Geraint Webb KC

Geraint has acted in many of the largest and highest profile product liability claims of the last 25 years. He is listed by the directories in the top tier of leading silks for both product liability and group litigation.

He has acted for producers, distributors and retailers across a wide range of sectors, including life sciences/pharmaceuticals (e.g. acting for GSK, Sanofi, Bayer) and medical devices (e.g. Smith & Nephew, Bausch + Lomb) , petrochemicals and extractive industries (e.g. Shell, Vedanta, Petra Diamonds), automotive (e.g. BMW, Iveco, Dana), aviation (Qatar Airways), engineering and power generation (e.g. Alstom), construction (e.g. Kingspan), consumer goods, food and drink, agriculture and retail (eg Camellia, Sainsbury’s, Argos, Homebase).

Geraint has considerable experience of multi-party commercial product liability litigation and sale of goods cases, including product recalls, related insurance coverage issues, contractual exemption clauses and jurisdictional issues.

He has also advised and acted in many of the UK’s largest food and drink contamination and recall incidents of recent years. His domestic group action/mass tort claims experience also encompasses industrial disease, environmental and contamination claims.

Co-author: Clinical Negligence (6^th Ed), Product Liability for Medicinal Products.

Experience includes

• Strike out of the Primodos/hormone pregnancy test litigation (Sanofi)
• Qatar Airways v Airbus A350 litigation (acting for the claimant)
• VW diesel NOx emissions litigation (VW dealerships)
• The Grenfell Tower fire Inquiry and civil claims (Kingspan)
• Dana UK Axle Ltd v Freudenberg FST GmbH
• Metal on Metal hip implant litigation (Smith & Nephew)
• PIP breast implant litigation (BMI)
• Asbestos litigation: Concept 70 Limited v. Cape Intermediate Holdings PLC
• The Avandia Litigation (GSK)
• The Acomplia Litigation (Sanofi)
• Austin & Ors v Miller Argent (South Wales): alleged environmental nuisance
• The Fetal Anti-Convulsant Litigation (Sanofi)
• Argos & Homebase v Leather Trade House Limited (Argos)
• Factor VIII Blood Contamination Litigation
• Eskom v Alstom litigation – power station explosion in South Africa
• Sudan Red food contamination claims
• The Para Red food contamination litigation
• The Benzene drink contamination litigation
• Civil claims arising from the Buncefield explosion
• Petrol Contamination Litigation

Representative cases

• The hormone pregnancy test group litigation

  Geraint Webb KC led Lucy McCormick, instructed by Arnold & Porter, on behalf of Aventis/Sanofi in the successful strike out of the Primodos/hormone pregnancy test group litigation claims: Wilson & Oths v Bayer Pharma AG, Schering Healthcare Limited, Aventis Pharma Limited and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care [2023] EWHC 1282 (QB).  Charles Gibson KC, James Purnell and William Moody acted for the first and second Defendants.

• Qatar Airways v Airbus A350 litigation

  Geraint Webb KC was part of the counsel team acting for the claimant in the high-profile legal dispute concerning A350 which was scheduled for a 9 week trial commencing in London in June 2023 and which was settled in February 2023: press release here.

• Crossley v VWAG, Audi and others

  Geraint Webb KC acted for the VW dealerships in respect of the VW Nos Emissions Group Litigation, including successfully defending the Claimants’ application for summary judgment and strike out Crossley v Volkswagen AG and others [2021] EWHC 3444 (QB).

• Grenfell Tower civil claims

  Acting for Kingspan Insulation Limited in respect of the civil claims arising out of the Grenfell Tower fire: Abdel-Kader & ors v Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea & ors [2022] EHWC 2006 (QB).

• Dana UK Axle Ltd v Freudenberg FST GmbH [2021] EWHC 1751 (TCC) and [2021] EWHC 1413 (TCC)

  Geraint Webb KC, leading Harrison Denner, acted for the successful claimant in this commercial product liability automotive litigation.  The claimant recovered the full amount of its claim, with indemnity costs.  Geraint obtained an order striking out all three of the Defendant’s experts mid-trial for failure to abide by the requirements of CPR Part 35.

• Various v Smith & Nephew

  Multi-party claims against manufacturer of metal on metal hip implants, part of the series of product liability claims which resulted in the judgment in Gee v De Puy International [2018] EWHV 1208 (QB).

• Austin v Miler Argent (South Wales) Limited [2011] EWCA Civ 928

  Geraint acted for the successful respondent in this appeal to the Court of Appeal. The Judge at first instance had declined to recommend the making of a group litigation order in respect of a putative group action claim relating to alleged environmental damage; the decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal.

• The Fetal Anti Convulsant Litigation

  Acting for the defendant pharmaceutical company in respect of group litigation concerning personal injury allegedly caused by in utero exposure to sodium valproate, an anti-convulsant.  Expert evidence included biostatics; epidemiology; teratology; clinical genetics; autistic spectrum disorders; adult neurology; paediatric neurology; neuropsychology; neonatology; maternal fetal medicine; pharmacology; and pharmaceutical regulation. The claims were discontinued shortly before the 3 month trial was due to commence.

Geraint Webb KC is ranked in the top tier by the directories in Group Litigation and also ranked as a leader in Environmental law.  He regularly acts for multi-national companies in respect of operations in foreign jurisdictions in respect of ESG risks, parent company liability issues and/or alleged responsibilities arising from supply chain or shareholder/investor relationships. He has particular experience in relation to environmental damage and business and human rights claims.

Geraint regularly advises corporate clients in respect of ESG matters, including advising on the setting up and implementation of Operational Grievance Mechanisms (OGM) under the United Nation’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

‘Incredibly bright and a very strategic thinker. Deeply experienced in product cases, group actions and business and human rights claims.’ (Chambers UK 2023)

Representative cases

• Claims against Camellia plc in Kenya and Malawi

  Geraint Webb leading Adam Heppinstall KC and instructed by a team led by Heather Gagen and Stephanie Lee at Travers Smith, in respect of parent company/human rights claims brought by Leigh Day against Camellia plc in relation to farming operations by subsidiaries in Kenya and Malawi

• Claims against Petra Diamonds

  Geraint, leading Adam Heppinstall KC and instructed by a team led by Jonathan Isted and Simon Duncombe at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer to advise Petra Diamonds in relation to the settlement with claimants instructing Leigh Day. The claims concerned human rights allegations associated with third-party security operations in relation to a diamond mine in Tanzania.  The public statement in relation to the settlement is here.

• Vedanta Resources v Lungowe

  Group litigation claim concerning alleged environmental damage in the Copperbelt of Zambia allegedly arising from copper mining by Konkola Copper Mines plc, then a subsidiary of Vedanta. Jurisdictional challenge went to the Supreme Court [2019] UKSC 20; [2020] AC 1045.

• The Bodo Group Action

  Acting for Shell in a mass international environmental group action (oil spills in the Niger Delta) brought by 15,000 claimants in London.  The clean-up injunction proceedings were stayed by Cockerill J [2018] EWHC 1377 (TCC) when she gave useful guidance on when a Court will stay a case to allow for a novel ADR process. Judgments have also been given by Coulson J and Akenhead J.