Property Insurance Lawyer in Houston

Riley Burnett Managing Partner

For more than three decades, Riley L. Burnett, Jr. has built his career representing individuals and families against some of the largest corporations in the world. As the founder of Burnett Law Firm, he focuses his practice on complex products liability litigation, bad faith insurance claims, and catastrophic personal injury cases, helping clients pursue justice when powerful companies fail to put safety first.

Today, Riley is at the forefront of one of the newest and most significant areas of products liability litigation: lawsuits involving artificial intelligence companies whose products allegedly enabled the creation of illegal AI-generated images involving children. Working alongside nationally recognized co-counsel, he represents families seeking to hold AI developers accountable for releasing powerful technology without adequate safeguards to protect the public – particularly children. As courts begin addressing these unprecedented legal issues, Riley is helping shape the legal framework that will govern AI products for years to come.

His work in AI litigation builds upon decades of experience handling some of the country’s largest and most complex mass tort cases.

Throughout his career, Riley has represented thousands of individuals harmed by unsafe drugs, defective medical devices, toxic chemicals, and other dangerous products. His work has included nationwide litigation involving prescription medications such as Paxil, Fen-Phen, Avandia, Vioxx, Xarelto, Zofran, Risperdal, and Zoloft; defective medical devices including DePuy ASR and DePuy Pinnacle hip implants, hernia mesh, transvaginal mesh (TVM), and inferior vena cava (IVC) filters; Roundup weed killer; and General Motors’ recalled ignition switch vehicles.

What distinguishes Riley from many trial lawyers is not simply the number of complex cases he has handled, but the leadership roles he has earned within them.

When thousands of people are harmed by the same product, courts often group those lawsuits together so they can be handled more efficiently. Rather than having every attorney representing victims direct the litigation, the courts appoint a small group of lawyers to lead the case on behalf of everyone involved.

Riley has been repeatedly selected for these court-appointed leadership roles in nationally significant litigation. These appointments reflect the confidence that courts and fellow attorneys have placed in Riley throughout his career. They also demonstrate his ability to lead high-stakes litigation involving sophisticated legal issues, extensive discovery, and some of the nation’s largest corporate defendants.

Riley earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas in 1987 before receiving his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Since beginning his legal career more than 30 years ago, he has remained committed to representing individuals – not corporations – in cases that have the potential to improve product safety, strengthen corporate accountability, and create meaningful change for future generations.

He is licensed to practice law in Texas and Pennsylvania, as well as the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Association for Justice, and the State Bar of Texas.

Court-Appointed Leadership in National Litigation

Throughout his career, Riley Burnett has been repeatedly appointed by federal and state courts to leadership positions in some of the nation’s largest and most complex litigation. These appointments are reserved for attorneys who help guide cases involving thousands of individuals harmed by the same product, disaster, or corporate conduct.

Whether serving as Co-Lead Counsel, a member of a Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, Liaison Counsel, or on a Common Benefit Committee, Riley has worked alongside nationally recognized trial lawyers to help develop legal strategy, coordinate discovery, work with expert witnesses, and advance litigation on behalf of injured individuals across the country.

His leadership appointments span more than two decades and involve pharmaceutical drugs, defective medical devices, catastrophic industrial accidents, natural disasters, and other nationally significant litigation.

Pelvic Mesh Litigation

Riley played a leadership role in nearly every major federal multidistrict litigation involving transvaginal mesh, one of the largest medical device litigations in U.S. history.

Transvaginal mesh devices were implanted in hundreds of thousands of women to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. Plaintiffs alleged that many manufacturers rushed these products to market without adequate testing and failed to properly warn physicians and patients about serious complications, including chronic pain, mesh erosion, infection, organ perforation, painful intercourse, urinary dysfunction, and the need for multiple corrective surgeries.

Federal courts consolidated these lawsuits by manufacturer, and Riley was selected to leadership roles across virtually the entire litigation.

Court-Appointed Leadership

Co-Lead Counsel

  • MDL 2387 – In re: Coloplast Corp. Pelvic Repair Products Liability Litigation
  • MDL 2440 – In re: Cook Medical, Inc. Pelvic Repair Products Liability Litigation
  • MDL 2551 – In re: Neomedic, Inc. Pelvic Repair Products Liability Litigation

Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee

  • MDL 2187 – In re: C.R. Bard, Inc.
  • MDL 2325 – In re: American Medical Systems
  • MDL 2326 – In re: Boston Scientific Corp.
  • MDL 2327 – In re: Ethicon, Inc.

Common Benefit Committee

  • MDL 2187 – Transvaginal Mesh Common Benefit Committee

Riley also served on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the Davol/C.R. Bard Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation.

These lawsuits involve allegations that certain hernia mesh implants were defectively designed, leading to complications such as chronic pain, infections, bowel obstruction, mesh migration, adhesion to internal organs, and the need for additional surgeries. The litigation seeks to hold manufacturers accountable for allegedly placing unsafe medical devices into the marketplace without adequate warnings.

Leadership Appointment

  • Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee
  • In re: Davol/C.R. Bard Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation (2019)

Riley was appointed to both the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and the Common Benefit Committee in the nationwide litigation involving 3M Combat Arms Earplugs.

The lawsuits were brought by current and former members of the U.S. military who alleged that defective dual-ended earplugs failed to provide adequate hearing protection during training and combat, resulting in hearing loss and tinnitus. The litigation became one of the largest mass tort proceedings in American history.

Leadership Appointments

  • Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee
  • Common Benefit Committee

MDL 2885 – In re: 3M Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Litigation

Following Hurricane Ike in 2008, thousands of Texas homeowners and business owners became involved in disputes with insurance companies over coverage, claim handling, and the payment of storm-related losses.

Because of the sheer number of cases filed throughout Texas, courts appointed leadership attorneys to help coordinate the litigation and efficiently resolve common legal issues.

Riley served in leadership roles in multiple Hurricane Ike proceedings.

Leadership Appointments

  • Liaison Counsel — In re: Hurricane Ike, Harris County (11th Judicial District)
  • Treasurer of the Litigation Fund — In re: Ike Litigation Residential and Commercial Property Claims, Galveston County (212th Judicial District)
  • Class Action Counsel — Hubert W. Wilson v. Texas Windstorm Insurance Association

Following the catastrophic explosion at BP’s Texas City refinery on March 23, 2005, hundreds of lawsuits were filed on behalf of individuals who were killed or seriously injured in one of the deadliest industrial accidents in Texas history.

Riley served as Liaison Counsel, helping coordinate communication between plaintiffs’ counsel and the court as the litigation progressed.

Leadership Appointment

  • Liaison Counsel
  • In re March 23, 2005 British Petroleum (BP) Explosion

Early in his career, Riley was selected to leadership positions in major nationwide pharmaceutical litigation involving allegations that manufacturers failed to adequately warn patients and physicians about serious health risks associated with prescription medications.

Paxil Birth Defect Litigation

Riley served as Liaison Counsel in litigation involving allegations that the antidepressant Paxil increased the risk of certain birth defects when taken during pregnancy.

Leadership Appointment

Liaison Counsel

  • In re: Paxil Pregnancy Products Liability Litigation (2007)

Fen-Phen Litigation

Riley also served as Liaison Counsel in the nationwide Fen-Phen litigation, one of the first major pharmaceutical mass torts in the United States. Plaintiffs alleged that the popular weight-loss drugs caused serious heart valve damage and pulmonary hypertension, resulting in one of the largest pharmaceutical settlements in American history.

Leadership Appointment

Liaison Counsel

  • In re: “Phen-Fen” Products Liability Litigation (2001)