Gregory R. Youman

Gregory Youman has nearly two decades of experience in a variety of complex commercial litigation, including business disputes, product liability, toxic tort, insurance coverage, professional liability and real estate matters. Throughout his legal career, Gregory has worked closely with in-house legal teams to evaluate and implement case strategy, as well as to address day-to-day procedural matters, which has given him a well-rounded, strategic, and practical perspective on overall case development and management throughout all phases of litigation.

Gregory is an experienced member of the national trial team defending an equipment manufacturer against asbestos exposure claims around the country, and has served as trial counsel in actions in Massachusetts, New York and California. Gregory also serves as the National Coordinating Counsel for a Massachusetts-based equipment manufacturer, defending it against asbestos exposure claims throughout the country. In addition to his role as national defense counsel, Gregory serves as lead local counsel in Massachusetts defending against asbestos exposure claims on behalf of clients engaged in a variety of industries, including manufacturers of electrical equipment, fluid control devices and residential and commercial construction products. As part of his role as defense counsel in product liability and toxic tort litigation matters, Gregory has become a trusted advisor to clients’ corporate witnesses, and he also frequently works with expert witnesses regarding industrial hygiene, Navy procurement, and medical diagnosis and treatment, establishing strong working relationships that benefit the client’s overall defense strategy.

Gregory also has an extensive background in general commercial and real estate litigation, having successfully represented national and local banks in connection with contract and lender liability claims, as well as real estate developers in construction, zoning, leasing and partnership disputes. Among other successes, Gregory won summary judgment on behalf of a Nantucket-based real estate developer, over the objections of abutters, facilitating the construction of a residential cluster subdivision on a parcel of formerly commercial property, and obtained a preliminary injunction in favor of the founding member of a religious institution preventing the institution from altering the name of the main sanctuary.

In addition to his commercial litigation practice, Gregory maintains a practice in the insurance coverage area. In this area, he has represented a variety of policyholders including lending institutions, privately held corporations, non-profits, and quasi-governmental entities. Among other successes, Gregory represented the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) in connection with insurance claims arising out of fraud committed by former board members and others at its landfill. After initiating several lawsuits, RIRRC secured multi-million dollar settlements from a variety of sources, including the corporation’s former D&O policy and its commercial crime policies. Gregory also was involved in the representation of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority against property insurers to successfully recover repair costs associated with the ceiling collapse in the Central Artery and Third Tunnel Project, or “Big Dig” project in Boston. In addition, Gregory has experience counseling clients in connection with insurance coverage issues, including providing advice to clients regarding directors and officers (D&O) policies, errors and omissions (E&O) policies, and commercial general liability policies.

Gregory has wide-ranging experience in alternative dispute resolution, including having won arbitrations (including attorneys’ fees) before the American Arbitration Association on behalf of a national paint manufacturer, and on behalf of a condominium developer before a JAMS arbitrator.

Gregory also serves as a board member and Pro Bono counsel for Angel Flight Northeast, a non-profit organization of volunteer pilots that provides patients with free air transportation for medical care.