Representative Matters

On the bench or as a neutral, Judge Methvin has handled a wide variety of matters, including:

Business Commercial
• • As a judge, presided over jury and non-jury trials in a wide variety of cases and successfully mediated more than 1200 civil cases across industries, including multiparty cases
  • As a judge, presided over a case involving a commercial insurance dispute arising from a fire loss claim; oversaw complex discovery and motion practice, addressing issues of deposition conduct, privilege assertions and cost recovery
  • As a judge, handled a putative class action alleging negligence, fraud and product defects in the mobile home industry, addressing standing and the juridical links doctrine; the district judge adopted the analysis and dismissed the action for lack of standing
  • As a judge, handled a commercial contract dispute involving a public authority and a construction company, addressing claims of breach, payment and delay damages
  • As a judge, addressed motions to dismiss and class certification issues in securities litigation involving alleged misrepresentations by corporate officers; the report and recommendation was adopted by the district court
Civil Rights
• • As a judge, presided over a Section 1983 excessive-force bench trial involving allegations of unconstitutional conduct by sheriff’s deputies and issued a published ruling analyzing the governing Fourth Amendment standards
  • As a judge, presided over a civil rights case involving allegations of a warrantless arrest and wrongful resisting arrest charge by a police officer
Class Action & Mass Tort
• • As a judge, presided over jury and non-jury proceedings involving class actions, collective actions, consolidated mass-tort litigation and other complex, multiparty disputes; coordinated insurance and disaster-related litigation arising from Hurricane Rita, overseeing complex discovery, motion practice and case management
  • As a judge, managed discovery proceedings in a consolidated securities class action involving investor claims against a publicly traded energy corporation, ruling on motions to compel production and managing complex pretrial matters
  • As a judge, handled a putative class action alleging civil rights violations by a public school district in connection with the imposition of truancy fines, determining that the plaintiffs stated viable equal protection and due process claims
Employment Law
• • As a judge, presided over federal employment discrimination cases involving Title VII, ADEA, ADA and ERISA claims, addressing issues such as administrative exhaustion, jurisdictional limits, employee benefits and workplace accommodations
  • As a judge, oversaw complex discovery disputes between the EEOC and corporate employers, including motions to compel deposition testimony and document production
  • As chair of a three-person arbitration panel, presided over an appeal of a prior arbitrator’s decision in an employment dispute arising from a Title VII, ADEA and state-law discrimination case against a global hotel chain, resolving issues of arbitrarily and prescription
  • As a mediator, successfully resolved a pre-suit whistleblower dispute involving allegations that a former employee was terminated after raising concerns about the company’s compliance with federal environmental reporting requirements
Environmental Law
• • As an advocate, represented the Office of Surface Mining across a seven-state region, overseeing enforcement actions and regulatory compliance related to federal environmental laws governing surface coal mining operations
  • As a judge, handled an environmental contract dispute involving claims against an energy company for breach of a property lease and alleged environmental damage, granting in part and denying in part summary judgment—demonstrating expertise in oil and gas, environmental and contract litigation
Higher Education & Title IX
• • As a judge, handled a Title IX and equal protection case involving alleged peer harassment and school district liability involving issues of notice and deliberate indifference
  • As an advocate, represented survivors of sexual assault, harassment and retaliation in litigation arising from a university’s systemic Title IX failures, advocating for transparency, accountability and the creation of a model program to protect survivors and ensure institutional responsibility.
Insurance
• • As a judge, adjudicated an insurance coverage dispute involving claims of breach of contract and bad faith arising from an employer–employee conflict, including no duty to defend or indemnify under the homeowners’ and umbrella policies
  • As a judge, presided over a case involving a nationwide insurance company in which plaintiffs alleged wrongful denial of an insurance claim, seeking damages exceeding $1.2 million
  • As a judge, handled maritime and insurance litigation arising from a vessel collision, addressing discovery disputes involving employment and post-incident testing records; ordered production upon finding the information relevant and discoverable, demonstrating extensive experience in complex insurance coverage and evidentiary matters
Intellectual Property
• • As a judge, presided over a 13-day patent infringement jury trial involving extensive pretrial motion practice, complex technical evidence and contested expert testimony
  • As a judge, managed discovery in a patent case involving flexible intermediate bulk containers, addressing discoverability of technical documents and issuing a protective order governing disclosure of confidential business information
  • As a judge, handled a patent-infringement matter involving competitive bidding systems for print procurement, addressing issues of patent validity, infringement and standing
  • As a judge, handled a copyright infringement action requiring analysis of ownership and substantial similarity under the Copyright Act
Medical Malpractice
• • As a mediator, successfully resolved a wrongful death and medical malpractice case involving a nursing home resident who developed complications leading to amputation and death; the case settled following detailed evaluation of liability exposure and potential damages under Louisiana law
  • As an advocate, defended Veterans Administration physicians in medical malpractice cases brought against the United States during service as an assistant U.S. attorney, involving complex medical causation and expert testimony
  • As an advocate, represented a patient in a complex medical malpractice suit involving multiple open-heart surgeries later determined to have been unnecessary and improperly performed; the case involved expert testimony from leading national cardiology centers and was successfully resolved on behalf of the plaintiff
Personal Injury
• • As a judge, presided over a case involving major retailer alleging failure to maintain safe premises, which led to the plaintiff slipping, falling and sustaining injuries, removed from the Court of Common Pleas of York County, Pennsylvania
  • As a judge, presided over a case in which plaintiffs alleged that a major energy company’s production caused natural gas exploration activities that created noise, light, pollution and other disturbances that interfered with their private use and enjoyment of their homes
  • As a judge, presided over a personal injury case involving a motor vehicle accident
  • As a judge, managed premises liability actions against a national retail chain, finding genuine issues of material fact existed regarding the store’s constructive notice of a spill
Product Liability
• • As a judge, presided over a subrogation action involving an insurance company seeking recovery for fire damage allegedly caused by defective electrical equipment
  • As a judge, oversaw a products liability action involving claims against a major pharmaceutical manufacturer related to the antidepressant Prozac, evaluating causation, foreseeability and evidentiary issues