Bio
Jeffrey Morof has spent his career defending aerospace clients in product liability and commercial litigation matters in federal and state courts throughout the United States and abroad, handling matters in such countries as Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Japan. He was a member of the trial team that defended the aerospace manufacturer in a 19-month jury trial in Detroit, Michigan arising out of the Northwest Airlines Flight 255 MD-80 accident. He has also litigated lawsuits arising from mishaps in space, including the failed launch of a Delta II rocket at Cape Canaveral and the failed deployment of two satellites from the Space Shuttle. Recently, Jeff defended an aerospace manufacturer in a high-profile construction defect matter arising out of a landslide at Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia.
Committed to resolving matters as efficiently as possible, Jeff was selected by the United States District Court, Central District of California, to serve as a settlement conference attorney for the court when he was living in Los Angeles.
Jeff also spends a significant amount of his practice advising clients on how to minimize their liability exposure, assisting his clients in certifying their products, developing crisis management programs, participating in civil and criminal accident investigations and safety audits, and contractually limiting their liability exposure. For several years, he served as an instructor for a course on product liability prevention and risk management that was a required part of Douglas Aircraft Company’s Aircraft System Engineer/Manager Certification Program.
Beginning with a speech in 1987 to the World Aviation Congress, Jeff has addressed numerous organizations on product liability litigation, including the Design Engineering Conference, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Annual Meeting of the Aerospace Control and Guidance Systems Committee of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He has also lectured on courtroom usage of computer animations, including a presentation to members of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Experience
Representative Engagements
- Defended aircraft manufacturers in multi-state litigation arising out of U.S. and foreign commercial airline accidents, including the Spanair MD-82 accident at Madrid; the Valujet DC-9 accident near Miami, Florida; the United Airlines DC-10 accident at Sioux City, Iowa; the China Eastern MD-11 mid-air incident near the Aleutian Islands; the Northwest Airlines MD-80 accident at Detroit; and the American Airlines DC-10 accident at Chicago.
- Defended an aerospace manufacturer in construction defect litigation filed by the Central Regional West Virginia Airport Authority and individual property owners arising out of a March 2015 landslide at Charleston’s Yeager Airport.
- Defended component manufacturers in wrongful death litigation arising from various U.S. and foreign commercial airliner, General Aviation, and helicopter accidents.
- Defended aircraft and component manufacturers in wrongful death litigation arising from various military aircraft accidents, including the “friendly fire” shoot down of two Black Hawk helicopters in northern Iraq and the inadvertent deployment of a reserve parachute.
- Defended aerospace manufacturer in claims arising from a failed launch of a Delta II rocket and the failed deployment of two satellites from the Space Shuttle.
- Defended a production company in wrongful death actions arising out of a Canadian helicopter accident during the filming of a television commercial.
- Defended airports in various claims, including wrongful death lawsuits arising out of the Korean Air 747 accident at Guam on August 6, 1997.
Credentials
Education
Washington University, J.D., 1979
University of Michigan, A.B., 1976
Bar Admissions
Illinois
California
Missouri
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar)
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
Honors & Awards
Illinois Leading Lawyer in Products Liability Defense Law and Transportation Defense Law: Including Aviation/FELA/Maritime, Law Bulletin Media Leading Lawyers (2010-2024)
Stand-out Lawyers, Thomson Reuters (2022)
Aviation Expert, Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides (1998-2021)
Publications & Presentations
“Social Inflation, Punitive Damages, and U.S. Litigation Trends: Where are claims and verdicts headed?,” (co-panelist) Lloyd’s Market Association (June 8, 2020)
Aviation Litigation CLE Seminar jointly presented by New York City Bar Association on Aeronautics and ABA Section of Litigation, New York, NY (2011)
American Conference Institute’s 3rd Annual Forum on Defending and Managing Aviation Litigation (panel chair and speaker) Boston, MA (2011)
Risk Insurance Management Society (RIMS), San Francisco, CA (2000)
World Aviation Congress and Exposition, Los Angeles, CA (1996)
Design Engineering Conference, National Association of Manufacturers, Chicago, IL (1996-1998)
“Simulations on Trial,” (interviewee) by A. Emmett, Technology Review, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, May/June 1994 Edition
Annual Meeting of the Aerospace Control and Guidance Systems, Committee of the Society of Automotive Engineers, Williamsburg, VA (1994)
Champions of the Courtroom: The Future is Now - Presenting Your Case and Evidence with Impact (Panel Chair and Speaker), 1994 Annual Trial Symposium of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of California, La Quinta, CA (1994)
Video in the Courtroom, California Continuing Education of the Bar Program, San Diego, Beverly Hills and Anaheim, CA (1993)
“Animation Takes the Stand,” (interviewee) by W.R. Iversen, Computer Graphics World (November 1991)
“Computer Animation Used in Northwest Flight 255 Trial,” (author) Committee on Aviation Litigation ABA Section of Litigation (July 1991)