Blogs from May, 2026

Understanding Their Defenses Because We Had a Hand in Building Them

In asbestos and Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) litigation, experience matters - but not all experience is created equal. Many firms advertise decades of practice. Far fewer attorneys have spent years inside the defense system, learning how corporations, railroads, manufacturers, insurers, and their national counsel investigate, defend, and attempt to defeat these claims. That distinction can make all the difference.

At The Law Office of Gregory M. McMahon, our practice is built upon a perspective rarely found in plaintiff-side toxic tort and railroad litigation: extensive experience defending the very types of corporations we now hold accountable on behalf of injured workers and their families. Before representing victims of asbestos exposure and railroad negligence, Greg McMahon spent more than a decade defending major corporations in high-stakes toxic tort litigation. Today, that experience is used for a different purpose - to anticipate defense strategies, identify weaknesses in corporate positions, and build stronger cases for those harmed by occupational exposures and workplace negligence.

Understanding the Defense Before It Happens

Asbestos and FELA cases are among the most specialized areas of personal injury litigation. Success requires far more than a general understanding of negligence law. These cases involve decades-old employment records, industrial hygiene evidence, product identification issues, medical causation disputes, regulatory history, and sophisticated corporate defenses.

Having previously defended asbestos defendants and corporate interests provides unique insight into how these cases are evaluated behind closed doors. We understand how exposure histories are challenged, how alternative causation defenses are developed, how witness testimony is attacked, and how corporate records are used - or sometimes avoided - to shape litigation outcomes. That knowledge allows us to anticipate arguments before they are made and prepare accordingly.

A Focus on Railroad Workers and FELA Claims

FELA claims are fundamentally different from ordinary workers' compensation cases. Injured railroad workers and those diagnosed with occupational illnesses must prove that the railroad's negligence contributed to their injury or disease. Railroads devote substantial resources to defending these claims, often relying on teams of lawyers, experts, and investigators.

Our firm's experience extends beyond understanding the statute itself. We understand the realities of railroad operations, the unique hazards faced by engineers, conductors, machinists, carmen, track workers, signal maintainers, and shop employees, and the occupational exposures that have affected generations of railroad families. We have access to company records that contradict defense narratives advanced by railroad defendants. Whether the claim involves traumatic injury, asbestos exposure, diesel exhaust, benzene, silica, or other occupational hazards, our approach is informed by years spent litigating these exact issues.

Mastering the Nuances of Asbestos Litigation

Asbestos litigation is often won or lost in the details. Product identification, worksite history, exposure pathways, medical evidence, and corporate knowledge all play critical roles. Many exposures occurred decades ago, requiring attorneys to reconstruct events through historical records, testimony, industry documents, and specialized evidence.

Our background in asbestos defense litigation provides insight into how defendants evaluate risk, preserve defenses, and challenge claims. That experience helps us identify evidence that others may overlook and develop strategies tailored to the unique facts of each client's work history and diagnosis. The result is a more focused and informed approach to pursuing accountability.

National Resources with Local Representation

While our firm provides direct, personal representation, our clients also benefit from relationships with a nationwide network of attorneys and firms that have collectively devoted more than 150 years to asbestos and railroad litigation. This network includes lawyers who have handled complex occupational disease and FELA cases across the country, developed extensive repositories of historical evidence, and litigated against many of the same corporations for decades.

These relationships provide access to institutional knowledge, specialized resources, historical product information, expert witnesses, and litigation experience accumulated over generations of practice. For clients, that means the personal attention of a focused law firm combined with the resources and experience typically associated with much larger national litigation teams.

A Different Perspective, A Different Purpose

The same investigative skills once used to defend corporations are now used to uncover the evidence needed to help workers and families seek justice. The same understanding of defense strategies that once protected corporate interests is now applied to overcoming them.