Personal Background
Darron E. Berquist is the managing attorney for the firm’s asbestos practice serving clients nationwide and a dedicated New York City mesothelioma lawyer. In addition to representing individuals with asbestos-caused diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer, he assists the firm’s pharmaceutical and product liability groups, particularly on matters related to expert witnesses.
Darron manages the litigation side of the firm’s asbestos practice, overseeing every matter that is actively litigated and positioned to be tried, across dockets in the Northeast, California, Louisiana, Florida, and other jurisdictions nationwide. His responsibilities include case ‘ and deadline oversight, retention and coordination of the firm’s expert witnesses, and the mentorship and training of the practice’s younger attorneys and paraprofessional staff. He has continued to work up and try his own cases throughout and remains the primary lawyer on an active docket of his own.
A defining feature of the firm’s mesothelioma litigation practice, and of Darron’s own approach, is continuity of counsel. Rather than working a case up and handing it to a separate trial team and then to an appellate team, the same lawyers stay with a client from the first meeting through discovery, motion practice, trial, and appeal. Darron considers that continuity both a tactical advantage, because the lawyer arguing summary judgment is the lawyer who took every deposition, and a source of reassurance for clients navigating a terminal diagnosis and a long case.
Darron gives clients a candid assessment of a case at the outset. He describes the approach as telling clients the good, the bad, and the ugly, and he regards it as central to how he and his team tailor each case to what the individual client actually wants, whether that is a trial or a resolution reached with as little burden on the client as possible.
Mr. Berquist is originally from Columbus, Ohio. Law school brought him to New York, and prior to joining the Lanier Law Firm, he practiced at Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer. He lives in Putnam County, New York, and enjoys cooking (or at least attempting to), running, hiking, and traveling.
Representative Cases
Zundel v. United Minerals and Properties Inc.
Between 2021 and 2024, managed the pre-trial preparation of this first-of-its-kind talc mesothelioma case. And, in September 2024, was a member of the trial team that obtained a $39,081,142.00 jury verdict on behalf of client who developed malignant pleural mesothelioma as a result of a surgical procedure during which talc was instilled into his chest cavity (“talc pleurodesis“). Unbeknownst to the client and his physicians, the talc used during the procedure, which was supplied by United Minerals and Properties Inc. (d/b/a CIMBAR Performance Minerals), was contaminated with asbestos. The Boston jury determined that CIMBAR was negligent and breached the implied warranty of merchantability and that its asbestos-containing talc was defectively designed.
Darron is handling the appeal of the case to the Massachusetts Appeals Court, where briefing is complete and argument is anticipated this fall. The verdict was the first in what has since become a series of eight-figure Boston talc and asbestos verdicts, in a category where recoveries had previously been in the single-digit millions.
Cosmetic Talc Mesothelioma Settlement (New York)
A New York City cosmetic talc mesothelioma settlement of $7.5 million against a single cosmetic company on behalf of a deceased plaintiff, which may be one of the, if not the largest single-defendant cosmetic talc settlement on record.
Auto Body Filler Talc Mesothelioma Settlement (Los Angeles)
A Los Angeles mesothelioma matter settled on the eve of jury selection for $7.8 million on behalf of a career auto body mechanic exposed to contaminated talc in auto body fillers.
Ingham v. Johnson & Johnson
Between 2016 and 2018, served as a member of the pre-trial team that worked on behalf of 22 women and their families who alleged that use of asbestos-laden Johnson’s Baby Powder products caused their ovarian cancer. In June of 2018, went to verdict following a six-week jury trial in St. Louis City Circuit Court resulting in a $4.69 billion award.
Whelan v. Armstrong International
Represented the estate of Arthur Whelan, a career plumber who was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, in reversing orders granting summary judgment to nine defendants. The decision of the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court, which held that equipment manufacturers have a duty to warn regarding asbestos-containing components and replacement parts, was affirmed by the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Community and Professional Activities
- Member of the American Association for Justice
- Member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association
- Member of the American Association of Trial Lawyers – New Jersey
- Panelist, genetics panel, Perrin Asbestos Litigation Conference, Miami (March 2026)