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scott-j-wilkov

Scott J. Wilkov

Position
Counsel
Locations
Cleveland, OH
D
216.696.2979
F
216.592.5009
Email
scott.wilkov@tuckerellis.com
vCard
vcard

Scott Wilkov serves as national and local counsel defending product manufacturers in coal mine dust, silica, asbestos, and other toxic exposure litigation.

As a veteran Air Force attorney, Scott has decades of experience representing the government, companies, and individuals in high-stakes litigation around the country and overseas. A skilled trial lawyer, he is especially known for his deep knowledge of the various scientific disciplines that lay the foundation for winning strategies. Scott identifies and develops key experts and is frequently called upon because of his incisive expert cross-examinations and thorough company witness preparation. A strategic thinker, he has also developed insightful plans for motion practice to streamline the issues at trial.

A proven leader, Scott not only orchestrates and executes national strategies, he efficiently manages a busy docket and local counsel around the country. Prior to entering private practice, he was the senior Air Force prosecutor for the Western United States. Through that assignment and more than a decade of military service, Scott supervised more junior lawyers and personally tried approximately 100 criminal cases. As a prosecutor and public defender in the military, he served as lead counsel in a wide variety of cases, among them, murder, False Claims Act violations, fraudulent conversion, child sexual abuse, and computer crimes.

True to his roots, Scott is accredited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to perform pro bono work to advance claims for disability benefits on behalf of injured service members. Relatedly, he is active in the Ohio State Bar Association’s Military & Veterans Affairs Committee.

Outside of work, Scott enjoys spending time with his family and, weather permitting, jogging through one of Northeast Ohio’s many beautiful parks. A transplant to Northeast Ohio, he has become an avid supporter of Cleveland’s professional sports teams which provides him enough to complain about without discussing the weather.

Education
University of Arizona College of Law (J.D., 1992); Arizona Law Review, Managing Editor
American University (B.A., 1989); Mortar Board National Senior Honor Society
State Admissions
Ohio, 2004
Illinois, 1992
Federal Admissions
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois
United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio
Service Areas
Mass Tort & Product Liability
White Collar Criminal Defense & Corporate Investigations
Life Sciences Litigation
Industries Represented
Air
Automotive
Electrical Equipment
Hospitals
Medical Professionals (Doctors & Nurses)
Mining
National Security
Pharmaceutical & Medicine
Plastics & Rubber
Safety Equipment
Textile
Valve Manufacturers
  • Won a motion to dismiss fraud and abuse of process claims against attorney (2021)
  • Defended respirator manufacturer through summary judgment and appeal (2019)
  • Briefed post-trial motions and appeal in an asbestos case (2016)
  • Assisted in briefing summary judgment and appeal on behalf of respiratory protection equipment manufacturer in products liability action for silicosis
  • Jury tried (second chair) a mesothelioma case on behalf of a safety clothing manufacturer
  • Jury tried (second chair) a mesothelioma case on behalf of an electrical control product manufacturer
  • Bench tried a first degree murder prosecution at Kadena Air Base, Japan representing the United States Air Force
  • Jury tried (first chair) prosecution of military physician for disobedience to orders in refusing a vaccine at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, on behalf of the United States Air Force

Speaking Engagements

  • “Allyship with Our Jewish Colleagues: How to Provide Support and Speak Up,” IADC Active Ally Series (December 2023)
  • “Camp LeJeune Water and Military Housing Mold,” Military Law and Litigation Seminar, Ohio State Bar Association (November 2023)
  • “Defeating a Products Claim Based on the Absence of a Safer Alternative Design,” IADC Webinar (December 2021)
  • “If I Could Turn Back Time: Winning on the Statute of Limitations,” IADC Midyear Meeting, Santa Barbara, California (February 2019)
  • “How to Get the Most Out of Your Mock Trial,” IADC Webinar (December 2018)
  • “How to Work With Counsel to Make Complex Information Understandable,” Expert Witness Training, SEAK 27th Annual National Conference, Clearwater Beach, Florida (May 2018)

Publications

  • International Association of Defense Counsel
    • Product Liability Committee, Vice Chair of Newsletters
  • American Bar Association, Litigation Section
  • Ohio State Bar Association
    • Military & Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Chair (2022-2024)
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
  • The Temple Tifereth Israel Board of Trustees
    • Temple Membership Committee, Co-Chair
    • Temple Learning Council, Past Chair