Lewis S. Eidson

Practice Areas

Complex Civil Litigation

Professional Liability

Medical Negligence

Class Action + Mass Tort

Languages Spoken

English

Experience

With over four decades of experience, Lewis “Mike” Eidson has played leadership roles in several important product liability cases across the United States. He entered law practice in 1974 with Colson Hicks Eidson, and he is now an attorney and the President of the firm.

He got his Juris Doctor from Emory University Law School, where he was awarded the Woodruff Law Scholarship. Prior to his legal studies, Mr. Eidson pursued his undergraduate education at the University of South Carolina, Warwick University in Coventry, England, and Georgia State University.

Mr. Eidson was an outstanding athlete during his undergraduate years, serving as captain of the Track Team from 1964 to 1968 and the Cross Country Team in 1967. In 1968, he was named Atlantic Coast Conference Student-Athlete of the Year and received the Most Valuable Player award for his outstanding performance on the University of South Carolina Track Team.

In addition, Mr. Eidson also has a commendable military background, having served as a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army from 1968 to 1971. He served in the Reserves until 1972, and then in the United States Army Reserves from 1972 to 1981.

He was admitted to the bar in Georgia in 1971 and in Florida in 1972, and specializes in complex litigation in areas such as personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, medical malpractice, motor vehicle crashworthiness cases, insurance disputes, professional liability, mass tort aviation cases, commercial law, and class actions. Mr. Eidson has successfully handled trials in both federal and state courts, as well as mediations and arbitrations.

In the case of Havlick vs. Ford Motor Company, Mr. Eidson won the first Pinto gas tank explosion case in the country in 1975, with the court ruling that the Ford Pinto fuel system was unreasonably dangerous and accepting crashworthiness as an acceptable legal theory in Florida. The case created new standards for fuel system safety, and the case was affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court.

He was the lead attorney for the plaintiffs in the Firestone/Ford MDL, Case No. 1373, from November 2000 to 2004. The case was about accidents involving Ford Explorers and Firestone tires that happened in different parts of the world. He represented more than 125 people who were hurt or killed in these accidents. The case involved coordinating with similar cases pending in state courts, as well as over 1,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases and more than 100 class-action economic loss cases consolidated for core discovery, the development of expert witnesses, and other related matters. Many of the cases in this matter resulted from accidents in other countries.

Mr. Eidson was also the lead attorney in a case brought by victims from nine different nations who lost their lives in the 1996 crash of AeroPeru Flight 603 against Boeing Corporation.

Lewis “Mike” Eidson has received many awards and accolades throughout his career. In addition to his accomplishments in the legal field, he is an active volunteer in the community and supports philanthropic endeavors. He held positions of leadership in organizations such as the Miami City Ballet, United Way, the Miami-Dade County Arts Council, and the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. His commitment to the arts and charitable causes has been acknowledged with numerous awards and honors.

Mr. Eidson’s contributions go beyond his legal and community involvement. He has authored textbooks and chapters on personal injury law and product liability. The Lawyer’s Cooperative published the Florida Personal Injury Practice Guide in two volumes in 1996. Another publication titled “Product Defect – Evidence to Verdict”, was released by The Michie Co. in 1995. The ATLA Trial Practice Chapter on Products Liability Practice was also published in 2003.

Education