John R. Elrod
John Elrod's practice focuses on litigation and dispute resolution. Mr. Elrod has over 40 years experience representing companies and individuals in a variety of matters, including recently defending a major poultry producer in environmental litigation brought by the Oklahoma State Attorney General. He has extensive experience in federal and state courts both in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Mr. Elrod has handled a number of large cases involving defense of claims brought under the federal CERCLA and RCRA statutes and other matters in environmental law.
Mr. Elrod is a past President of the Benton County Bar Association, and has chaired the Environmental Law Committee and the CLE Committee for the Arkansas Bar Association. He has been a member of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Environmental Task Force and is a former member of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Arkansas River Compact Commission. Mr. Elrod is a former member and Secretary of the Arkansas Board of Corrections, was a Special Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court and a Special Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Sample of case results include:
- Represented two named plaintiffs in one of the largest civil anti-trust settlements in United States jurisprudence, the “Vitamin Price Fixing Litigation.”
- Co-counsel for Fortune 500 company in claim for theft of trade secrets resulting in $20M jury verdict.
- Defended poultry company in case brought by a state attorney general asserting violation of RCRA, CERCLA, common law nuisance and other environmental claims. Case was tried for 54 trial days over four months resulting in dismissal of all monetary claims on motion.
- Represented plaintiff in a fraud and products liability case in US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana involving the design of a grain and forage silo resulting in a plaintiff’s verdict of $2.4M.
- Represented plaintiff in a fraud and products liability case in Missouri state court involving the design of a grain and forage silo resulting in a plaintiff’s verdict of $1M.
- Represented a poultry company in Arkansas state court defending claims of cancer and other physical diseases allegedly caused by the inhalation of arsenic in land applied poultry litter resulting in a defense verdict.
- Represented a poultry company in a multiple defendant case which asserted pollution of one of the largest lakes in Oklahoma caused by the land application of poultry litter as fertilizer. The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals reversed the trial court’s certification of a class consisting of 3500 littoral property owners.
- Awarded the Richard S. Arnold Award for Lifetime Achievement by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals
- American College of Trial Lawyers
- Westminster College Alumni Achievement Award, 2017
- Special Justice, Arkansas Supreme Court, 2014
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America© (Commercial Litigation) (2010-2020)
- Arkansas Bar Association CLE Committee Chair 1994 - 1995
- Arkansas Supreme Court Special Chief Justice 1988
- Arkansas Bar Foundation Board of Directors 1983 - 1986
- Arkansas Supreme Court Special Justice 1980
- Benton County Bar Association President 1976 - 1977
- Arkansas Bar Association Environmental Law Committee Chair 1975 - 1976
- Benton County, Arkansas Deputy Prosecuting Attorney 1973 - 1975
- First National Bank, Siloam Springs, Former Director and Secretary
- Arkansas Board of Corrections Member and Secretary 1976 - 1981
- Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce President 1975
- Vice Chair, Board of Trustees of Westminster College, Fulton, MO
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703
