Fred J. Meier

Fred J. Meier is a seasoned litigator with over 35 years of trial practice representing both Defendants and Plaintiffs in a variety of matters ranging from aviation products-liability to employment and business disputes. He is admitted to practice in Texas, California, and all districts of the U.S. District Courts for Texas and California, U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth and Ninth Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

During the course of his career, he has assisted clients in a broad range of complex multidistrict litigation, major commercial aircraft disasters, and class action cases. Fred has tried cases to juries in both state and federal courts nationwide. He has defended and prosecuted a wide range of complex aviation law and products liability cases involving light aircraft, helicopters, military aircraft, and large commercial aircraft. Mr. Meier is well known in the aviation insurance and litigation community and heads Carstens and Cahoon's aviation law practice.

In addition to Mr. Meier's litigation experience, he assists clients with aircraft sales and lease transactions, FAA regulatory matters, and insurance coverage questions. His principal representation is insurance defense oriented, and he has worked for the major domestic aviation insurance carriers, as well as with London and Paris aviation underwriters.

Fred's aviation background includes over 2500 hours of flight time accumulated during eight years active duty and nine years reserve duty as a Marine Corps fighter pilot flying F-4 Phantoms and A-4 Skyhawks. He is a school-trained aviation safety officer, having completed the U.S. Navy Aviation Safety Officer's Course at the Naval Post Graduate School at Monterey, California. He has also been FAA certified as a single-engine pilot, with commercial and instrument ratings.

Mr. Meier graduated from UCLA in 1966 with a B.S. in Business Administration. He earned his law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1976 where he served on the Moot Court Honors Board and was a member of the Traynor Honor Society. He is an active leader in the professional community with longstanding memberships in the State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association, State Bar of California, Texas Association of Defense Counsel, NTSB Bar Association, Frontiers of Flight Museum (Board Member), and Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. He has been recognized among the Who's Who of Aviation Lawyers (2007, 2008)

Reported Cases

Significant Cases

Papers/Publications

Presentations

Representative Clients