Robert Haefele has spent more than 35 years practicing in complex civil litigation, including asbestos, tobacco, mesh, and other mass tort and product liability litigation. His area of primary emphasis involves anti-terrorism and human rights, analyzing and litigating complex, domestic and international matters to meet clients’ goals of justice and accountability while simultaneously achieving positive social change.
Robert’s current focus is on aiding the more than 7,400 estates, family members, and survivors of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks Motley Rice represents. He is liaison counsel and an active member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for Personal Injury and Death Claims in In re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001, U.S.D.C., S.D.N.Y., MDL 1570, lawsuits filed by Motley Rice’s clients and others seeking to expose and bankrupt the alleged financiers and other supporters of al Qaeda terrorist activity.
Robert also played a central role in In re September 11th Litigation, Case No. 21-MC-97-AKH (S.D.N.Y.), involving more than 50 personal injury and wrongful death clients against the aviation and aviation security industries for their alleged failure to detect and prevent the terrorist attacks. For both the multidistrict terrorist financing litigation and mass consolidations of the aviation security liability cases, Robert has appeared before the court for multiple hearings and oral arguments, drafted substantial briefs and other legal pleadings, directed and engaged in complex formal discovery, and managed informal investigative efforts involving, among other things, aviation security, designation of foreign terrorist individuals and entities, and elaborate webs of financial transactions.
In addition to traditional litigation efforts, Robert has provided substantial pro bono and other support to the survivors and families of those killed in the September 11th attacks. From 2001-2004, he provided pro bono representation for more than 30 individuals, preparing and presenting their claims to the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Working with Motley Rice clients, legislators and leading experts in various industries, Robert also works to encourage legislative changes to help meet clients’ goals of justice, accountability, and positive social change.
He has represented victims of other terrorist attacks and human rights violations in litigation including Oran Almog v. Arab Bank, a landmark lawsuit filed by victims of terrorist bombings in Israel against Arab Bank for its alleged role in financing Hamas and other Israeli terrorist organizations, and Krishanti v. Rajaratnum et al., 09-cv-5395 (D. N.J.), litigation against alleged financiers of the Tamil Tigers terrorist organization in Sri Lanka. He was also part of the litigation filed for non-U.S. citizens, Jesner v. Arab Bank. The litigation was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court under the Alien Tort Statute regarding violations of customary international law by foreign corporations.
Representing Motley Rice clients in an array of other complex litigation matters, Robert has collaborated with members of the firm’s securities team, litigating such cases as In re MBNA Corp. Sec. Litig., No. 05-272 (D. Del.), with the firm’s medical devices practice group, litigating cases in In re Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2327 (S.D.W.V.), and with the firm’s toxic exposure team to litigate cases brought by individuals and businesses suffering as a result of the BP oil spill in In re Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon” in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, and as a result of the East Palestine train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in In re East Palestine Train Derailment, No. 4:23-cv-242 (N.D. Ohio).
Before joining Motley Rice in 2003, Robert developed a strong co-counsel relationship with Motley Rice attorneys through complex litigation involving corporate wrongdoing, including the State of New Jersey’s historic tobacco lawsuit against Big Tobacco, and other tobacco, asbestos and occupational disease and injury cases. Practicing product liability, toxic and mass tort, and occupational injury law, he represented individuals and union members injured by defective products or toxic substances and authored “Tire Litigation Raises Issues of Court Secrecy” (December 2001) and “The Hidden Truth About Asbestos Disease” (December 2002) in the New Jersey Law Journal. He clerked with Judge Neil F. Deighan of the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey in 1990.
Awards, Accolades & Recognitions
The National Trial Lawyers
2023-present Top 100 Trial Lawyers
Blog Posts
September 11, 2019
Justice for 9/11 not possible without transparency Causes, Not Just Cases
by: Robert T. Haefele
News
August 28, 2025
Federal Judge denies Saudi Arabia Motion to Dismiss in 9/11 families lawsuit
by: Motley Rice
April 28, 2025
The history and legacy of Workers’ Memorial Day
by:
M. Nolan Webb
