ABOUT

Abigail "Abby" Mathews is a partner in the Dallas, office of Hartline, Dacus, Barger, Dreyer and Kern, L.L.P. Abby was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. Her advocacy days date back to Corpus Christi where in 1992 she was a member of the Richard King High School Mock Trial team, which won State and 2nd in the nation in Madison, Wisconsin. She attended Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas and in 1996 received a B.A. in History and Anthropology. At Texas A&M, Abby participated in and ultimately coached the Undergraduate Moot Court Team. During her two years of participating she and her partner won "Championship Team" four times and she received multiple top oral advocate awards. At Texas A&M she was also entered in a national public speaking competition where she won third in the nation, for a speech on National Park conservation.

Abby attended Baylor University School of Law on a full scholarship, the Leon Jarworski Scholarship for Outstanding Undergraduate Advocates. At Baylor she was the winner, top oral advocate and top first year team in the 1998 Strasburger & Price Moot Court Competition. Later she participated as a member of Baylor's Texas Invitational and National Mock Trial Teams. During law school, she was President of the Harvey M. Richey Moot Court Society and a member of the Order of the Barristers. In July of 1999, Abby received her Juris Doctorate degree from Baylor.

After graduation from law school Abby became an associate at Thompson, Coe, Cousins and Irons L.L.P. in Dallas, Texas, where she defended direct actions against insurance companies. In November of 2000, she joined Hartline, Dacus, Dreyer and Kern, L.L.P. and began a practice focused on negligence, products liability, motor vehicle accidents, industrial accidents, general civil and personal injury litigation and administrative agency litigation. Currently, Abby is actively involved in litigation on behalf a number of foreign and domestic clients in a wide variety of products liability, negligence and breach of contract suits involving automobiles, lift trucks and heavy machinery.

CASE EXPERIENCE

• Obtained a defense verdict in a 2006 case on behalf of a forklift manufacturer defending against claims of fraud, breach of warranty and deceptive trade practices leading to a multi-million dollar commercial loss for a North Carolina warehouse owner.
  
• Obtained defense verdicts in a 2006 case on behalf of a forklift manufacturer and forklift dealership, defending alleged inadequate warnings claims against the manufacturer and alleged negligent maintenance claims against the dealership.
  
• Lead counsel for a mortgage company defending six figure administrative agency sanctions and successfully obtained a 75% reduction in administrative sanctions on appeal.
  
• Successfully obtained summary judgment for automotive defendant based upon the failure of the plaintiff to timely file and serve suit within limitations.
  
• Successfully obtained summary judgment for automotive dealership based upon the innocent seller defense.
  
• Successfully obtained summary judgment for automotive defendant in handling and stability suit based upon lack of evidence of defect and causation.
  
• Successfully obtained summary judgment for a general purpose engine designer based upon no evidence of defect and the component part manufacturer defense.
  
• Currently defending forklift manufacturer against allegations of defect related to a tip over accident.
  
• Currently defending power equipment manufacturer against allegations of excessive carbon monoxide release from a general purpose engine.
  
• Currently defending automotive manufacturer in airbag non-deployment suit.
  
• Currently defending mortgage insurance company in breach of contract suit.
  
• Currently defending mortgage underwriter in general litigation suit.
  

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Dallas Association of Young Lawyers
Dallas Bar Association
Defense Research Institute

NOTEWORTHY

Teaching Assistant to the Abner V. McCall Professor of Evidence Law - Gerald Powell - Evidence and Practice Court II, Baylor - Spring and Summer 1999

Taught continuing education course - "Depositions: A Game of Strategy?" - 2006

Taught continuing education course - "Excuse Me This is Private! Keeping and Protecting Client Secrets" - 2006