John D. Hurst

John represents workers and their family members injured by occupational, environmental or household exposure to asbestos, including numerous mesothelioma victims. A central member of the West Virginia team, he also manages large, complex multi-party litigation and works extensively in federal, state, and bankruptcy court at both trial and appellate levels. In 2014, John was a key member of a trial team that obtained a compensatory and punitive damages verdict in Massachusetts federal court against a manufacturer of asbestos-containing fireproofing. He represents clients with FELA claims against their railroad employers and merchant mariners with Jones Act claims against their shipowner employers. 

Recognized as an AV® rated attorney Martindale-Hubbell®, John’s experience goes beyond occupational disease litigation. He represents state and local governments with public nuisance claims related to the excessive distribution and dispensing of drugs contributing to the opioid crisis. John brought his knowledge of toxic tort cases to the East Palestine litigation against Norfolk Southern, stemming from the train derailment and toxic chemical spill on Feb. 3, 2023, specifically assisting with property damage claims. He also represented victims of a 2009 explosion at the ConAgra facility in Garner, N.C., and negotiated the resolution of those claims against industrial contractors.

John published the first academic analysis of credit counseling agencies, “Protecting Consumers from Consumer Credit Counseling,” 9 N.C. Banking Inst. 159 (2005), and co-authored “Premises Liability Update: Employee Cases,” for Emerging Trends in Asbestos Litigation, (March 9-11, 2009), and “The Changing Landscape of Single Sex Education,” School Law Bulletin (2006).