David L. Selby II

David Selby is the Practice Group Leader of Bailey Glasser's nationally-ranked Mass Torts Practice Group. 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 since 2023. He has also been regularly named as Best Lawyers in America,  including in rankings for mass tort, personal injury, and product liability litigation.  The firm's Mass Torts Practice Group is nationally ranked as a Best Law Firm in mass tort/class action litigation, as well as nationwide by Chambers & Partners ranking for Product Liability: Plaintiffs, USA-Nationwide (Band Three). David 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 in 2022, and in 2025 was co-lead trial counsel in the third attempt by Johnson & Johnson to discharge talc liabilities before a Houston bankruptcy court that was victorious.  Learn more about this important 2025 win here.  Law360 named the BG trial team one of its "Legal Lions of the Week" for this achievement, read the article at this link.

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.

David is also an Advocate member of the American Association for Justice Leaders Forum which reflects his - and Bailey Glasser's - commitment to defending a strong civil justice system.

Awards & Accolades

Chambers USA, USA-Nationwide-Product Liability: Plaintiffs, Band 2 (2025), Band 3 (2023-2024)

2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers

2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers

2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers 

Best Lawyers in America, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs, Birmingham, AL (2022 - 2025)

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

• Part of the BG trial team representing the Coalition of Counsel for Justice in Talc Claimants in another “Texas Two-Step” attempt by Johnson & Johnson to discharge liabilities arising from people alleging injury by talc products. In February 2025, a two-week trial was held before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas to adjudicate the motion to dismiss or confirm J&J’s plan to channel 90,000 asbestos-related cases into a new subsidiary which declared bankruptcy. In the first case discussed below, J&J initially offered $2B to resolve the matter. In this third case, the proposed settlement package was approximately $10B. In March 2025, the federal court issued a 57-page decision, finding that the totality of the record required dismissal due to prepetition voting and solicitation irregularities and because the proposed non-debtor releases were too broadly spread to confirm. For more, visit this link.
• 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