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Carmelite M. Bertaut
Areas of Emphasis:
• Class Actions and Complex Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Products Liability
Ms. Bertaut joined Stone Pigman in 2004 and is special counsel to the firm. Her practice is concentrated in the field of mass torts and complex litigation with particular emphasis in products liability. She is admitted to the Louisiana bar.
Representative Matters
Representing, as local counsel, an international construction and environmental remediation firm in defense of class actions and individual actions alleging liability for flooding of the greater New Orleans area as a result of breaches of levees and floodwalls during the passage of Hurricane Katrina.
Representing a major energy company in a mass toxic tort action alleging personal injuries resulting from a spill in Southwest Louisiana.
Representing, as local counsel, a major tobacco company in defense of a state class action for medical monitoring and smoking cessation.
Representing an international law firm in the defense of legal malpractice claims.
Education
Ms. Bertaut graduated from the Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 1977. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of New Orleans in 1974. Professional and Civic Activities
Ms. Bertaut is a past president of the New Orleans Bar Association. She has chaired the Association’s Bench Bar, Publications, Continuing Legal Education, Lawyer Referral Service, Public Relations and Women's Committees. She received the Association’s 2003 Outstanding Service Award. Ms. Bertaut is a Master Barrister in the New Orleans Bar Association American Inn of Court and served as the Inn’s President (1997 – 2003). She was appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to The Committee on Mandatory Continuing Legal Education and is currently serving on that committee. Ms. Bertaut is a fellow of the Louisiana Bar Foundation. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, the Defense Research Institute, and the Association of Women Attorneys.
Ms. Bertaut has been appointed as a member of the Federal Practice Task Force of the ABA Section of Litigation and has previously served as co-chair of the Woman Advocate Committee of the Section of Litigation. She serves as the current delegate of the New Orleans Bar Association to the ABA House of Delegates.
Ms Bertaut has been named to The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Product Liability Litigation. She is an active speaker and lecturer and has served on the faculty of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Her views on the defense and management of mass torts have been published nationally by the Defense Research Institute.
Among her civic and charitable endeavors, Ms. Bertaut is a member of the St. Mary's Dominican High School Board of Directors. She has served as an Alumni Association Officer and as a Charter Member of the Board of Visitors for the College of Liberal Arts of University of New Orleans.
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