HarrisMartin’s Benzene and Toxic Tort Litigation Conference: Recent Developments and Future Trends Speaker Profiles

Chad Mountain has extensive experience in complex litigation, including product liability, premises liability, environmental, mass tort and commercial disputes.

Chad has represented and defended numerous Fortune 500 companies from the petroleum, chemical and manufacturing sectors in jurisdictions across the country. He has tried cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Chad specializes in benzene and asbestos litigation. Chad’s clients rely on his experience in selection and preparation of fact, corporate, and expert witnesses, and development of litigation strategy.

Ruku Sarkar is a mass and toxic tort attorney who defends Fortune 500 companies in environmental and general liability claims. He works closely with his team and clients in the management and execution of national defense strategies. In this role, he oversees and coordinates all aspects of litigation, including written discovery, fact and expert depositions, settlement valuation, and trial preparation. Ruku provides regular reports to the client identifying litigation risks and defense strategies in cases across the country and manages the client’s internal financial compliance. He also provides day-to-day litigation support for cases filed in state courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including attending depositions, assisting preparations of company witnesses for deposition, and assisting in trial preparation.

With more than 23 years of experience, Eric Williams has handled large civil, toxic tort, environmental, and personal injury law cases. He has lived in Louisiana his entire life and is recognized as one of the top toxic tort attorneys in the state. Having built his practice from the ground up, Eric is meticulously organized and detail focused, using his excellent interpersonal and communication skills to personally handle each client's case.

Tricia is a thought leader and partner focusing on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB); Affirmative Action Compliance; and employee engagement through culture and community building.

As an Affirmative Action consultant, she has advised hundreds of executive leaders on compliant processes to increase workplace diversity, the monitoring of diverse pipelines, organizational structure, and communicated overall diversity gaps. During her time at Marriott International, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and ICF, she focused on strategic initiatives that aligned with compliance and DEIB strategy such as inclusive training, advocating, and providing equitable best practices for the hiring and promoting of Minorities, Females, Individuals with Disabilities, and Veterans, and program managing Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

To monitor her efforts, Tricia continues to measure the impacts through the initiatives she creates as well as continuing to be an advocator for equity and a driver for inclusion.

William (Bill) Zoeller holds a Bachelor of Microbiology and Biomedical Science degree from the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse and currently is the Industrial Hygiene and the Built Environment Service Line Lead within the Environmental, Health & Safety division of J.S. Held LLC. His experience spans more than two-decades in project design and assessment of remediation, mitigation, and abatement from catastrophic events such as water damage, microbial damage, and fires. Bill has also worked on matters involving the assessment of regulated materials.

Mr. Zoeller has a wide range of project experience from residential to large manufacturing and industrial facilities, healthcare facilities, educational facilities, and multi-family properties as well as served as an expert witness providing testimony to the facts of his case. William holds various certifications and is a licensed Asbestos Inspector & Supervisor, A Lead Risk Assessor.