H Clay Barnett III

Clay joined Beasley Allen Law Frim in 2007 and pursued pharmaceutical companies for fraud and Consumer Protection Act violations from day one. As a member of the firm’s Consumer Fraud Section, he has Clay joined Beasley Allen Law Firm in 2007 and pursued pharmaceutical companies for fraud and Consumer Protection Act violations from day one. As a member of the firm’s Consumer Fraud Section, he has secured tens of millions in verdicts and settlements for his clients, whether they be states or consumers.

Notable Cases

Clay currently specializes in automotive defect class action litigation. Three of his newest cases involve GM, Ford and Toyota motor companies. The GM class action is brought on behalf of owners of full size pickups and SUVs powered by the Generation IV Vortec 5300 V8 engine. These engines consume oil at such extreme levels that internal failures are occurring at unheard of rates. Clay is separately pursuing Ford for the dangerously defective Explorer, Edge and Lincoln MKX models which pull exhaust gases into the cabin under normal driving conditions.  His class against Toyota involves Sienna vans from 2011-2017 with defective power sliding door software that prevents proper latching and invites spontaneous door openings while the vehicles are in use.

Additionally, Clay is working on a nationwide class action lawsuit on behalf of Volkswagen owners who were deceived by the automaker’s deliberate violation of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pollution controls. He is a member of the Plaintiffs Response Team, a group of attorneys who work directly with VW claimants navigating the claims submission process.

He has represented the states of Mississippi, Louisiana, Kansas, Utah, Alabama, Alaska and Hawaii in actions filed against a long list of brand and generic pharmaceutical companies in Average Wholesale Price (AWP) litigation. Clay has secured tens of millions in settlements for his states, in addition to winning two multimillion-dollar verdicts for the state of Mississippi – a $30.1 million verdict in 2011 and a $30.2 million verdict in 2013.

Clay is also part of the Fraud Section team handling a class action lawsuit for economic losses related to potentially defective airbags manufactured by the Takata Corporation. The lawsuit represents those who own certain model Honda vehicles that contain Takata airbags, which may deploy with excessive force, propelling metal fragments into the vehicle and potentially killing or injuring the driver and passenger.

Publicity

Clay delivered a presentation on his work with Volkswagen litigation at the HarrisMartin conference in New Orleans on Dec. 2, 2015. He spoke about possible diesel fixes offered by Volkswagen and what options they have for meeting EPA standards in order to get their vehicles back within specifications.

Background

Clay is a 2001 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law and a 1997 graduate of the University’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration. Upon graduation from law school, Clay spent one year in Mobile, Alabama, clerking for Circuit Judge James C. Wood.

Prior to joining the firm, Clay spent five years with the Alabama Attorney General’s Office. As a prosecutor for the criminal trials division, Clay tried jury and non-jury cases with offenses ranging from misdemeanor harassment to capital murder. Clay also served in the white collar / public corruption division, where he prosecuted numerous public officials for misuse of office. In 2006, the DOJ appointed Clay as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. He and his prosecution team tried and convicted three high-profile defendants in the Federal District Court in Mobile, Alabama.

Community Involvement

Since 2004, Clay has coached high school mock trial teams in the annual Alabama YMCA high school mock trial competition. In addition, Clay head coached two different Alabama state teams in the National high school mock trial event (2006 and 2010). Clay is involved in the Montgomery YMCA’s Youth Legislature program and is a member of the Hugh Maddox Inn of Court. Clay served as chairman of the River Region United Way attorney campaign and currently serves on the board of directors of the Britton YMCA.

Clay is married to Dr. Elise Plauche Barnett, a surgical and cosmetic dermatologist in Montgomery. They are proud parents of a son and daughter. Outside of work, Clay enjoys his free time with Elise and their children and occasionally enters a car he built in endurance road racing events around the Southeast.