Our Team
Trial Lawyer Firm With Over 80+ Years of Experience Between Our Partners
Daniel Webb
PARTNER
Daniel Webb is the Managing Member of Sutterfield & Webb LLC. He is admitted to practice in the states of Louisiana and Texas, the United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana and the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. He has served as lead counsel in state and federal courts in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama. Please see list attached.
He has handled insurance coverage matters relating to contractual obligations as an admiralty and maritime lawyer. He has also served on a trial team defending an international corporation in maritime cases related to Hurricane Katrina. Those cases were in litigation from 2005 to 2017. He specializes in oilfield operations and has significant experience in well blowouts on jack-up drilling rigs and platform drilling rigs.
Recently, he won a defense judgment in United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana in a tornado storm damage case involving a claim by a church against its insurer.
He is also actively defending two other tornado damage cases and several cases involving Hurricanes Laura and Delta in United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana, Lake Charles Division. The hurricane cases are being handled under a storm protocol established by the Court. He has defended 500+ Hurricane storm damage cases in both federal and state courts for Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association (LIGA).
Mr. Webb has made several appearances before the Supreme Court of Louisiana and won a major constitutional law case involving administrative procedure. He also appeared before the Mississippi Supreme Court which resulted in an attachment statute being declared unconstitutional.
He learned his trial skills as an admiralty and maritime lawyer defending cases involving all aspects of offshore oilfield operations. His trial skills earned him an AV Rating both by his peers and the judiciary. Most recently, he has been listed in The American Registry as America’s Most Honored Lawyers, Top 1%.
He served on a national panel created to defend defective medical device suits locally and to monitor those claims on a national basis.
Mr. Webb is a member of the Torts and Insurance Practice Section and the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association. He is also a Proctor Member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States, a member of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, and Defense Research Institute. Mr. Webb enjoys Master status in the Tulane Law School American Inn of Court.
During his last year of law school, he served as a law clerk to United States Magistrate Judge Kenneth C. Hughes. Mr. Webb completed his undergraduate degree in Zoology at Louisiana State University and received a J.D. from Loyola.
He completed a five year term as the Chairman of the Committee on Bar Admissions, a direct reporting Committee of the Supreme Court of Louisiana. Previously, he served as the Director of Character and Fitness; the Examiner for constitutional law; and as an Assistant Examiner. He also served on the Character and Fitness Committee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners for several years.
He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve. He served as a multifunctional logistics officer at the theater level.
Hirstius v. Cleco Corp.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit | Jun 04, 2021 | 2021 La. App. LEXIS 888
Overview: The trial court, after ordering a company to remove cable equipment from a utility pole and holding the company in contempt for a lengthy delay in complying, did not err in not requiring the company to remove the pole and its supporting guy wires and anchors. A previous determination that a different
company owned the pole was the law of the case.
Fahimipour v. Passman
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit | Mar 24, 2010 | 2009 1493 (La.App. 4 Cir. 03/24/10);
Rabito v. Otis Elevator Co.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit | Dec 15, 1994 | 93-1001 (La.App. 4 Cir. 12/15/94)
Overview: The dismissal of the victim and spouse’s claims against an elevator company was proper where the victim and spouse failed to prove that it was more probable than not that a callback was made or that the company was negligent.
Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church v. Church Mut. Ins. Co
United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Alexandria Division | Nov 24, 2020 | 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 221163
Punctual Abstract Co. v. U.S. Land Title
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit | Nov 10, 2009 | 09-91 (La.App. 5 Cir. 11/10/09)
Overview: An abstract company failed to submit sufficient proof of a demand to establish a prima facie
case against a title company for breach of a contract for services as required under La. Code Civ. Proc.
Ann. art. 1702(A) because the record did not contain evidence of a contract between the parties.
Owens v. AIG Commer. Ins. Co. of Can.
United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lake Charles Division | Dec 13, 2010 |
2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 132277
Brodtmann v. Duke
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit | Feb 11, 1998 | 708 So. 2d 447
Overview: The court determined that punitive damages were not recoverable under the general maritime
law to claims brought within this jurisdiction.
Seghers v. LaPlace Equip. Co.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit | Feb 12, 2014 | 136 So. 3d 64
Overview: The trial court did not err in granting the exception of improper venue filed by a corporation and a manager because an employee’s petition failed to disclose any basis for proper venue according to La. Code Civ. Proc. Ann. art. 42. The allegations failed to disclose any connection or relationship of the matter or the parties to the parish.
AMA Disc., Inc. v. Seneca Specialty Ins. Co.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | Sep 11, 2017 | 697 Fed. Appx. 354
Vincent v. Penrod Drilling Co.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit | Jun 20, 1979 | 372 So. 2d 807
Overview: Employee’s maritime action was properly dismissed. His employer did not make a general appearance in the action by answering interrogatories and once a resident co-employee was dismissed, the parish where the action was brought was an improper venue.
Int'l Marine, L.L.C. v. Atl. Specialty Ins. Co.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | Feb 12, 2019 | 761 Fed. Appx. 269
Overview: Under Louisiana law, neither a marine comprehensive liability insurance policy covering a
vessel chartered by a survey company nor a bumbershoot policy provided additional insured coverage to
the survey company for liability that did not arise out of the covered vessel’s operation, but out of another
vessel’s negligent operation while surveying.
Backhus v. Transit Casualty Co.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit | Oct 12, 1988 | 532 So. 2d 447
Overview: Where an agreement between a vessel’s owner and its charterer created a bareboat charter between the parties, and where the owner relinquished possession, command, navigation and control of the vessel, the owner was not liable for damages.
Gauthreaux v. Rheem Mfg. Co.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit | Oct 16, 1991 | 588 So. 2d 723
Overview: District court’s finding that a deceased crew member was conscious, following an accident on a
barge in navigable waterways, was not clearly erroneous because the pathologist who performed the
autopsy of the crew member testified that the crew member could have been conscious and aware for
minutes after the fatal impact.
Duplechain v. Offshore Shipyard, Inc.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit | Dec 11, 1985 | 481 So. 2d 176
Overview: Overview: An employee was not an odd-lot worker entitled to worker’s compensation total and permanent disability benefits, where the pain in his amputated and reattached thumb did not stop him from working at
jobs with wages similar to his pre-injury wages.
Henry v. Sunshine Freight, Inc.
United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lake Charles Division | Aug 30, 2018 | 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 167236
Ingram Barge Co. v. Parfait Family (In re Ingram Barge Co.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | Jan 15, 2008 | 262 Fed. Appx. 576
Lee v. PPG Indus.
United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lake Charles Division | Jun 13, 2007 | 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43004
St. Bernard Parish v. Lafarge N. Am., Inc.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | Dec 19, 2013 | 550 Fed. Appx. 184
Overview: District court did not abuse its discretion by denying a parish’s motion for a discovery extension under Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(d) prior to ruling on a terminal operator’s motion for summary judgment because the parish did not diligently pursue the discovery it needed to prosecute its claims.
Donelon v. La. Div. of Admin. Law
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | Mar 28, 2008 | 522 F.3d 564
Overview: The Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance lacked standing to sue the Director of the Louisiana Division of Administrative Law (DAL) in federal court under the Supremacy and Commerce Clauses because he asserted no personal injury based on La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 49:992(B)(2)’s making DAL’s reviews of Department of Insurance decisions unappealable.
Olivier v. Best Workover, Inc.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit | Jan 30, 1996 | 669 So. 2d 476
Overview: An oil company that owned a barge and hired a contractor to perform certain work was liable for unseaworthiness after one of the contractor’s employee’s was injured where the oil company did not relinquish control of the vessel to the contractor.
Arceneaux v. Texaco, Inc.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | Jul 25, 1980 | 623 F.2d 924
Overview: Oil company was not vicariously liable for an accident caused by service station operator’s
employee, because there was no evidence that driver relied on representations that oil company was
responsible for service at the station.
Darnell v. Williams
United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana | Sep 01, 2011 | 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
115779
United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana | Sep 30, 2011 | 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
113229
Overview: Plaintiffs’ motion for remand should be granted because the facts and injuries documented in the medical records submitted did not support a finding that the jurisdictional minimum was in controversy as required by 28 U.S.C.S. § 1332(a). As such, defendant failed to carry its burden of proving the
existence of diversity jurisdiction.
Lee v. PPG Indus.
United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lake Charles Division | Jan 24, 2005 | 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52031
Perry v. Chevron, U.S.A., Inc.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | Jan 23, 1990 | 893 F.2d 682
Overview: Although oil company could not be relieved of its duty to repair a defective cathead, the oil
company was not liable, because a properly-instructed jury found that the cathead defect was not the legal
cause of worker’s injuries.
In re Carey Salt Co.
United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division | Mar 02, 2006 | 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11957
United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division | Aug 21, 2007 | 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 62780
Texas Eastern Transmission Corp. v. Garber Bros., Inc.
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana | Jul 19, 1980 | 494 F. Supp. 832
Harrison v. Otis Elevator Co.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | Jul 17, 1991 | 935 F.2d 714
Overview: Judgment for injured victim was affirmed as court could not reverse jury’s verdict unless, after consideration of evidence favorable to non-moving party, court was convinced it that no reasonable juror could have arrived at contradictory verdict.
Davis v. Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast, Inc.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | Feb 06, 1989 | 864 F.2d 1171
Overview: Oil company was held negligent in worker’s accident because there was testimony that company’s unnamed agent ordered the unsafe practice that caused accident, and damage award was affirmed except for portion attributable to future medical expenses.
Domangue v. Penrod Drilling Co.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | Dec 17, 1984 | 748 F.2d 999
Overview: Where the evidence provided no basis for determining which portion of the damage award was
attributable to a pure admiralty claim rather than Jones Act negligence, the award of prejudgment interest
against a maritime employer was improper.
Nickey v. Services, Equipment & Engineering, Inc.
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana | Aug 01, 1988 | 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9156
Steele v. Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Co.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | Aug 13, 1984 | 738 F.2d 703
Overview: Stabbing board was not an appurtenance to a drilling rig when it was not permanently attached and was only there temporarily. The owner of the drilling rig was not liable for injuries sustained by an employee of the owner of the stabbing board.
Boxie v. Gate Pharms.
United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lake Charles Division | Apr 12, 1999 | 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23151
United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lake Charles Division | Apr 12, 1999 | 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23151
Overview: In state suit brought by patients against manufacturers, distributors, and prescribing doctors of drugs Fenfluramine, Phentermine, and Dexfenfluramine, magistrate recommended denial of patients’ motion to remand, finding in-state doctors were fraudulently joined as patients had failed to first submit claims against doctors to medical review panel.
Harper v. Zapata Off-Shore Co.
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana | May 05, 1983 | 563 F. Supp. 576
Overview: Judgment for seamen against employer in action under Jones Act and general maritime law proper as the per day maintenance, compensatory damages, and attorney’s fees were appropriate, and punitive damages were justified as deterrence and punishment.
JOHN SUDDERTH
PARTNER
John Sudderth began his litigation practice in 1993 as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans. During his time with the Louisiana Department of Justice, he defended the State of the Louisiana, its Departments and employees. Throughout his career, he has represented and continues to represent both plaintiffs and defendants, and both individuals and corporations. John has tried over 150 bench and jury trials as lead counsel, in most courts throughout southeastern Louisiana in the areas of personal injury (including wrongful death, traumatic brain injury and permanent incapacitation), property damage, bad faith litigation, insurance coverage, products liability, premises liability, contract law and unfair trade practices.
He has argued complex civil cases and issues in the Louisiana First, Fourth and Fifth Circuit Courts of Appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court, and has applied for writs to the U. S. Supreme Court. John is a certified mediator and has successfully negotiated and mediated hundreds of cases.
Loyola University School of Law, J.D., 1992
Current and Past Affiliations:
• Louisiana State Bar Association
• Jefferson Bar Association
• New Orleans Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• The John C. Boutall American Inn of Court
Associations & Memberships
