T. Patrick Byrnes

Patrick litigates complex disputes, particularly in the aviation and insurance coverage sectors. He represents a diverse array of clients, including aircraft component manufacturers, airlines, ground handling companies, and their insurers in high-stakes cases ranging from aircraft accidents to insurance coverage disputes.

Patrick advises insurers on aviation liability, privacy, and cybersecurity coverage. He also provides essential legal guidance to food and beverage companies, from startups to multibillion-dollar corporations, helping them navigate supplier disputes, internal investigations, and litigation involving food safety.

Patrick has been involved in landmark cases. In a decision that was largely upheld on appeal, he served as one of three trial counsel for the aviation defendants against Larry Silverstein’s claims for approximately $3.5 billion in damages for the destruction of the World Trade Center Complex and 7 World Trade Center, arising out of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Patrick also represented a food manufacturer and supplier in a case before the Ohio Supreme Court involving a chicken bone found in a chicken wing that was labeled as “boneless.” The Court upheld the trial court’s grant of summary judgment in the client’s favor. In affirming on appeal, the appellate court rejected the plaintiff’s request to overturn more than 60 years of Ohio law addressing the liability of sellers and manufacturers for injuries arising from objects found in food.

• Representing leading Lloyd’s syndicates in the war market to defend their interests in 14 insurance coverage litigations arising out of aircraft leased by U.S. business entities to Russian airlines, which remain in Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the imposition of Western sanctions, and the reactions of the Russian airlines and the Russian Federation. These cases involve issues regarding the availability of insurance, if any, under all risks or war risk policies and seek more than $3 billion.
• Defended billions of dollars in additional property damage claims in consolidated litigation in the Southern District of New York arising out of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
• Secured the dismissal for an aircraft lessor based on lack of personal jurisdiction relating to a crash in Russia.
• Acted as trial counsel in the Delaware Court of Chancery on behalf of Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s of London, seeking reformation and rescission of aviation liability policies.
• Advises entities on 14 C.F.R. Part 107 compliance, influencing regulatory pathways and safer integration of drones into national airspace.
• Represented a reinsurer in a case involving contaminated water claims by a municipality’s residents.
• Represent clients in the food and beverage industry, including resolving high-stakes supplier disputes, assisting with internal investigations, and defending litigation involving claims of adulterated and unsafe food.