Areas of Practice
- Business & Commercial Litigation
- Environmental & Toxic Torts
- Health Care
- Health Care Reform Resource Center
- Insurance Coverage
- Intellectual Property
- Telecommunications & Utilities
Practice-Specific Experience
Education
- Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University, J.D., 1979
- Louisiana State University, B.A., 1976
Bar Admissions
- Louisiana, 1979
- Texas, 1992
Court Admissions
- 5th Cir.
- 11th Cir.
- E.D. La.
- M.D. La.
- W.D. La.
Gary Russo is a partner in the firm's Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group and serves as the head of the firm's Lafayette office. Prior to joining Jones Walker in 2009, he was a named partner in the Lafayette-based law firm Longman Russo, APLC.
Mr. Russo practices in the areas of litigation involving insurance fraud, health care and medical insurance fraud, and commercial environmental litigation, and has represented insurers throughout the United States in organizing and handling complex multi-district litigation. He tried one of the longest environmental toxic torts cases in the state of Louisiana. Mr. Russo primarily represents clients, both privately and publicly held, in the telecommunications and insurance industries. He is also a frequent speaker at industry-sponsored seminars regarding insurance premium fraud.
Mr. Russo has handled lawsuits, has tried cases, and/or has had evidentiary hearings in multiple jurisdiction's including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee.
Noteworthy
- AV® Peer Review Rating in Martindale-Hubbell
Representative Matters
Telecommunications
Defense of nationwide class action lawsuits:
- Iberia Credit Bureau, Inc., et al v. Cingular Wireless LLC, f/k/a BellSouth Mobility, et al, Civil Action 6:01 CV2148. We were successful in getting the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the district court's refusal to enforce the client's arbitration clause.
- Sutton Steel & Supply, Inc., et al v. BellSouth Mobility Inc., Docket No. 91421, Iberia Parish, Louisiana.
Enjoined a $98-million bond issuance of a municipality:
- BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. v. The City of Lafayette and The Lafayette Public Utilities Authority, Docket No. 2005-5245, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana (LUS fiber optic)
- BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. and Louisiana Cable & Telecommunications Associations v. The City of Lafayette and The Lafayette Public Utilities Authority, Docket No. 2006-2019, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
- Ryan Franklin Perry and BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. v. The City of Lafayette and The Lafayette Public Utilities Authority, Docket No. 2005-0380, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Environmental
Defended suits involving allegation of exposure to toxic chemicals in oilfield waste:
- Clarice Friloux, et al v. Campbell Wells Corporation, et al, Docket No. 75524, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, consolidated with Docket No. 76744 and Docket No. 79481. Successfully defended the operator of a non-hazardous oilfield waste site, in a five-week jury trial and suit brought by an entire community.
- Bonne Terre Lawn Care and Richard Owen, et al v. Campbell Wells, et al, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. Represented the operator of a non-hazardous oilfield waste site in a suit unrelated to Friloux, in which we were successful in having the claims dismissed after a five-day prescription hearing in state court in Thibodeaux, Louisiana.
Insurance Fraud
Handled numerous civil suits adverse to various companies, agents, and/or consultants, and worked with the FBI and U.S. Attorneys throughout the United States offices for multiple insurance companies, in the following representative matters:
- Howard Trucking Company (California): Resulted in multiple criminal convictions
- Coastwise Transport (Oregon): Civil award, and resulted in multiple criminal convictions
- Westcoast Truckers Association (California): Civil award, and resulted in multiple criminal convictions
- Intermodal Transportation (Louisiana)
- Nationwide Transportation Inc. (Kentucky/Ohio)
- Mutual Indemnity Thrift Association (New York): Civil award, and resulted in multiple criminal convictions
- Transportation Services (Florida): $65-million civil award with multiple criminal convictions
- Best Western Hotels (Arizona): Involved allegations of fraud in the insurance purchased on behalf of a nationwide hotel chain
Workers' Compensation Insurance Premium Fraud
- Handled cases throughout the United States involving complex premium disputes
Insurance and Homeowners & Commercial Coverage
- Handled more than 700 Hurricane Katrina claims for a national insurance carrier
Banking
- Represented banks in various commercial lending cases
News
- Alec Alexander Bolsters Jones Walker’s Growing Health Care Practice
- Dennis L. Doise Joins Jones Walker
- Douglas C. Longman, Jr. Joins Jones Walker's Lafayette Office
- 10/12 Magazine Highlights Jones Walker’s Growth, Success
- Jones Walker Expands in Lafayette
Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit
- Lafayette Bar Association
- Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel
- Louisiana State Bar Association
- State Bar of Texas
- Texas Association of Defense Counsel
