David L. Selby II

Throughout his legal career, David has successfully focused his practice on representing individuals injured by defective firearms, medical devices, and pharmaceutical drugs. David currently serves in leadership and steering committee roles in several medical device MDLs.

David’s courtroom success has earned him a litany of legal honors, including being nationally ranked in the product liability category by  Chambers & Partners in 2023. He has also been regularly named as Best Lawyers in America, and for 2024 was included in rankings for mass tort, personal injury, and product liability litigation. As the Practice Group Leader of the firm's Mass Torts Group, he helms a practice that is nationally ranked as a Best Law Firm in mass tort/class action litigation, as well as in another nationwide Chambers & Partners ranking for Product Liability: Plaintiffs, USA-Nationwide (Band Three). He is also listed among the National Trial Lawyers Top 100, National Trial Lawyers Top 25 Class Action Trial Lawyers, and the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys’ Alabama Top 10.

David led what the International Business Times called a “landmark legal concession” against firearm maker Taurus International Manufacturing as part of a $239 million class action settlement. In the agreement, the gun manufacturer agreed to repair or replace defective firearm parts, as well as buy back or replace nearly one million pistols.

David serves on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for the Atrium Medical Corp. C-Qur Mesh Products Liability Litigation, an MDL that consolidates federal lawsuits from across the country against Atrium Medical Corporation alleging the C-Qur Hernia Mesh manufactured by Atrium is defective and produces an allergic or inflammatory reaction which has caused serious injuries.

David also served as co-lead trial counsel to the Official Committee of Talc Claimants in the Johnson & Johnson bankruptcy of its special purpose subsidiary LTL Management. For more please visit here. 

He is part of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing Hip Implant Products Liability litigation, cases that allege R3 and BHR metal on metal hip implants are defective. In addition, David serves on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for In re Davol/C.R. Bard Hernia Mesh, a  litigation coordinated in Rhode Island state court and targeting Bard’s Composix® Kugel® mesh patches and raising safety concerns about the company’s other hernia repair products.

Awards & Accolades

Chambers USA, USA-Nationwide-Product Liability: Plaintiffs (2023) 

Best Lawyers in America, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs, Birmingham, AL (2024)

Best Lawyers in America, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs (2022-2023)

Elite Trial Lawyer Finalist for The National Law Journal’s Award (2018)

AV^® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell^®, the highest possible rating for legal ability and ethical standards.

The National Trial Lawyers Top 100

The National Trial Lawyers Top 25 Class Action Trial Lawyers

National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys’ Alabama Top 10

Representative Matters

• David served as co-lead counsel for the Talc Creditors Committee in the LTL/J&J bankruptcy, which obtained dismissal of Johnson & Johnson’s attempt to create a special purpose entity to bankrupt and manage its talc liabilities. We lost at the bankruptcy court, but were vindicated on appeal. The Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit decision reversing the bankruptcy court decision can be reviewed here.
• David serves on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for the Atrium Medical Corp. C-Qur Mesh Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2753); this MDL consolidates federal lawsuits from all across the country against Atrium Medical Corporation and the lawsuits allege that the C-Qur Hernia Mesh manufactured by Atrium is defective and produces an allergic or inflammatory reaction which has caused serious injuries, including, organ perforations and bowel obstructions
• David serves on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2775); the cases in this MDL allege that R3 and BHR metal on metal hip implants are defective
• David serves on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for In re Davol/C.R. Bard Hernia Mesh; this litigation is coordinated in Rhode Island state court and targets Bard’s Composix® Kugel® mesh patches, and raise safety concerns about the company’s other hernia repair products, including Composix, Composix E/X, Ventrio, Ventrio ST, Ventralex, Ventralex ST, 3D Max, Perfix Plug, Marlex, and Bard Mesh
• In Carter v. Taurus International Mfg., et al., David led the plaintiffs’ class action team that settled what International Business Times called a “landmark legal concession” from gun manufacture Taurus International, in which Taurus agreed to repair or replace defective firearms as part of a class-action settlement valued at up to $239 million; the terms of the settlement included a buyback or replacement of almost one million pistols
• In Weekes-Walker v. Macon County Greyhound Park, David served as co-counsel in winning a $2.7 million judgment for a WARN Act certified class of former employees; the Alabama District Court had previously granted partial summary judgment to the employees, who were abruptly laid-off in 2010 without the required 60 day notice due under the WARN Act and the defendant appealed the summary judgment decision to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which affirmed the District Court’s ruling - the case was then tried on the issue of damages, resulting in the $2.7 million judgment

News & Insights

Community and Professional Activities

American Association for Justice Leaders Forum

Co-Chair American Association for Justice Class Action Litigation Group (2018 - 2020)

Chair American Association for Justice Defective Firearm Litigation Group (2017 - 2021)

Alabama State Bar Specialization & Task Force (2019 - 2020, 2020 - 2021, 2021 - 2022)

Public Justice Class Action Preservation Project Committee (2019 - 2020)

Southern Trial Lawyers Association

Executive Committee, Alabama Association for Justice

Birmingham Bar Association