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Mitchell D. Diles Associate

Charlottesville T +1 434 980 2211 F fax +1 434 980 2251
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Mitch is a litigator whose practice focuses on defending clients in high-stakes commercial disputes across the county. He often advises clients in the energy, environmental, hospitality, and product manufacturing industries. Mitch is also a member of McGuireWoods’ Crisis Management & Incident Response Practice Group. In this role, he routinely helps clients manage and respond to catastrophic incidents, including explosions, contamination events, and system failures.

Mitch’s experience covers all phases of litigation. This includes managing discovery disputes, leading briefing efforts, engaging subject matter experts, arguing dispositive motions, and trials.

Before joining McGuireWoods, Mitch clerked for the Honorable Robert J. Humphreys of the Court of Appeals of Virginia. During law school, he served as a Burks Scholar, Kirgis Fellow, and the Symposium Editor of the Washington and Lee Law Review.

Experience

Energy Litigation

  • Served as wildfire counsel for electric utility companies, including assisting with development of comprehensive wildfire mitigation plans and seeking appropriate legislative and regulatory limitations of liability.
  • Representation of a natural gas transmission company in claims concerning the alleged contamination of natural gas.
  • Representation of natural gas transmission companies in land use and eminent domain litigation.
  • Representation of a natural gas transmission company in a breach of contract lawsuit related to the installation and commissioning of compressor stations and resulting damage.
  • Representation of a gas utility company in the defense of class actions and individuals claims after an inadvertent release of natural gas occurred in Massachusetts in connection with work being done on a natural gas distribution system which allegedly resulted in more than 80 homes and businesses being destroyed, 130 structural fires, at least one death, multiple injuries, and the four day evacuation of 8,600 residents.
  • Representation of an electric utility company in bodily injury litigation and insurance recovery following a lithium-ion battery thermal runaway event.
  • Representation of a large oil and natural gas exploration and production company against class and mass action claims alleging that the disposal of water produced during fracking operations caused widespread earthquakes.
  • Representation of one of the largest fully regulated utility companies in connection to single home explosions in various jurisdictions, including Virginia and Kentucky.

Product Liability Litigation

  • Representation of an automobile manufacturer against thousands of claims arising from allegedly fraudulent advertising of vehicle environmental features.
  • Representation of a large hospitality company in commercial franchise disputes.
  • Representation of a helicopter manufacturer in a wrongful death lawsuit.
  • Representation of a manufacturer and distributor of kitchen appliances in product liability litigation.

Other High-Stakes Litigation

  • Won dismissal of a putative class action complaint on behalf of a provider of rail inspection services following a Class I railroad train derailment which allegedly caused environmental damage, a power outage, the evacuation of hundreds of individuals and the closure of numerous businesses.

Insights

  • Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, 2024, 2025, 2026
  • Named to “Virginia Rising Stars,” Personal Injury – Products: Defense, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2025
  • Named to “Pro Bono Service Honor Roll,” Virginia Access to Justice Commission, 2022, 2023
  • Recipient, McGuireWoods Excellence Award, 2025

Spotlight

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