Ronald L. Motley (October 21, 1944 – August 22, 2013) was an American trial attorney, and a principal of
Motley Rice LLC–a law firm based in
Mount Pleasant,
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
. He is best known for leading lawsuits against tobacco and asbestos companies.
Early life, education, and death
Ronald L. Motley grew up in
North Charleston
North Charleston is the third-largest city in the state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of North Charlest ...
,
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, where his father owned an
Amoco
Amoco () is a brand of filling station, fuel stations operating in the United States, and owned by BP since 1998. The Amoco Corporation was an American chemical and petroleum, oil company, founded by Standard Oil Company in 1889 around a oil re ...
gas station.
[Inside the tobacco deal - Interview with Ronald Motley]
''Pbs.org'' He graduated from the
University of South Carolina School of Law
The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. The school of law was founded in 1867, and remains the only public and non-profit law scho ...
in 1971.
[Biography from Motley Rice](_blank)
''Motleyrice.com''
Motley died on August 22, 2013, after a prolonged illness. The cause of death was described by one colleague as "respiratory complications
and by another as "complications from organ failure".
Late-career activities
Motley was lead counsel for more than 6,500 family members and survivors of the
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
seeking justice against
al-Qaeda’s financiers.
Industry recognition
Motley has over his three-decade career won major judgments for his clients against the asbestos and tobacco industries.
[ Ronald Motley was portrayed by ]Bruce McGill
Bruce Travis McGill (born July 11, 1950) is an American actor. He worked with director Michael Mann in the movies '' The Insider'' (1999), ''Ali'' (2001), and '' Collateral'' (2004). McGill's other notable film roles include Daniel Simpson "D-Da ...
in the 1999 film '' The Insider'', starring Russell Crowe.
External links
Law Firm of Motley Rice LLC
Ron Motley bio
References
* Bartleme, Tony
"Ron Motley, famed asbestos and tobacco lawyer, dead at 68."
''Post and Courier ''August 22, 2013
* Searcey, Dionne
"Hard-Charging Attorney Ronald Motley Dead at the Age of 68."
''Wall Street Journal ''blog.
* Senior, Jennifer. "A Nation Unto Himself", ''New York Times'' March 14, 2004
{{DEFAULTSORT:Motley, Ronald
1944 births
2013 deaths
South Carolina lawyers
University of South Carolina alumni
People from North Charleston, South Carolina
20th-century American lawyers