GEORGE
MULLICAN

BIOGRAPHY

George Mullican is a founding partner of the firm with more than 22 years of experience in a broad litigation range. He has served as outside counsel to the state's many railroad companies throughout his career to include both Class I railroads. Railroads have long sought Mr. Mullican's representation in complex crossing litigation, as well as actions brought under the FELA. Mr. Mullican has developed a reputation for defending the industry in environmental efforts, both civil and administrative. Mr. Mullican is widely known for his expertise in all railroad-related matters.

In addition to his railroad practice, Mr. Mullican has managed several high exposure cases from trucking accidents, premises liability and general insurance liability cases. Mr. Mullican has engaged in all aspects of nursing home litigation. Before beginning his civil practice, Mr. Mullican served in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, prosecuting and defending soldiers under the UCMJ.

No stranger to the courtroom, Mr. Mullican effectively manages his cases by ensuring his clients are prepared to go to the courtroom if necessary to resolve an issue. Mr. Mullican has successfully defended clients in aggressive regional practice in both federal and state courts. One of his core beliefs is that clients are put in the most vital position to successfully resolve their conflicts so long as the threat of trial remains credible. Mr. Mullican prepares every case to be ready for trial, providing the maximum leverage for his clients.

Representative Experience

• Counsel, BNSF Railway Company

• Counsel, Union Pacific Railroad Company

• Counsel, National Passenger Railroad Corporation (AMTRAK)

• E.M.C. Insurance Company

• Western Heritage Company

• GuideOne Insurance Company

• Philadelphia Insurance Company

• OneBeacon Insurance Company

Representative Cases

• Dennis R. Cornwell, Et Al., vs. Union Pacific Railroad Co., the United States District Court for the Northern District Of Oklahoma, Case No. 4:08-cv-00638-jhp-tlw. Successfully defended wrongful death action from a train or automobile collision where the video did not record the locomotive horn before the collision; the jury returned a verdict resulting in zero damages to Union Pacific Railroad Co.

• Michael Rine vs. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company, United States District Court for the Northern District Of Oklahoma, Case No. 11-cv-392-cve-pjc. Successfully defended FELA and S.A.A. claims involving an employee who received surgery to a defense verdict.

• Waylon Reamy vs. The Burlington Northern And Santa Fe Railway Company, a Foreign Corporation, District Court For Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Case No. Cj-2007-05764. Jury verdict in favor of the defendant in a FELA case where an injured employee fractured ankle on company property resulting in surgical intervention.

• Brown, Et Al., vs. Freeport Mcmoran, Phelps Dodge and the BNSF, United States District Court for the Western District Of Oklahoma, Case No. 5:10-cv-00295-he. They are currently defending the BNSF railway in this environmental litigation, where 18 individual plaintiffs are seeking damages for personal injuries allegedly caused by exposure to heavy metals that plaintiffs attribute to railroad activities at the Blackwell zinc smelter site.

• Quapaw Tribe vs. Asarco Inc., Et Al., United States District Court for the Northern District Of Oklahoma, Case No. 03-cv-846-e-c. On behalf of the BNSF railway, managed environmental litigation was filed by the Quapaw tribe alleging natural resource damages with claims in excess of $2 billion, based upon a habitat equivalency analysis. After successfully challenging the tribe’s standing to assert all claims, and through the effective use of voluminous historical documents, a settlement was obtained, which was extremely favorable to the BNSF railway.

• B.H., A Minor Child, By And Through Her Natural Parents And Guardians, Billy And Jackie Holder, Et Al., vs. Gold Fields Mining Corporation, Et Al., vs. United States Of America, Et Al., United States District Court For The Northern District Of Oklahoma, Case No. 04-cv-564e(C) Consolidated With 04-cv-804e(C); Jb And Jeb, Minor Children, by and through their natural parents and guardians, Jimmy Dale Palmer and Teresa Palmer vs. Asarco Incorporated, et al. vs. the United States of America, et al., United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, Case nos. 03-cv-498-e(c) palmer; 03-cv-565-h(c) moss; 03-cv-566-h(c) south; 03-cv-567-h(c)-Sargent; and 03-cv-569-h(c) Nowlin. They managed toxic tort litigation on behalf of the BNSF railway, alleging contamination of blood lead levels of over 200 plaintiffs with claims above $200 million. Through significant negotiating, the settlement was obtained on terms so favorable to BNSF that co-defendants litigated whether BNSF should be dismissed from the case by alleging compensation was not affected in good faith. The court held a hearing, and BNSF was successfully eliminated from the case.

• Union Pacific Railroad vs. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Case No. Civ-06-094-kew. The first-chaired trial against the U.S. attorney's office regarding a claim for $4.65 million suffered from a train derailment in Eufaula, Oklahoma.

Professional Affiliations

• Oklahoma Bar Association

• Tulsa County Bar Association

• Oklahoma Association of Defense Counsel

• Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals

• U.S. District Courts for Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma

• DRI, the largest international membership organization of attorneys defending the interests of business and individuals in civil litigation

• National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel

• National Trial Defense Lawyers Association

Education

• B.S. Business Administration Accounting, Northeastern State University, Cum Laude

• J.D., University of Oklahoma College of Law, with Honors

Author

• Parties to Actions: Are Stepchildren Within the Meaning of Children in title 12, section 1053 of the Oklahoma statutes? 47 okla.l.rev. 727 (1994); Teaching assistant for legal research and writing program, OU law (1993-1995)

Location

Office Location:
15 E. Fifth Street, Suite 2200
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103