Robert D. Hart

Biography Robert Hart is a highly-skilled attorney with extensive experience representing both corporations and individuals in a wide variety of civil litigation matters to manage and extinguish exposure. His role as first-chair counsel in state and federal trials has garnered him a national reputation for his work as a primary trial attorney to the firms railroad clients and insurance companies. He has won several notable cases, many of which have established legal precedents in railroad liability law. Besides railroad law, Harts extensive defense and trial experience also includes serving as counsel in legal matters relating to all transportation forms, including road and water. He has defended hundreds of personal injury matters that include general negligence, premises liability and product liability. Hart has extensive experience in catastrophic cases involving wrongful death, traumatic brain injury and severe orthopedic injuries. His clients also rely upon him for general commercial and employment matters. He was also an active practice before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in both the Transportation and Oil and Gas Sections. Others have sought Harts skills as a litigator in numerous cases involving environmental impacts on the property, including floodwaters, carbon tetrachloride, creosote, benzene, diesel spills and other contamination. He has also litigated several cases involving toxic torts and environmental impact on the person, such as acute myeloid leukemia, hearing loss, cumulative trauma, diesel fumes and whole-body vibration. Mr. Hart has argued before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and numerous times before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and has had many instances in the Oklahoma appellate courts. Some of the published opinions upon which he was counsel include:Short vs. Union Pacific R. R. Co., 315 P.3d 400 (Okla. Civ. App. 2013)Cornwell vs. Union Pacific R. R. Co., 453 Fed. Appx. 829 (10th Cir. 2012)Dennis vs. Watco Companies, Inc., 631 F.3d 1303 (10th Cir. 2011)Robinson vs. the BNSF Railway, 412 Fed. Appx. 113 (10th Cir. 2011)Union Pacific R. R. Co. vs. U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, 591 F.3d 1311 (10th Cir. 2010)Kennedy vs. BNSF Ry. Corp., 227 P.3d 1120 (Okla. Civ. App. 2009)B. Willis, C. P. A., Inc. vs. BNSF Ry. Corp., 531 F.3d 1282 (10th Cir. 2008)Henning vs. Union Pacific R. R. Co., 530 F.3d 1206 (10th Cir. 2008)Port City Properties vs. Union Pacific R. R. Co., 518 F.3d 1186 (10th Cir. 2008)Varner vs. Peterson Farms, 371 F.3d 1011 (8th Cir. 2004)Myers vs. Missouri Pacific R. R. Co., 52 P.3d 1014 (Okla. 2002)Mac Farline vs. Regouby, 14 P.3d 551 (Okla. 2000)Licensed in the Following Courts:Oklahoma Kansas Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals U. S. District Courts for Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma U. S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas U. S. District Court for the District of Kansas Professional Affiliations Tulsa County Bar Association National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel Oklahoma Association of Defense Counsel Federal Bar Association Published Articles & Speaking Engagements Taking an Expert Witness Deposition, 79 O. B. J. 537 (March 8, 2008)Instructor, Effective Discovery Strategies for the Litigation ParalegalLecturer, 2008 WATCO Companies Claims Conference Lecturer, 2006 Union Pacific Law and Claims Conference Lecturer, 2005 Union Pacific National Grade Crossing Conference Education B. S. Business Administration in Accounting, Northeastern State University, Cum Laude J. D., University of Oklahoma College of Law, with Distinction