John D. Dwyer

John Dwyer is a partner in GRSM’s Los Angeles office and a member of the Environmental/Toxic Tort and Tort & Product Liability practice groups. His practice focuses on the defense of complex litigation matters. He has more than 40 years of experience defending product liability cases for manufacturers of construction and electrical equipment, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, as well as environmental claims and other toxic torts. Additionally, he has handled disputes involving acquisitions, breaches of contract, government contracting claims, qui tam actions, patents, trademarks and intellectual property, and employment law.

John has handled a broad range of products liability cases from industrial and construction equipment to consumer products. He has developed a specialty involving construction equipment and heavy machinery. This specialty includes all forms of industrial and construction equipment, including cranes, excavators, graders, dozers, dump trucks, forklifts, conveyors, juicers, pallet stacking, compressors, aircraft loaders, tugs, and man lifts.

John is national or regional trial counsel for numerous construction equipment, elevator and escalator, and chemical companies including FMC Technologies Inc., Link-Belt Cranes Equipment Company, Terex Corporation, Sumitomo (SHI) Construction Company, Ltd., Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., Hitachi Sumitomo Heavy Industries Construction Crane Co Ltd., Manitowoc Cranes, Grove Cranes, National Cranes, Schindler Elevator Company, and FMC Corporation.

Admissions

• California
• U.S. District Courts, Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California
• 9th Circuit Court of Appeal
• U.S. Supreme Court 

Memberships

• DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar
• Product Liability Advisory Counsel, Sustaining Member

Representative Experience

• Defended to a defense verdict a case involving the wrongful death of a crane operator who was electrocuted when his crane contacted high voltage power lines, leaving a wife and three minor daughters. The case was tried in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a 12 to 0 defense verdict returned after only thirty minutes of deliberations.
• Defended to a defense verdict a case involving a triple amputee (loss of the right arm and both legs at the knees) of a worker who received an electrical shock when the equipment he was working with hit a 175,000 volt transmission line. The case was tried in Anchorage, Alaska over a three month period and an 11 to 1 defense verdict was returned after thirty minutes of deliberations.
• Defended to a settlement of $24,000 a case involving traumatic brain injury of a 25 year old oil worker who received an electrical shock when a lattice boom crane contacted an over head power line. The plaintiff/decedent was in Intensive Care for 6 months before he died.
• Defended to a settlement of $25,000 a case involving the traumatic brain injury of a 35 year old driver who ran head on into a 55,000 pound truck crane that crossed over the center divider of the 405 freeway as a result of the truck's left front tire blowing out.
• Defended to a defense verdict a case involving a claimed closed head injury and broken leg when the jib of a Rough Terrain Crane fell on the operator. The case was tried in Brooklyn, New York and an 11 to 1 defense verdict was returned after forty-five minutes of deliberations.
• Defended to a defense verdict a case involving the loss of four fingers in the boom hoist sheaves of a mobile crane. This case involved line of site issues with the operator and people working around the crane.
• Defended to a settlement of $25,000 a case involving the death of a 41 year old refinery worker in Beaumont, Texas who died when the boom of a Rough Terrain Cane broke and dropped a 44,000 pound counter weight on the decedent’s head.
• Defended to a settlement of $25,000 a case involving the wrongful death in Venice, Louisiana of a crane operator disassembling a lattice angle boom crane, leaving a wife and three young children.
• Defended to a defense verdict a case involving the amputation of the right arm, at the shoulder, of a helper working on a crawler crane in Brazos, Texas. The case involved the removal guard over counter rotating clutch drums, line of site of the crane operator and interlock devices were at issue.
• Defended a class action ground water contamination case involving thousands of claimants who resided in and around Redlands, California. The same plaintiff's lawyers had obtained a $386 million settlement in a similar case in Southern California. We vigorously defended the case and successfully obtained Summary Judgment for the client.
• Defended to a voluntary dismissal with prejudice a crane case involving a pile driver who suffered a crushed leg when a 1,100 pound headache ball fell on his leg.

Education

J.D., McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific

M.A., California State University at Sacramento

B.A., California State University at Sacramento

Honors

Best Lawyers in America® distinction in Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants (2025)

Top Rated Lawyer-AV® Preeminent™, Martindale-Hubbell
Air Products and Chemicals Truck Award