David Hoyle is a trial lawyer who works to bring about change through the civil justice system, representing victims of corporate wrongdoing and negligence in complex litigation ranging from toxic torts to environmental contamination and catastrophic incidents.
David has a lead role in litigation involving per- and poly-fluroalkyl substances, or PFAS. These synthetic chemicals are “forever chemicals,” which do not biodegrade and are extremely persistent in the environment. In 2017, David began representing communities in western Michigan concerning PFAS-containing tannery waste. He took dozens of liability depositions of witnesses from 3M Company as part of that litigation. Building on this work, David was entrusted with leading the 3M Discovery Team for the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in In re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2873, involving AFFF firefighting suppressant products. Within the AFFF MDL, he currently represents public water systems as well as individual fire fighters who have brought personal injury claims because of PFAS exposure. David is also litigating cases involving alleged harm to natural resources and property damage.
Outside the AFFF MDL, David represents residents of Elkton, Maryland, in litigation alleging PFAS contamination from W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. manufacturing facilities. Additionally, he represents the International Association of Fire Fighters in a lawsuit against the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for its alleged role in promulgating a standard that effectively mandated the use of PFAS in fire fighter protective gear.
David’s experience representing communities impacted by environmental contamination involves litigating citizen suits under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in addition to litigating individual and class cases based on nuisance and negligence theories. David was co-lead counsel in In re New Indy Emissions Litigation, C/A No. 0:21-cv-01480-SAL (D. S.C.) which resolved environmental and nuisance claims involving a pulp and paper mill in Catawba, South Carolina for $103 million* in cash and remediation. In its order approving the settlement, the Court acknowledged “the vital work of Class Counsel and the residents of the area in safeguarding the natural beauty and resources of their state for future generations.”
As a leader of Motley Rice’s toxic tort practice, David has litigated chemical exposure cases involving methylene chloride, benzene, and other chemicals and represented governments and businesses harmed by the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He has also litigated complex personal injury cases involving catastrophic burns, brain injury, loss of limb and paralysis, as well as wrongful death cases resulting from negligence, fires, industrial accidents and defective products.
David began his career at Motley Rice representing asbestos victims across North America suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. David holds a Foreign Legal Consultant (FLC) permit issued by the Law Society of Ontario to give legal advice in Ontario about the federal law of the United States and he continues to represent Canadian provincial workers’ compensation boards concerning asbestos claims.
David’s wide-ranging curiosity, genuine empathy, unwavering convictions, and versatile litigation skills make him comfortable in a variety of settings and have allowed him to handle all aspects of litigation, from initial client meetings to first chairing jury trials and making appellate oral arguments.
An AV rated attorney in Martindale-Hubbell, David is a frequent presenter at seminars on PFAS litigation. He has also presented on the economic loss rule in environmental case, trends in federal practice, ethical issues involving social media, NFL concussion litigation, and asbestos disease awareness. He is the author of 'Seal of Disapproval: International Implications of South Carolina's Notary Statute,' 3 S.C.J.Int'l. L. & Bus. 1 (2006).
As chair of the South Carolina Association for Justice PAC, David helps lead the organization. Active in his community, he has served on the Board of Directors for the Lowcountry Autism Foundation, the Episcopal Church Province IV Court of Review, and as a volunteer for over a decade with the Lowcountry AIDS Legal Clinic.
*Prior results to not guarantee a similar outcome.
Awards, Accolades & Recognitions
Super Lawyers
2012-2019 South Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Stars list
Personal injury - general: plaintiff; Civil rights; Environmental litigation
Charleston Business Magazine
2017 “Legal Elite of the Lowcountry”
The National Trial Lawyers
2012 Top 100 Trial Lawyers - South Carolina
Lawdragon
2022-2026 Lawdragon 500 Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers
Asbestos, Human Rights, Personal Injury
National Law Journal
2023 Class Action/Mass Tort Litigation Trailblazers
Best Lawyers
2024-2026 Mass tort litigation / class actions-plaintiffs
Blog Posts
May 1, 2020
Worker knowledge is power in the fight for workers’ rights Causes, Not Just Cases
by: T. David Hoyle
August 13, 2018
Summer School: The prevalence of asbestos in schools Causes, Not Just Cases
by: T. David Hoyle
October 24, 2016
Halt and Don’t Catch Fire: Reducing the Risks Posed by Lithium-Ion Batteries - Part 2 Causes, Not Just Cases
by: T. David Hoyle
News
April 28, 2025
The history and legacy of Workers’ Memorial Day
by:
M. Nolan Webb
April 1, 2025
Finish the asbestos ban to improve worker safety
by:
Nathan D. Finch
