REID COLLINS WINS $112 MILLION UNANIMOUS JURY VERDICT FOR JW ALUMINUM IN FEDERAL TRIAL VICTORY

Charleston, South Carolina, Nov. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a sweeping trial win, national trial firm Reid Collins & Tsai LLP (“Reid Collins”) secured a unanimous jury verdict in favor of JW Aluminum Company (“JWA”) in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. The jury awarded JWA over $112 million—before accounting for five years of pre-judgment interest—after finding that a group of insurers breached their obligations under an “all-risk” policy following a catastrophic incident at JWA’s Goose Creek manufacturing facility.

After a five-day jury trial and testimony from more than a dozen witnesses, the jury found that the insurers had wrongfully denied coverage for both the physical damage to JWA’s equipment and the resulting business interruption. The jury awarded the maximum possible recovery: approximately $32.3 million for repair and replacement costs and the full $80 million policy sub-limit for business-interruption losses.

“I could not be happier for our client — or prouder of my team,” said William T. Reid, IV, co-founder of Reid Collins. “This was a total team victory. Everyone contributed, and every contribution mattered. Our associates didn’t just sit at the table — they stood up, examined witnesses, argued motions, and helped navigate the charge conference. “The ethos of our firm demands that young lawyers get in the game from day one. This trial proved, once again, why that approach works.”

Background

JWA is one of the largest producers of flat-rolled aluminum in the United States. In 2020, a small splash of molten aluminum from a production line at JWA’s Goose Creek, South Carolina plant kicked off a chain of events that nearly destroyed the facility.  Although no workers or first responders were injured, the incident caused tens of millions of dollars of property damage and hundreds of millions in lost profits.

JWA’s insurers argued that they were only required to pay for a small fraction of these losses under a policy endorsement that reduced coverage for “direct physical loss or harm caused by heat from Molten Material” from the policy limit of $250 million to just $10 million. The District Court for the District of South Carolina granted the insurers’ motion for summary judgment on the issue, finding that the endorsement unambiguously applied. However, in March of this year, Reid Collins won a unanimous reversal by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that paved the way for JWA’s subsequent claim for over $100 million.

The Reid Collins team included William T. Reid, IV, Craig Boneau, Scott Saldaña, Dylan Jones, Julia Byrne, John Hammel Strauss, and Sam Hilliard.

The case is JW Aluminum Company, v. ACE American Insurance Company, Westport Insurance Corporation, AIG Specialty Insurance Company, & General Security Indemnity Company of Arizona, Case No. 2:21-CV-01034-BHH.

About Reid Collins & Tsai LLP

Reid Collins & Tsai LLP is one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs’ trial firms, litigating complex business disputes and achieving billions of dollars in settlements and judgments for its clients. Its team is comprised of accomplished trial lawyers who have extensive experience prosecuting financial fraud, corporate wrongdoing, bankruptcy and insolvency related litigation, employment and partnership disputes, professional liability claims, and cross-border disputes. The firm represents fund managers, investor groups, trustees, receivers, liquidators, international banks, companies, governmental entities, and individuals in federal and state courts across the country.

For more information visit www.reidcollins.com

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Angel Fahy
Reid, Collins & Tsai
(512) 647-6100
afahy@reidcollins.com

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