As a seasoned litigator and crisis management strategist, Jessie Zeigler has represented clients in some of the nation’s most high-profile cases over the last 25+ years. From her defense of precedent-setting opioid cases, high-stakes wildfire litigation and class action defense across numerous industries, Jessie has returned successful results nearly 100% of the time in the cases she has handled.
Recognized by Chambers USA (in both the Environment and Litigation: General Commercial categories), Benchmark Litigation, and others as a leader in the field, Jessie is widely regarded as one of the top product liability and environmental lawyers in the country. As chair of the Products Liability & Torts Practice at Bass, Berry & Sims, Jessie leads a cross-office team in representing clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to privately-owned businesses.
Jessie approaches every new case with an attention to detail, diligence and agility that enables her to quickly master the science behind the product as well as the product’s history, attributes and value to formulate effective strategies to meet even the most complex and aggressive legal challenges.
Jessie’s counsel has saved clients millions in losses across various industries – including pharmaceutical/life sciences, medical device, automotive, chemical, consumer products, food and beverage, healthcare, manufacturing, and pulp and paper – as they have faced claims related to crisis management, environmental, health and safety, products liability, healthcare liability, or business disputes. Jessie also represents clients in claims related to deceptive business practices under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
Jessie recently served as local counsel in a precedent-setting opioid litigation and win at the Tennessee Supreme Court, defending an international pharmaceutical company in court rooms across Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia in litigation that made national headlines. She also argued the first-ever Tennessee Supreme Court Zoom hearing and, along with a joint defense group, won a huge victory for her product manufacturer client, and product manufacturers generally, in a ruling that held that a product manufacturer cannot be held liable in Tennessee for failing to warn about the risks of another product manufacturer’s products. In addition, she successfully obtained summary judgment in nine consolidated cases on behalf of a tree company against allegations of negligence and nuisance in wildfire litigation in which the plaintiffs sought approximately $45 million in claims. She argued the appeal, and the appellate court upheld the summary judgments.
