Attorneys | Jonathan M. Hoffman
Practice Emphasis
Jonathan Hoffman practices exclusively civil litigation. The principal emphasis of his practice is the defense of product liability, aviation, and other tort claims.
Education
Mr. Hoffman received his undergraduate A.B. degree from Harvard University in history, magna cum laude, and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Oregon School of Law.
Mr. Hoffman is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Oregon and Alaska. He is also admitted to practice in the Sixth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits of the U.S. Court of Appeals, the United States Claims Court and the United States Supreme Court.
Professional Activities
Mr. Hoffman is a member of the Oregon State and Alaska Bar Associations. He is also a member of the Tort and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association in which he has served as chair of the Automobile Law Committee. He has served as president of many other professional organizations, including the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel, the Oregon Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the Northwest Aviation Insurance Association, and the Aviation Section of the Oregon State Bar. He is a member of the Defense Research Institute. He serves on the Case Selection Committee of the Product Liability Advisory Council, in which he is a sustaining member, and previously served as co-chair of PLAC’s Restatement Action Committee. He is a frequent speaker at many continuing legal education programs, including the SMU Air Law Symposium and the ABA Automotive Product Liability National Institute. He has served as a volunteer cooperating attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. He also has written and published articles in the Rutgers Law Journal, the Tort and Insurance Law Journal, the Oregon Law Review, and The Brief on a variety of topics.
Representative Cases
- Successfully defended a motorcycle tire manufacturer in a product liability case in which the operator was thrown off his motorcycle and left in a permanent vegetative state.
- Successfully defended a helicopter manufacturer in a product liability wrongful death case.
- Successfully defended the manufacturer of an electric can opener in a product liability case in which the can opener was alleged to have caused a house fire and obtained a dismissal of the case after successfully arguing that the plaintiffs and their insurer spoliated the evidence.
- Successfully defended an automobile manufacturer in a wrongful death case in which the plaintiff claimed the seat belt geometry permitted the car's occupant to submarine.
- Served as local counsel for a breast implant manufacturer and helped persuade the court to exclude all expert testimony by plaintiff's experts.
