Overview

Greg Ziegler is a trial and appellate lawyer and legal advisor with over 25 years of experience representing businesses, insurance carriers, and professionals in complex litigation, contract negotiations, and business transactions throughout Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and nationwide.

A founding member of the firm, Greg leads by implementing proactive and efficient approaches designed to achieve the swift, economical, and business-favorable resolution of disputes. Greg and his team believe that effective representation and solid attorney-client relationships are built on foundations of close and candid communication, including the timely provision of clear and concise written reports, and creative and innovative solutions to the clients’ legal challenges.

Greg has successfully handled multi-party lawsuits, arbitrations, and appeals involving construction law, architects and engineers liability, highway design and construction, federal government projects, employment law, business and commercial law, products liability, wrongful death, catastrophic injury, health care liability, premises liability, transportation liability, and commercial and real estate transactions.

Greg’s clients include some of the largest and most well-respected firms and insurers in the nation, and he has served as lead counsel for design firms, construction contractors, design-builders, products manufacturers, property owners, medical professionals, and transportation providers in death, severe personal injury, and significant property and casualty cases.

A collegiate quarterback at the University of Michigan and Southern Methodist University, where he obtained his undergraduate degree, Greg earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and studied for a year at Texas Tech University School of Law.

Greg is a member of the bar in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. He is admitted to practice law in all Texas state and federal courts as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Representative Experience

Architects and Engineers Liability
Greg Ziegler has been chosen as lead counsel on some of the most high-profile, major cases including:

• I-35E Highway Managed Lanes – Lead counsel for design team in alleged $85 million cost overrun case involving a design-build TXDOT interstate highway project and won favorable judgment after a 5-week trial.
• EPC Petrochemical Facility - Monitoring counsel for professional liability carriers or designers in design-build alleged $10 billion oil refinery construction and design delay and cost overrun case.
• State Highway 130 Tollroad – Lead counsel for geotechnical engieering firm in alleged $600 million construction and design defect international arbitration arising out of P3 design-build TXDOT project.
• El Paso Federal Courthouse – Lead counsel for architectural engineering firm on $7 million delay case.
• Mississippi State University Football Stadium – Lead counsel for structural engineer on multimillion-dollar cost overrun case.
• Hunting Ranch Development, Los Lunas, New Mexico – Lead counsel for geotechnical engineer in residential foundation arbitration involving 43 homes.
• Allen High School Eagle Stadium Damage – representing construction materials testing firm.
• Dallas Cowboys Practice Facility Collapse – Won successful settlement for structural engineering firm in Dallas Cowboys Practice Facility Collapse cases pending in Dallas County, 2012; defending structural engineer in suit brought by Texas Board of Professional Engineers, 2014.
• Texas A&M University Kyle Field workplace death – representing program manager, 2014.
• Ocean Tower Padre Island High Rise Implosion – Won dismissal for structural engineering firm in Ocean Tower 31-story luxury high rise on the South Padre Island beachfront, 2011.  
• Minute Maid Houston Astros Park Pipe Repairs – Secured favorable resolution of claims against mechanical engineering client in multimillion-dollar lawsuit by Houston Astros regarding Minute Maid Park.
• Memorial Hermann Hospital Corporate Headquarters Tower – won favorable settlement in multimillion-dollar water infiltration lawsuit on behalf of prominent architectural firm for a minor fraction of overall global, multi-party settlement.
• Port of Freeport – Won successful settlement for major geotechnical engineering firm in $30 million wharf failure lawsuit.  
• Lackland Air Force Base – Won trial for architectural engineering firm against U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in $7 million lawsuit in Federal Court, Washington, DC 2012.
• Marriott Hotel – Won jury trial for architect in $6 million hotel foundation case, 2014.   
• North Fort Worth Residential Development - Won favorable result for geotechnical engineering firm in multi-resident foundation failure case after successful trial against prominent homebuilder.
• Rockwall County Residence – Successfully defended structural engineer in foundation design case; jury trial resulted in no finding of liability against engineer but $22 million verdict against co-defendant builder.   
• Area Rapid Transit - Won trial for architectural engineering firm against public transit authority.
• Certificate of Merit -- Won case of first impression in Texas construction law by securing dismissal for an engineering firm under Texas Certificate of Merit Statute, affirmed on appeal, Palladian Building Co. v. Nortex Foundation Designs, Inc., 165 S.W.3d 430 (Tex. App.– Fort Worth 2005, no pet.).  

Health Professional Liability/Nursing Home Liability

• Won a defense verdict in a jury trial which resulted in a take-nothing verdict in a lawsuit in which standard of care was at issue for a nursing home resident who had Stage IV pressure ulcers.   
• Successful Jury trial in Dallas County defending nursing home sued for wrongful death and won very favorable settlement for nursing home prior to jury deliberations, 2014.
• Won jury trial in malpractice suit against assisted living facility.
• Won appeal for nursing home, award of attorney’s fees on remand in a lawsuit in which the plaintiff sued a nursing home, alleging wrongful death arising from the health care provided to plaintiff’s grandmother.  
• Won favorable ruling from the Texas Supreme Court for nursing home client in wrongful death case. Omaha Healthcare Center, LLC v. Johnson, ___ S.W.3d ___, No. 08-0231 (Tex. July 1, 2011).   
• Won defense verdict for nursing home in wrongful death case where Plaintiffs sought damages up to $1 million.  
• Won unanimous defense verdict for orthopedic physician assistant in malpractice suit arising from hip replacement surgery, Dallas, Texas.
• Defense verdict for national health care provider for negligent suit brought by family of nursing home resident who fell out of bed, 2014.

Employment Law

• Won reversal of employment law jury verdict in whistleblower lawsuit against employer and successful settlement of the claim for fraction of the verdict, 2012.
• Won summary judgment for employer in multi-plaintiff race discrimination case. Three nursing home staff members whose employment was terminated for violation of anti-abuse policy sued their former employer in federal court for race discrimination, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.   
• Won favorable resolution of sexual harassment and retaliation claims brought by EEOC; aggressive investigation and discovery for employer resulted in settlement for fraction of initial half-million-dollar settlement demand.
• Won summary judgment for architectural engineering firm in race discrimination case in federal court in Beaumont, Texas 2012.

Business and Commercial Litigation

• Representing a global Top 100 architectural engineering firm, reached a settlement in excess of seven figures against worldwide computer software provider for breach of contract and warranty
• Won summary judgment for architectural engineering firm in $5 million lawsuit alleging breach of contract in Federal Court in Houston, 2012.
• Won declaratory judgment and injunction for regional medical imaging firm in trade secret and tortious interference dispute with national competitor in Dallas.
• Won injunction for business client in multimillion-dollar partnership dispute in Dallas.
• Won enforcement of several non-compete agreements and prevention of former employees from unfair competition and misappropriation of trade secrets, Dallas and Tarrant Counties.

Wrongful Death and Catastrophic Personal Injury

• Lead counsel for design firms, products manufacturers, property owners, medical professionals, and transportation providers in death, severe personal injury, and significant property and casualty cases.

Products Liability

• Won summary judgment for wheelchair manufacturer in products liability/nursing home negligence case involving the death of a nursing home resident.
• Lead counsel for product manufacturer in oil refinery workplace accident amputation case.
• Lead counsel for civil engineering firm in chemical plant workplace crane accident death case.
• Lead counsel for highway engineering firm in single vehicle catastrophic injury and death cases.

Real Estate Litigation

• Six Flags Mall Lawsuit. Won dismissal of million-dollar lawsuit against real estate broker.
• Downtown Dallas Stone Street/Praetorian Building dispute.  Achieved favorable resolution for historic building owner.
• DFW-area residential development litigation between homebuilders and developers.