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> Professionals > Shelley K. Napolitano
Shelley K. Napolitano
Managing Partner
Shelley K. Napolitano
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> Professionals > Shelley K. Napolitano
Shelley K. Napolitano
Managing Partner
Shelley K. Napolitano
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Shelley K. Napolitano is the Managing Partner of the New Orleans office of Foley Mansfield. She is Co-Chair of the firm’s Talc Practice Group and a member of the Toxic Tort, Environmental, and Product Liability Practice Groups.
Shelley’s practice focuses in the areas of asbestos and talc where she has served as national counsel, expert counsel, trial counsel, and local counsel. She has successfully defended premise owners, suppliers, and various equipment and product manufacturers in traditional asbestos litigation, and she has represented defendants in talc litigation since the first cases were filed in Louisiana. Shelley was instrumental in setting a Louisiana state precedent that punitive damages are not available in consumer use talcum powder lawsuits.
In addition to managing day-to-day aspects of litigation, she serves a vital role in conducting large scale fact investigation projects as well as corporate and expert deposition preparation. She is a well-rounded advocate with experience in Louisiana and Texas state and federal courts, having successfully briefed and argued various discovery, dispositive, pre-trial, and trial motions.
Prior to joining Foley Mansfield, Shelley also managed a varied personal injury docket, defending insurers and a range of Louisiana companies in products, premise liability, and other injury cases. She also has prior experience in premises liability, coverage, employment, and maritime litigation in Louisiana state and federal courts.
Outside of the office, Shelley loves to introduce her son to all the fun New Orleans has to offer, travel to the Virgin Islands with her husband, and attend music festivals with her best friend.
Memberships
- Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA)
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
- New Orleans Bar Association (NOBA)
Education
- LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, 2012, JD
- Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 2008, BA, English with a minor in Political Science
Awards
- Best Lawyers Ones to Watch®, 2021-2025
- Louisiana Super Lawyers, 2024-2025
- Louisiana Super Lawyers Rising Star®, 2018-2022
Presentations
- Mass Tort Litigation Quick Hits: Asbestos, Defense Research Institute (DRI) Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Seminar, April 27, 2023
- Safe or Unsafe: Reverse Reptile in Depositions, Defense Research Institute (DRI) Young Lawyers Seminar, June 23, 2022.
- Mediation 101: Advance Your Case and Settle It, Defense Research Institute (DRI) Young Lawyers Seminar, October 8, 2020.
- Ethical Expectations of Counsel in the Tripartite Relationship, Perrin Webinar, June 3, 2020
- First Time for Everything: Tips for Preparing for and Taking Fact and Expert Depositions for the First Time, New Orleans Bar Association Procrastinators’ Program, December 11, 2019.
- Avoiding Discovery Sanctions in Document Productions and Corporate Representative Depositions, Defense Research Institute (DRI) Asbestos Medicine Seminar, Boston, MA, November 14, 2019.
- Ethical Issues Confronting Claims Organizations and Their Attorneys, Perrin, Morristown, NJ, October 8, 2019.
- Missing in Action: What To Do When Your Client Goes Off the Grid, New Orleans Bar Association Procrastinators’ Program, Dec. 7, 2018.
- Embracing the Digital Age to Work in Harmony, Federal Bar Association Webinar, Oct. 29, 2014.
Representative Matters
- Henderson v. Taylor Seidenbach, Inc. (CDC for the Parish of Orleans, Louisiana, December 12, 2023) – granting client’s Motion in Limine to Preclude Reference to Any Talc Product as an Asbestos Containing Product. Plaintiff can say it’s their position that the product contained asbestos. Only after the experts testify and at the court’s discretion can they be called asbestos containing products.
- Henderson v. Taylor Seidenbach, Inc. (CDC for the Parish of Orleans, Louisiana, December 12, 2023) – granting client’s Motion in Limine to Preclude Evidence and Testimony of Talc Codes not at Issue based on talc sourced from irrelevant mines.
- Henderson v. Taylor Seidenbach, Inc. (CDC for the Parish of Orleans, Louisiana, December 12, 2023) – granting client’s Motion in Limine to Preclude Untimely Disclosed Opinions of Plaintiff’s Experts based on testimony outside of the scope of the scheduling order and generic in nature.
- Henderson v. Taylor Seidenbach, Inc. (CDC for the Parish of Orleans, Louisiana, December 12, 2023) - granting client’s Motion for Summary Judgment to Dismiss Punitive Damages based on Louisiana Law bars Plaintiff’s recovery of Punitive Damages against the client.
- Henderson v. Taylor Seidenbach, Inc. (CDC for the Parish of Orleans, Louisiana, December 8, 2023) – granting client’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on Civil Conspiracy Action since civil conspiracy is not an independent cause of Action under Louisiana Law.
- Gooding v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. (USDC Eastern District of Louisiana, March 1, 2023) – granting clients Motion in Limine to Exclude Plaintiff's Deposition Testimony.
- McAllister v. McDermott, Inc. (USDC Middle District of Louisiana, August 14, 2020) – granting client’s Motion for Summary Judgment for Plaintiff’s failure to identify any of the client’s products at issue.
- Spotted Cat, LLC V. Micah Bass (USDC Eastern District of Louisiana, October 14, 2014) – granting client’s Motion for Summary Judgment regarding contractual fraud and negligence claims.
- Weatherly v. Avon Products, Inc. (19th JDC for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana) – granting client’s Exception of Vagueness and Ambiguity of the Petition and Peremptory Exception of No Cause of Action based on Plaintiff’s failure to identify a particular product used and failing to provide sufficient information regarding this action.
- Giroir v. Anco Insulations, Inc. (19th JDC for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana) – granting client’s Dilatory Exception of Nonconformity and Peremptory Exception of No Right of Action based on Plaintiff’s vague and ambiguous petition failing to identify a particular product used. Plaintiffs also failed to state with particular circumstances support to their fraudulent and misrepresentation and conspiracy claims against the client. Finally Plaintiffs failed to plead facts sufficient to give rise to a cause of action for products that were “unreasonably dangerous per se”.
- Tantillo v. Avon Products, Inc. (CDC for the Parish of Orleans, Louisiana) – granting client’s Dilatory Exception of Vagueness or Ambiguity and Exception of Non-Conformity based on Plaintiff’s failing to identify a particular product used. Plaintiffs also failed to state with particular circumstances support to their fraudulent and misrepresentation and conspiracy claims against the client. Finally Plaintiffs failed to plead facts sufficient to give rise to a cause of action for products that were “unreasonably dangerous per se”.
- Kinler v. Breaux Mart Supermarkets, Inc. (CDC for the Parish of Orleans, Louisiana) – granting client’s Exception of Improper Venue, No Cause of Action, Lis Pendens, and Non-Conformity. Plaintiff failed to disclose that Plaintiff was not domiciled in the parish that the suit was filed. Plaintiff also failed to plead facts sufficient to give rise to exemplary to Punitive damages against the client or to state the particular circumstances constituting the alleged acts of fraud on the part of the client.
- Gautier v. Adriatic Insurance Co., et al (19th JDC for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana) – granting client’s Exception of Vagueness or Ambiguity of the Petition and Dilatory Exception of Non-Conformity based on Plaintiff’s impermissible vague petitions failing to state with particularity the circumstances which support the fraudulent misrepresentation and conspiracy claims.
Community Service
- Defense Research Institute (DRI), Vice Chair for Membership, DRI Asbestos Litigation Committee; Seminar Marketing Committee Member, Asbestos Medicine Seminar
Media
- Lucy Lee Helm (Secretary, Vice President, and General Counsel for Starbucks) & Shelley Napolitano, Let’s Meet for Coffee: Encouraging Diversity Retention and Inclusion Through Mentorship, Defense Research Institute’s For The Defense, August 2015.
- Shelley K. Napolitano, Social Media: An Effective Evidentiary Tool, 61 LA. B.J. 332 (2014).
Bar Admissions
- Louisiana
- Texas
- U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Louisiana
- U.S. District Court - Middle District of Louisiana
- U.S. District Court - Western District of Louisiana

