Derek H. Potts
Firm Founder Managing Partner
Derek Potts is a nationally recognized trial lawyer known for leading high-stakes cases across personal injury, mass torts, and complex litigation.
- Best Lawyers in America®
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
- Super Lawyers®
- AV-Preeminent Rated
Founding Partner Derek Potts
Mr. Potts is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and legal trailblazer who pioneered product liability litigation involving transvaginal mesh and other dangerous medical products, as well as consumer fraud cases involving overbilling, price gouging, and other injuries. For over two decades, Mr. Potts has led and handled some of the largest, most complex and controversial class actions and mass tort cases in the United States, helping both individuals and businesses recover damages caused by all types of harm.
Courts across the United States consistently recognize Mr. Potts’ exceptional trial and negotiation skills by appointing him as Lead Counsel on numerous complex and multi-district cases. The result is that Mr. Potts has achieved over $8 Billion in settlements for people over the past decade. Mr. Potts also is widely recognized for obtaining superior client results in personal injury and property damage cases. Both Mr. Potts and the Potts Law Firm are regularly featured in the news representing clients in notable cases and causes, including actions against some of the largest companies and insurance carriers and involving some of the most serious injuries.
Credentials & Recognition
Mr. Potts’ notable cases include:
National Product Liability Litigation
Transvaginal Mesh
Mr. Potts forged his reputation as a top-tier national trial lawyer representing women injured by transvaginal mesh products. After developing these cases and filing them in several jurisdictions, a West Virginia Court appointed Mr. Potts to be one of a handful of attorneys to lead the national consolidated multi-district litigation over transvaginal mesh products. The efforts of Mr. Potts and his co-lead counsel over nearly a decade resulted in an estimated $8 billion in settlements for injured women, with the Potts Law Firm itself achieving over $1 billion in settlements. Mr. Potts was also appointed as the Court’s special mediator.
Kugel Mesh
Mr. Potts was part of the first Kugel Mesh bellwether trial team who secured a jury verdict finding that the mesh was defectively designed. Mr. Potts also was appointed by the Court in Rhode Island to join the committee of lawyers leading national litigation for people injured by Kugel Hernia Mesh, and Mr. Potts assisted in the global settlement resulting in $184 million for mesh victims.
GM Ignition Switch
Mr. Potts led several state court consolidations representing victims of the General Motors Ignition Switch Defect litigation, securing a large settlement for over six hundred drivers injured due to sudden engine shutoffs caused by defective ignition switches.
Talcum Powder
Mr. Potts was one of the first lawyers in the United States to file cases on behalf of women who developed cancer from using Talcum Powder. Mr. Potts and the Potts Law Firm continue to represent hundreds of women and families of women injured or killed by using this dangerous product.
Consumer Fraud Cases
AT&T Mobility Class Action Litigation
Mr. Potts served as co-class counsel in the states of New Jersey, New York, and Arkansas for a $240 million national settlement for AT&T customers who were wrongfully charged certain taxes and other expenses on their cell phone bills.
Winter Storm Uri Utility Price Gouging Class Action Litigation
Mr. Potts represented over one thousand businesses across Texas who received inflated and inaccurate natural gas and electric bills from several public utilities.
Live Nation Astroworld Class Action
Mr. Potts was appointed Plaintiffs’ Class Counsel to represent attendees at the Astroworld Concert in Houston in November 2021, which was cancelled due to the tragic deaths and injuries sustained by concertgoers from overcrowding. Mr. Potts successfully settled a class action to reimburse the attendees for cancelled event tickets.
Griddy Energy Class Action
Mr. Potts filed a class action against retail energy provider Griddy for price gouging electricity bills related to Winter Storm Uri on behalf of Texas consumers. Griddy eventually filed bankruptcy as a result.
Environmental Disaster Cases
Hurricane Harvey – Barker Addicks Reservoirs Class Action
Mr. Potts led the creation of a class action to represent thousands of Houstonians whose homes flooded as a result of the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers decision to open the floodgates of the Barker Addicks reservoir during Hurricane Harvey. Mr. Potts was ultimately appointed to serve as Co-Lead Class Counsel of the Downstream group of cases. The case continues to this day.
Winston Weaver Fertilizer Fire Class Action
Mr. Potts was appointed to serve as Co-Lead Class Counsel for the Winston Weaver fire class action in Winston Salem, North Carolina. The class action sought to compensate over 7,000 individuals and businesses who had to evacuate and shutter operations as a result of the fire at Weaver Fertilizer. Mr. Potts successfully negotiated a $12.5 million settlement for the class action lawsuit.
Smokehouse Creek Wildfire Class Action
Mr. Potts filed a $1 billion class action on behalf of Texas ranchers against Xcel Energy Services related to the disastrous Smokehouse Creek fire which occurred in 2024. The case was later resolved.
Personal Injury Cases
Mr. Potts is widely recognized for obtaining exceptional results for his clients in personal injury cases, with a particular focus on cases involving catastrophic injuries. For example, Mr. Potts obtained a $3.0 million jury verdict in Novogradac vs. Shirshekan, a nursing home negligence case tried in Platte County Missouri Circuit Court, which was appealed and upheld by the Missouri Supreme Court. Mr. Potts also obtained a $12.1 million jury verdict in Millard v. Gard, M.D., a medical malpractice case involving an injured minor that was tried in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas.
Other Notable Cases
Kolby Listenbee v TCU
Mr. Potts filed a lawsuit on behalf of college standout wide receiver Kolby Listenbee alleging that abusive policies and coaching forced him to play through an injury which resulted in a permanent injury and loss of any opportunity to play in the NFL. The case was eventually resolved.
Jane Doe v Clarion Inn, Candlewood Suites and Intercontinental Hotels Group
Mr. Potts filed a lawsuit on behalf of a minor against several large hotel chains alleging that she was sex trafficked and forced into prostitution. The case ultimately was resolved.
Judicial Appointments
- 2025 – Appointed Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Class Counsel for Winston Weaver Fertilizer Fire Class Action, 22 CVS 929, In the State of North Carolina, Forsyth County Superior Court Division, Superior Court Judge Edwin G. Wilson, Jr.
- 2022 – Appointed Plaintiffs’ Lead Class Counsel for the Astroworld Class Action, Cause No. 4:21-cv-04169, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Judge Lee Rosenthal
- 2021 – Appointed Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Class Counsel for the In re: Generali COVID-19 Travel Insurance Litigation, MDL 2968, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge John G. Koeltl
- 2017 – Appointed Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Class Counsel for the Hurricane Harvey Litigation, In re Downstream Addicks and Barker (Texas) Flood Control Reservoirs, Cause No. 17-9001, United States Court of Claims, Chief Judge Susan Braden
- 2017 – Appointed Plaintiffs Liaison Counsel, Xarelto JCCP, Los Angeles California Superior Court, Judge Kenneth R. Freeman
- 2016 – Appointed Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Counsel for the In re Neomedic Pelvic Repair Systems Product Liability Litigation, MDL 2511, United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Judge Joseph Robert Goodwin
- 2014 – Appointed Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Counsel for the In re C.R. Bard, Inc. Pelvic Repair Systems Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2187, United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Judge Joseph Robert Goodwin
- 2014 – Appointed Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for the consolidated Pelvic Mesh Litigation, including In re C.R. Bard, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL Case No. 2187; In re American Medical Systems, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL Case No. 2325; In re Boston Scientific Corp., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL Case No. 2326; In re Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL Case No. 2327; In re Coloplast Corp., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL Case No. 2387; In re Cook Medical Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL Case No. 2440; and In re Neomedic Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL Case No. 2511
- 2013 – Appointed Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel and Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Counsel for the In re Mentor Corp. Obtape Transobturator Sling Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2004, United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Judge Clay D. Land
- 2011 – Appointed Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the In re Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1842, United States District Court for Rhode Island, Judge Mary Lisi
Giving Back
Throughout his life and legal career, Mr. Potts has prioritized giving back to his community through both his time and financial support. As a teenager, he volunteered at Camp Aldersgate in Little Rock, Arkansas, a summer camp for children with disabilities. Because of his efforts, he received a Volunteer Award from then–Governor Bill Clinton.
He later traveled to Haiti to help provide free medical care to remote villages without access to doctors and went on to financially support medical missions to Haiti conducted by physicians from Houston Methodist Hospital.
For more than a decade, he has also supported Mack, Jack & McConaughey (MJ&M), founded by Matthew McConaughey, Mack Brown, and Jack Ingram, through annual financial contributions benefiting children’s charities.
