualified truck driver crossed the median of U.S. Highway 75 and plowed his 18-wheeler into a SUV and a pickup truck.  The truck driver was sentenced to 10 years in prison last year after pleading guilty to 10 counts of manslaughter.  At the time, it was the largest vehicular manslaughter case in Texas.  Read more about the case here: https://www.weatherforddemocrat.com/archives/lawsuit-in-deadly-truck-crash-settled/article_4762ca02-694b-50ac-8769-917a631e28a2.html

    Fires and Explosions:

    After a fire erupted in an apartment complex in San Marcos, Texas that killed five and injured many more students of Texas State University, some turned to Dean to represent them in a lawsuit against the apartment complex owners and manager for failing to have functioning smoke alarms and a sprinkler system.  You can read about one of his client’s amazing journey here:   https://www.statesman.com/news/20190719/after-fire-student-works-to-heal-grateful-for-2nd-chance

    After a natural gas leak in a home caused an explosion, the victims turned to Dean to investigate and take on Atmos Energy because the gas supplied by Atmos was unable to be smelled by the victims.  You can read about case here: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/investigates/we-never-smelled-gas-why-do-some-house-explosions-come-with-no-warning/287-565699468

    https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/01/24/burn-survivor-speaks-gas-explosion/

    https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2019/05/08/atmos-has-an-obligation-to-give-customers-gas-detectors-says-texas-burn-victim-who-s-suing/

    Train Wrecks:

    On Veteran’s Day 2012, a Union Pacific train collided into a flatbed trailer being used as a parade float carrying 26 passengers, 12 of which were veterans who had been wounded in action.  The train wreck killed four veterans and injured 16 others.  One of the veteran’s family retained Dean to bring justice for their loss of their son.  You can read more about this tragic case here:

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/before-fatal-midland-train-crash-a-litany-of-errors-1382743625

    https://www.oaoa.com/news/crime_justice/courts/article_bb56e436-9da4-11e4-8ccb-078e8f65fddb.html

    Oilfield Explosions and Accidents:

    Dean has represented many clients that were injured or killed in the oil field or offshore as the result of negligence and gross negligence of owners and operators in the oil industry.  In one case, Dean represented a Wyoming woman who was burned over 80% of her body while trying to re-light the pilot light on a dehydrator.  The lawsuit resulted in the largest personal injury settlement in Wyoming.

    Premises and Workplace Injuries:

    After a little boy almost drowned in a community pool, the family retained Dean to fight for justice for their son.  You can read more about that case here:  https://abc13.com/society/3-year-old-who-nearly-drowned-meets-heroes-who-saved-his-life/5140384/

    Dean represented a college student who was severely injured after a GMC Yukon driver by a drunk driver plowed through her apartment wall and almost killed her while she was sitting on her couch watching Judge Judy on a Friday afternoon.  You can read more about this unbelievable case here: https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/two-years-after-smu-student-was-buried-by-suv-in-her-apartment-the-lawsuit-7113947

    Dean represented the family of Petty Officer 2nd Class Dmitry Chepusov was murdered by a fellow Navy officer while in Germany.  The investigation revealed the Chepusov’s wife was having an affair with the murderer and the she knew that the murderer was planning to hurt Chepusov.  Also, his wife stood to receive in excess of $450,000 if he was killed.  Dean filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Chepusov’s wife and was able to bring a sense of peace and closure to his family.  You can read more about this intriguing case here:

    https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2015/01/27/life-with-possibility-of-parole-in-afn-europe-murder/

    https://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/jan/15/confession-video-navy-dmitry-chepusov-sean-oliver/

    https://courtmartiallaw.com/lawyer/2014/08/12/Court-Martial-Defense/Love-Triangle-Results-in-Murder-on-Air-Base_bl14754.htm

    Dean represented a man who was permanently injured when by a drunk driver who was over-served at ritzy Houston nightclub that provided an obscene and unlawful amount of alcohol to the drunk driver before giving him his keys and turning him loose on the streets of Houston. 

    As a community, we all have a responsibility to other members of our community. After all, a shared responsibility for one another’s health and well-being is the fabric which binds together any healthy community. And this expectation of responsibility and accountability does not just extend to individuals. It extends, as well, to companies, and even nightclubs that don’t follow the law.  Dean was able to achieve a settlement that will provide for the future medical care needs of his client.

    Dean represented an aircraft maintenance worker who was struck by lightning while refueling an American Airlines plane during a thunderstorm. The man suffered a serious brain injury as the result of the lighting strike.  Dean successfully resolved the case against American Airlines because it did not close the tarmac as it should have during the thunderstorm.

    Medical Malpractice Cases:

    Dean routinely represents victims of medical malpractice of doctors, nurses, hospitals, dentists, and other health care providers.  In a more recent case, Dean represented the family of a young woman who presented to a hospital to give birth to her third child.  The woman suffered from a known condition associated with pregnancy called pre-eclampsia.  Unfortunately, her health care providers failed to properly diagnose, monitor, and provide appropriate treatment to prevent pre-eclampsia from progressing to eclampsia – an acute and life-threatening condition characterized by severe seizures.  Because the nurses failed to tell her doctor that she developed signs and symptoms of eclampsia, the hospital sent her home where she had severe seizures and is not permanently and irreversibly brain damaged, incapable of taking care of herself or meaningfully interacting with her family or environment.

    Dean and the team took on the hospital and were able to achieve a settlement for the family that, although it will not restore her, brings some solace and support for her family. Now, she will get all the health care she needs and her family will have the support they need to give her the best quality of life possible.

    Dangerous and Defective Product Cases:

    Dean has sued many of the country’s largest companies for designing and marketing defective products that kill or injure his clients, including General Motors, Takata, Olympus America, Sunbeam Products, Atmos Energy, Monsanto, Glaxo Smith Kline,  Nissan Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, American Airlines, NATCO Group, Solta Medical, Intuitive Surgical, and many others.

    Dean represented a victim of a dangerous medical device that was used to perform a “Brazilian Butt Lift” gone bad that permanently injured and almost killed her.  You can read more about this horrible incident here: https://www.ksat.com/news/defenders/woman-shares-plastic-surgery-nightmare

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2012/12/10/cosmetic-surgery-laws-effect-debated/1759839/

    Sperm Bank and Cryobank Cases:

    Dean is one of the nation’s most well recognized lawyers in the area of sperm bank litigation.  He has sued the nation’s largest sperm bank, California Cryobank, Manhattan Cryobank, Fairfax Cryobank, and New England Cryobank and has recovered substantial amounts for his clients after they purchased donor sperm that was not properly screened for genetic and other types of diseases, resulting in a child born with a disease.

    After their son was born with cystic fibrosis, the family traced the disease back to donor sperm that they purchased from a sperm bank.  The sperm bank did not properly screen the donor for genetic diseases, even though it represented to the family that the donor did not carry any genetic disease traits.  The family turned to Dean in one of the first cases ever against a sperm bank for causing a child to be born with a genetic disease.  You can read more about this novel and heartbreaking case here:

    https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/02/16/parents-sue-cryogenic-center-over-childs-cystic-fibrosis/

    You can read about other sperm bank cases that Dean has handled here:

    https://nypost.com/2019/05/10/manhattan-sperm-bank-didnt-properly-screen-for-genetic-diseases-suit/

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sperm-bank-industry-is-buyer-beware-expert-says/

    https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2019/02/08/st-louis-dad-sues-sperm-bank-after-baby-is-born-with-genetic-disorder

    Toxic Torts and Dangerous Drugs and Medical Devices:

    Over the years, Dean has represented many people who were injured and killed by dangerous pharmaceutical drugs and toxic torts.  Dean is currently representing clients in the Round-Up weed killer litigation against Monsanto.

     
    Practice Areas
    • 70%Personal Injury - General
    • 10%Personal Injury - Products
    • 10%Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice
    • 10%Class Action/Mass Torts
    Focus Areas

    Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Wrongful Death, Dram Shop Laws, Construction Accident, Brain Injury, Sexual Abuse - Plaintiff, Trucking Accidents, Premises Liability - Plaintiff, Motor Vehicle Defects, Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical, Products Liability, Medical Malpractice, Birth Injury, Class Actions, Asbestos, Toxic Torts

    Selections

    Selected to Super Lawyers for 8 yearsmiddle-imageSelected to Rising Stars for 5 years

    Super Lawyers: 2013 - 2020 Rising Stars: 2009 - 2013

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    To: R. Dean Gresham
    Super Lawyers: Potential Client Inquiry

    Articles about R. Dean Gresham appearing in Super Lawyers

    White Papers

  • Following the Money: Pleading and Proving a Qui Tam Case (2009) - A. Introduction: It is estimated that almost 10 percent of the United States’ annual budget (or $300 billion) is paid to companies or persons as a result of defrauding the federal government each year.  Fraud against the government affects everyone and can take many forms.  It can occur in virtually every arena in which federal and/or state funds are used directly or indirectly to purchase goods or services from private entities.  In general, fraud follows the money and occurs most often in the areas where the government is spending the most money.  In the 1980s, many qui tam (or whistleblower) actions were brought against Department of Defense contractors.  Since the 1990s, the majority of qui tam actions involved fraud against the federally funded medical health insurance programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Tri-Care.  Recently, however, the False Claims Act is being used to prosecute fraud resulting from violations of labor, trade, and environmental laws.  Because fraud is only limited by the ingenuity of those who perpetrate it, attorneys and their whistleblower clients must remain diligent in investigating, understanding, and prosecuting fraud against the government.  This paper discusses the background and purpose of qui tam actions, how to investigate and prove a claim under the False Claims Act, and the various types of government fraud that exist today. 

  • Who's Your Daddy? How to Establish Corporate Paternity (2008) - An article published by several reporters and presented at various CLEs across the nation related to how to establish respondeat superior and other types of vicarious liability.

    • About Dean Gresham

    Admitted: 2000, Texas

    Professional Webpage: https://www.stecklerlaw.com/people/r-dean-gresham/

    Honors/Awards:

    • Granted membership into the prestigious Order of the Lytae at STCL, Order of the Lytae, 2000
    • Dean received the prestigous award of being named as one of the Nation's Top One Percent of Attorneys in the USA., Nations Top One Percent of Attorneys in the USA, The National Association of Distinguished Counsel, 2019
    • D Magazine, Named One of the Top Lawyers in Dallas, 2009
    • Peers voted and ranked Dean Gresham as one of the Best Personal Injury Lawyers in Dallas in 2011., Named one of the Best Personal Injury Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2011
    • Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2013
    • Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Texas, The National Trial Lawyers Association, awarding body, 2015
    • Named One of the Top 25 Mass Tort Lawyers by TNTLA, 2017
    • Received highest grade in Conflicts of Law course at STCL, AM JUR Conflicts of Law, 1999
    • Top 100 Trial Lawyers, American Trial Lawyers Association, 2009
    • Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2011
    • Top 40 Lawyers Under 40, The National Trial Lawyers, 2013
    • Voted Best Lawyer in Dallas by Peers - D Magazine, 2016
    • Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Texas, The National Trial Lawyers Assn, awarding body, 2016
    • Received highest grade in Legal Research & Writing course at STCL, AM JUR Legal Research & Writing, 1997
    • Gresham was awarded the prestigious AV Preeminent rating by Martindale Hubble and received 5 out of 5, the highest possible rating., AV Preeminent / 5 out of 5 Rating from Martindale Hubbell, rating agency, 2010
    • Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2012
    • Voted Best Lawyer in Dallas (Class Action) by Peers, D Magazine, 2015
    • Voted Best Lawyer in Dallas by Peers - D Magazine, 2017
    • Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Texas, The National Trial Lawyers Assn, 2017

    Bar/Professional Activity:

    • U.S. Supreme Court
    • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern, Texas
    • U.S. District Court, Southern, Texas
    • U.S. District Court, Northern, Texas
    • U.S. District Court, Eastern, Texas
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
    • Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
    • Texas
    • Oklahoma
    • State Bar of Texas, Pro Bono College
    • Dallas Bar Association
    • American Association of Justice, New Lawyers Division
    • Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America
    • Texas Trial Lawyers Association
    • American Bar Association
    • Named as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Texas by The National Trial Lawyers Association, 2019
    • Appointed as vice co-chair of the Dallas Bar Association’s Bench Bar Conference Committee, 2019
    • Named as one of the Best Lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine, 2019
    • Selected to the Board of Directors of the Dallas Bar Association's Business Litigation Group, 2019
    • Re-elected to the Board of Directors of the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association, 2014
    • Appointed to the Dallas Bar Association Judiciary Committee, 2018
    • Re-elected to the Board of Directors of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, 2014
    • Appointed to the Dallas Bar Association Bench Bar Committee, 2018
    • Admitted to the United States Supreme Court, 2010
    • Appointed to the State Bar of Texas Pattern Jury Charge Committee, 2018
    • Appointed to the DBA's Board of Directors for the Business Litigation Group, 2018

    Pro bono/Community Service:

    • Dean represented the Texas Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on a pro bono basis through the Legal Beagles project, 2006
    • Dean represented victims of the 9/11 tragedy on a pro bono basis through the Trial Lawyers Care project, 2003

    Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

    • Author, Pleading and Proving a Whistleblower Case under the False Claims Act, University of Texas Page Keeton Law Conference, Austin, 2009
    • Author / Speaker, Who's Your Daddy: How to Establish Corporate Paternity, AAJ Interstate Trucking Lawyers' Conference in Chicago, 2008
    • Author / Speaker, The First 120 Days: From Investigation to Expert Report, State Bar of Texas Advanced Medical Malpractice Course, San Antonio, 2005
    • Author / Speaker, Exploring Healthcare Fraud & Abuse: The Application of the False Claims Act, State Bar of Texas Advanced Medical Malpractice Course, 2006
    • Author / Speaker, The First 120 Days: From Investigation to Expert Report, Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar, 2005
    • Author / Speaker, My Favorite Tricks, State Bar of Texas Advanced Medical Malpractice Course, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2004
    • Author, Discovery Update, Texas Trial Lawyers Association Advanced Personal Injury Course, 2003
    • Author / Speaker, Smoking Out the Truth Without Getting Burned, Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Seminar, 2004
    • Author, LEVERAGE: Leading the Leprechaun Over the Rainbow to the Pot of Gold, State Bar of Texas Advanced Discovery Strategies Course, 2003
    • Spoke on the topic of using Focus Groups in litigation., Speaker, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, 2014

    Verdicts/Settlements:

    • Dean successfully resolved a complicated "wrongful adoption" case on behalf of a couple who adopted a little girl from China that has severe special needs.  The children's home that had custody of the little girl went out of its way to ensure that the family did not know about the child's sever special needs until they adopted her and returned to the USA.  The children's home did not have any insurance so Dean filed lawsuits in Seattle and New York agains the board members that participated in the fraud on the family.  The case was litigated for four years before successfully resolving in 2019.https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2016/08/12/cbs11-i-team-adoption-heartbreak/, 2019
    • Successfully resolved a premises liability case on behalf of the family of a woman who was murdered by a serial killer in a retirement home community.  https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article232997897.html, 2019
    • Dean filed a lawsuit against Manhattan Cryobank after the donor sperm it sold to his client resulted in the birth of a child with the genetic disease of thalassemia.  Dean arbitrated the case with JAMS New York and received an award in favor of his client., 2018
    • Successfully resolved a class action against JPay, Inc. for overbilling prison inmates for video calls to families and friends, 2019
    • Successfully resolved a lawsuit involving an aircraft fueler who was struck by lightning while refueling an aircraft at DFW airport, 2013
    • Successfully resolved a case for a 5 year old girl left in a persistent vegetative state after the car in which she was riding was struck by an 18-wheeler driven by a student while the "trainer" slept in the bunk, 2018
    • Successfully resolved a case involving a man killed in a boating accident on July 4, 2017
    • Successfully resolved a case involving over 220 homes near the LBJ Expressway in Dallas. The homeowners claimed that construction of the highway resulted in foundational damage to their homes. The first, bellwether case was tried to a successful verdict and the case resolved on a global basis for all homeowners, 2018
    • Worked as part of the litigation team on a large breach of fiduciary duty and RICO case involving a family dispute among one of Texas' largest oil heirs.  Settlement amount is confidential, 2010
    • Successfully resolved lawsuit brought by parents against a sperm bank after their child was born with cystic fibrosis.  The lawsuit alleged that the sperm bank did not properly perform genetic screening for cystic fibrosis, 2012
    • Successfully resolved a case involving a physical therapist who was hit by an 18-wheeler and severely injured, 2014
    • Successfully resolved a case involving a man who was killed after being hit by an 18-wheeler that failed to yield the right of way, 2013
    • Successfully resolved a case against a cryobank for a couple who conceived a child with donor sperm that contained a genetic disease. The life care plan for the child's future medical care needs exceeded $24 million, 2018
    • Settled a legal and accounting malpractice case against a national law firm and a regional accounting firm for a confidential amount, 2010
    • Represented a partner after he withdrew from a law firm and had a dispute about the amount of money he was owed under the partnership agreement.  Resolved for a confidential amount, 2011
    • Successfully resolved a national class action against involving a false and misleading claim on the product label that the product was "all natural" when in fact it contained synthetic, non-natural ingredients, 2013
    • Successfully resolved a case involving a man and his daughter that were hit by an 18-wheeler and suffered serious injuries, 2013
    • Successfully resolved a case involving a man severely injured after being hit by an 18-wheeler with over $2 million dollars in past medical expenses, 2017
    • Recovered $3 million settlement for a girl who was struck by a drunk driver and suffered severe PTSD, 2011
    • Successfully resolved a case involving a family hit by an 18-wheeler that crashed into a vehicle, killing the two grandparents and severely injuring a 5 year old girl whose future life care plan was approximately $13 million, 2018
    • Successfully resolved a securities case against a regional bank that accidentally purchased CITI bonds instead of CIT Group Bonds and caused a large loss to the investor.  Settled for a confidential amount, 2010
    • Successfully resolved a complex medical malpractice lawsuit against a hospital that prematurely discharged a patient who later suffered a severe brain injury requiring 24 hour care for the rest of her life, 2013

    Other Outstanding Achievements:

    • Selected as one of the "Best Lawyers in Dallas" by D Magazine, 2014
    • Named as one of the "Best Personal Lawyers in Dallas" by D Magazine, 2009
    • Named as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Texas by The National Trial Lawyers Association, 2017
    • Named as one of the Best Lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine, 2012
    • Named as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters, 2018
    • Named one of the Best Lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine, 2015
    • Selected as one of the "Best Lawyers in Dallas" by D Magazine, 2018
    • Selected as one of the "Best Lawyers in Dallas" by D Magazine, 2015
    • Selected as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters, 2017
    • Named as one of the Best Personal Injury Lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine, 2011
    • Named as one of the Best Lawyers in America, 2018
    • Named as one of the Top 40 lawyers under 40 in USA by National Trial Lawyers Association, 2014
    • Big Verdict obtained Dallas County by Dean Gresham https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2017/02/10/bumpy-road-lie-ahead-lbj-express-builder-jury-awards-248000-homeowner, 2017
    • Selected as one of the "Best Lawyers in Dallas" by D Magazine, 2016
    • Named as one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Dallas by Thomson Reuters, 2017
    • Named as one of the "Best Business Lawyers in Dallas" by D Magazine, 2009
    • Named as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Texas by The National Trial Lawyers Association, 2016
    • Named as one of the "Best Lawyers in Dallas" by D Magazine, 2013
    • Named one of the Best Lawyers in Dallas for Class Actions by D Magazine, 2016
    • Selected as one of the "Best Lawyers in Dallas" by D Magazine, 2017
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    Office Location for R. Dean Gresham

    12720 Hillcrest Rd
    Dallas, TX 75230

    Phone: 972-833-8328

    Fax: 972-387-4041

    R. Dean Gresham:

    Last Updated: 3/13/2020

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