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Megan, a partner with the firm, is a native of New Orleans and represents a range of local, regional, and national clients in matters of pre-suit handling, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. Her practice focuses on defense of business clients throughout a range of casualty and commercial litigation, including premises and product liability, retail and hospitality litigation, and trucking and transportation matters. Megan has experience obtaining favorable defense rulings before both trial and appellate courts.

Megan has remained active in service to a variety of legal and bar organizations. Presently, she serves as the Retail and Hospitality Committee Chair within the defense bar organization, DRI. Within DRI she has also served in other leadership roles on the Retail & Hospitality Committee as well as the Young Lawyers Committee. Megan also remains active in the American Bar Association’s Tort and Insurance Practice Section, having also previously served in the ABA’s House of Delegates and in the Young Lawyers Division Assembly. At the state level, Megan also contributes regularly to the Louisiana State Bar Association through various leadership roles and volunteer positions. She previously served as a member of the LSBA Young Lawyers Division Council and lead several subcommittees, including those responsible for CLE programming and the annual Young Lawyers Conference. Megan is also a former president of the Association for Women Attorneys, New Orleans.

Megan graduated magna cum laude from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and was honored as a William L. Crowe, Sr., Scholar. While at Loyola, she served as Print Managing Editor of the Loyola Law Review, participated in Moot Court, and received recognition for excellence in several courses.  She also studied Cultural Property and Arts Law in Siena, Italy, with Tulane Law School. Megan received her B.A. in Political Science and Business Administration from Louisiana State University, where she was an active member of the LSU Ambassadors and Student Government. She was also a member of several honor societies, including Mortar Board and Pi Sigma Alpha. While at LSU, she had the opportunity to observe the 2008 Iowa Presidential Caucuses and write on behalf of a well-known political blog. She is also a graduate of Mount Carmel Academy in Lakeview, New Orleans.

Megan lives in Gretna with her husband, two children, and two rambunctious miniature Australian Shepherds. She enjoys all things Disney, live music, and the beach.

Representative Matters

  • Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed summary judgment granted to a trucking client in Smith v. Great American Insurance Co. et al, 20-377 (La.App. 5 Cir. 5/26/21), — So.3d –, finding that there was no question of fact the truck driver was not negligent and the accident was solely caused by a tornado, as an act of God.
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld summary judgment in Thibodeaux v. Home Depot, 816 Fed.Appx. 988 (5th Cir. June 26, 2020), finding that a yellow parking stop over which a patron tripped was an open and obvious condition for which no duty existed.
  • Obtained summary judgment in Stark v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., 2019 WL 4673176 (E.D. La. 2019) (slip copy), finding that Louisiana law does not impose a duty on merchants to assist customers in lifting products.
  • Obtained summary judgment in Moore v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., 352 F.Supp.3d 640 (M.D. La. 2018), declaring insurance coverage for client as an additional insured under policy pursuant to which contractor was required, but did not, include client as named insured.  
  • Represented retail client in Bice v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., 2016-0447 (La.App. 1 Cir. 12/22/16), 210 So.3d 315, in which summary judgment was obtained and affirmed on appeal, further articulating the law that there is no duty for open and obvious conditions.
  • Obtained summary judgment for retail and hospitality maintenance clients in obtaining summary judgment finding no evidence that the clients were on notice of the alleged food substance on the floor prior to plaintiff’s slip and fall.

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana 
  • Mississippi
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Education

  • J.D., Loyola University of New Orleans, magna cum laude, 2011
  • B.A., Louisiana State University, 2008

Memberships

  • Member, American Bar Association
    • Vice Chair, TIPS Commercial Trucking Litigation Committee
    • Past, ABA TIPS-ABOTA National Trial Academy Attendee
    • Past, Louisiana Young Lawyer Delegate to the House of Delegates 
    • Past, Louisiana Young Lawyer Delegate to the Young Lawyers Division Assembly
  • Member, Louisiana State Bar Association
    • Young Lawyers Division Council Member, 2019-2024
  • Member, DRI – Lawyers Representing Business
    • Retail and Hospitality Committee, Chair, 2023-2025
    • Retail and Hospitality Committee, Vice Chair, 2022-2023
    • Retail and Hospitality Committee, Seminar Chair, 2020-2022
    • Young Lawyers Committee, Steering Committee, 2017-2021
  • Past President, Association for Women Attorneys, New Orleans
  • Member, Federal Bar Association
  • Member, Mississippi State Bar Association
  • Member, New Orleans Bar Association
  • Member, Jefferson Bar Association
  • Member, National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association (NRRDA)

Publications

Speaking Engagements

  • Litigation Avoidance Toolkit, DRI Retail & Hospitality Seminar, upcoming May 2025
  • Trends in Litigation and Trial of Cases Involving the Trucking Industry, ABA TIPS Transportation Megaconference, upcoming March 2025
  • Effective Corporate Deposition and Discovery Practice, LSBA Dazzling at Disney CLE, upcoming March 2025
  • Corporate Depositions for Young Lawyers, LSBA YLD Level Up Series, October 22, 2024
  • Ethics in Settlement Negotiations, LSBA Professional Development Seminar, January 19, 2024
  • Collateral Source, Tort Reform, and Combatting Economic Damages, DRI Retail & Hospitality Seminar, November 16, 2023
  • GOOD (Guys Overcoming Obstacles to Diversity) Guys, Louisiana Edition, NCWBA/ABA/AWA Presentation, February 2, 2023, Moderator
  • Managing the Remote Workplace, LSBA Professional Development Seminar, January 22, 2021
  • Creative Approaches to Resolving Cases During COVID, DRI Retail & Hospitality Virtual Seminar “A Whole New World,” September 25, 2020
  • Professionalism: Dealing with Difficult Clients and Lawyers, New Orleans Bar Association, December 2019
  • Auto Injury Litigation from Start to Finish: Initial Filing and Discovery, Experts, and Evidence, National Business Institute Seminar, December 2019
  • Inspecting and Preserving Evidence During Discovery and Dealing with Spoliation in Litigation, DRI Retail, Young Lawyers Seminar, June 2019
  • Unlocking the Key to Expert Witnesses in Retail Litigation, DRI Retail, Retail & Hospitality Seminar, May 2019
  • Preparing for and Responding to Disaster: the Constant Cycle of Emergency Preparedness, DRI Retail, Retail & Hospitality Seminar, May 2018, Moderator
  • Workplace Safety Gone Bad: Effects of Failing to Maintain a Safe Workplace, NRRDA Annual Conference, March 3, 2016

Professional Recognition

  • Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, 2023 Frank L. Maraist Award Finalist
  • Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in Civil Litigation Defense, 2014 – 2021
  • Louisiana State Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division Council, “Rookie of the Year” Award, 2021

News

Megan Peterson to Present at “Dazzling at Disney”

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Recent Louisiana Legislative Changes Affecting Insurers, Tort Claims

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Megan Peterson Appointed Chair of the DRI’s Retail and Hospitality Committee

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