Jodi Westbrook Flowers

A veteran of the courtroom, Jodi Westbrook Flowers seeks to protect the health, safety and rights of consumers, families, investors, workers, and victims of crime and terrorism. Jodi has litigated a wide range of cases involving tobacco, asbestos, lead pigment, aviation disasters and vehicle defects, as well as terrorist financing and human rights violations.

In the vehicle defect multidistrict litigation, In re General Motors LLC Ignition Switch Litigation, Jodi is working on cases related to economic loss due to faulty ignition switches installed in more than 14 million recalled GM vehicles. Previously, she worked to demonstrate the necessary minimum contacts within the U.S. for the exercise of personal jurisdiction over Bridgestone Corporation in the class action for damages allegedly caused by vehicle and tire defects, In re Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc., ATX, ATX II and Wilderness Tire Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 00-MDL-1373-SEB (S.D.Ind.).  

Jodi also handles a variety of cases regarding the state-sponsorship of international terrorism, as well as human rights litigation involving violations of international law and human rights abuses. Jodi now leads the legal team founded by Ron Motley that brought the groundbreaking litigation against the financiers and material supporters of al Qaeda. Representing thousands of family members and survivors of Sept. 11, 2001, in a pioneering civil action to hold al Qaeda’s sponsors accountable and cut off the terror support pipeline, she serves on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for the In re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001 litigation consolidated by the Multidistrict Litigation Panel. Jodi is currently involved in processing claims for the new Victims’ Compensation Fund for first responders, area residents, and anyone whose health may have been affected by exposure to environmental toxins released in the terrorist attacks. She was also an integral member of the Motley Rice aviation security litigation team seeking accountability and change in aviation security following the 9/11 attacks. 

Jodi also played a key role in Linde et al. v. Arab Bank PLC, in which a jury found Jordan-based Arab Bank liable for financing terrorist activity, including funneling financial support to top Hamas leaders and to the families of suicide bombers. This case marked the first time that a financial institution has been brought to trial under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

She served as the lead negotiator in the last hold-out of the individual cases against Libya for the Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, and continues to seek justice for victims of Libyan sponsored terrorism during Qadhafi’s reign. Jodi also authored an amicus brief, supporting section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act, regarding the trade regulation of conflict minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Jodi has worked on environmental contamination cases in the Virgin Islands involving leaking gas tanks, and she is currently representing clients in advancing their Deepwater Horizon oil spill claims through the programs established by the two settlements reached with BP. Jodi has served on numerous MDL Executive Committees and Subcommittees, and holds several leadership positions within the firm.

Jodi began her career applying restitution and fraud theories to the litigation against the tobacco industry which resulted in the historic Master Settlement Agreement between the state attorneys general and the tobacco industry. She developed expert and whistleblower testimony and synthesized millions of pages of documents for trial. She prepared the false-marketing and child targeting case against the tobacco industry which resulted in restrictions on cartoon ads and the retirement of Joe Camel. 

Jodi has been interviewed by various media outlets, including U.S. and foreign television, radio and print media. She provides pro bono work on a variety of global, national and community issues and helped establish the firm’s Charitable Contributions Committee.

Education

• J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law, Carolina Legal Scholar, 1993
• B.A. magna cum laude, College of Charleston, 1989

Associations

• American Association for Justice
• South Carolina Association for Justice
• American Bar Association, Center for Human Rights Advisory Council
• South Carolina Bar Association, International Law Committee
• Charleston Bar Association
• Daughters of the American Revolution

Litigation Areas

• Anti-Terrorism
• Human Rights

Awards and Accolades

• The Best Lawyers in America®2014 Mass tort litigation/class actions – plaintiffs
  The Best Lawyers in America® 2014 (Copyright 2013 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.)
• Benchmark Plaintiff 2012–2013 National “Litigation Star”: civil rights/human rights, mass tort/product liability
  2012–2014 South Carolina “Litigation Star”: environmental, human rights, mass tort, securities
  2014  Top 150 Plaintiff Women in Litigation list: South Carolina – environmental, human rights, mass tort, securities
• The Lawdragon2010–2013 500 Leading Lawyers in America: Plaintiffs’ litigation

Licensed In

• South Carolina

Admitted to Practice Before

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and District of Columbia Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina