ABOUT

Suzanne H. Swaner is a partner in the Dallas office of Hartline, Dacus, Barger, Dreyer & Kern, L.L.P., where she started her career after graduating from law school in 1997. Her experience includes representing clients in various types of litigation, including product liability, manufacturer-supplier, consumer litigation, and commercial cases, as both plaintiffs and defendants. Her practice concentrates on product liability litigation for domestic and international automotive manufacturers. She has repeatedly defended catastrophic injury and death claims involving airbags, restraints, roof crush, glazing, unintended acceleration, park to reverse, and overall vehicle crashworthiness. By defending these allegations on innumerable occasions, Ms. Swaner has accumulated expertise in vehicle components and technology that allows her to efficiently and effectively assess and defend repeat litigation. Ms. Swaner has also handled and tried multiple industrial equipment personal injury cases and, over the years, her representation of her clients has expanded to include commercial disputes between manufacturers and component part suppliers. Ms. Swaner’s practice is national in scope, having represented clients all over the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ms. Swaner’s experience includes work at the trial level, in both state and federal courts, as well as before courts of appeal.

CASE EXPERIENCE

• Successfully obtained a defense verdict in 2006 in a vehicle crashworthiness death case.
  
• Successfully obtained a dismissal during trial after successfully striking opposing party’s liability expert.
  
• Successfully obtained multiple summary judgments in favor of automotive manufacturer in vehicle fire cases, including one affirmed on appeal that established favorable precedent regarding the economic loss rule.
  
• Previously defended a manufacturer/supplier from a manufacturer’s breach of warranty claim that resulted in commercial losses.
  
• Currently representing a manufacturer as a plaintiff against a supplier of a defective fuel system that led to commercial losses.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Texas Bar Association

NOTEWORTHY

Phi Delta Phi 1995-1997 and Best Brief Nominee, Jackson and Walker Moot Court Competition, while at SMU School of Law

Enjoys cooking, entertaining and travel