Partner with Faegre Drinker
Steve Bennett protects the products and reputations of innovators and manufacturers. He represents clients in product liability and mass tort litigation in state and federal courts across the country.
In addition to his extensive litigation experience, Steve often serves as settlement counsel during mass tort litigation. He is experienced in strategically negotiating favorable settlements when resolving a matter early advances clients’ business interests. Steve also counsels companies on risk management strategies, including document and email management.
As trusted settlement counsel and mass tort strategist for some of the world’s most sophisticated manufacturers of medical device, pharmaceutical and consumer products, Steve has served in leadership roles in more than a dozen mass tort litigations, including:
• Settled a major multidistrict litigation (MDL) and state-coordinated proceeding involving allograft products on behalf of a global producer of medical devices.
• Served as settlement and strategy counsel, negotiating a global settlement in a hip implant MDL on behalf of an international medical device manufacturer.
• Coordinated settlement and strategy, negotiating a global settlement in a knee implant MDL on behalf of a global producer of medical implants.
• Acted as settlement counsel, negotiating a global settlement in a pelvic repair systems MDL on behalf of an international medical device manufacturer.
• Served as settlement and strategy counsel to a major medical device company in an IVC filter MDL.
• Coordinated settlement and strategy in a sprawling metal-on-metal hip implant mass tort on behalf of an international medical device manufacturer.
• Acted as settlement counsel on behalf of a major medical device manufacturer in mesh implant litigation.
• Served as settlement and strategy counsel, negotiating a global settlement in an MDL involving an orthopaedic hip system on behalf of an international medical device manufacturer.
• Acted as settlement counsel in an MDL involving recalled hip and knee systems on behalf of a medical device manufacturer.
• Served as settlement counsel for a national retail pharmacy chain in a high-profile pharmaceutical litigation.
• Serving as settlement counsel on behalf of a health care company in an MDL involving medical equipment.
• Coordinated the defense and obtained early dismissal in a significant environmental MDL for a gas station chain.
• Acted as settlement counsel in multidistrict app-based litigation on behalf of a technology company.
A member of the firm’s product liability group nationally ranked by Chambers USA, Steve’s experience includes defending manufacturers and sellers of consumer, food, gasoline, industrial machinery and plastic products.
Partner with Bailey & Glasser, LLP
Brian A. Glasser, founding partner of Bailey & Glasser, LLP, is a Rhodes scholar and Harvard Law graduate. He has over 31 years of experience, during which he has tried cases in 18 states, including two mass actions and six class actions. In 2025, he obtained as co-lead trial counsel for the Coalition of Counsel for Justice for Talc Claimants dismissal of another “Texas Two-Step” attempt by Johnson & Johnson to discharge liabilities arising from people alleging its baby powder causes cancer.
This year Brian was also lead trial counsel in a class action win against State Farm where a jury rendered a verdict in favor of approximately 37,000 Arkansas State Farm customers who suffered a “total loss” of their vehicle. The jury found that the insurance company breached the contract of insurance when its computer program applied a “typical negotiation adjustment” to comparable vehicles used to determine the “actual cash value” of the wrecked vehicle.
Learn more about the cases and matters mentioned below on the firm website: baileyglasser.com/lawyers-brian-a-glasser
Selected Case Highlights
2025
• Served as co-lead trial counsel for the Coalition of Counsel for Justice for Talc Claimants, securing dismissal of Johnson & Johnson’s third attempt to use bankruptcy to resolve 90,000 talc-related cancer claims. Following a two-week 2025 trial, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court rejected J&J’s proposed $10 billion restructuring plan due to prepetition voting irregularities and overly broad non-debtor releases.
• As lead trial counsel, he secured a jury verdict for approximately 37,000 Arkansas State Farm customers whose vehicle “total loss” claims were undervalued by an improper “typical negotiation adjustment,” with expected damages in the tens of millions of dollars to class members.
• Named by Forbes as one of “America’s Top Lawyers” on its second-ever list of the top 250 attorneys in the United States — a list Forbes calls “one of the most exclusive” in the nation.
2024
• Won a $5 million arbitral judgment proving Mike Lindell’s data was not 2020 election data.
• Named by Forbes as one of the “Top 200 Lawyers in America.”
2023
• Helped dismiss 3M’s Aearo bankruptcy, leading to a $6 billion resolution for 260,000 veterans.
• Co-lead trial counsel in dismissal of J&J’s first talc bankruptcy; vindicated on appeal.
• Lead counsel in $19.96 million mining royalties lease dispute.
2022
• Co-trial counsel in Roundup case settled confidentially on day 4 of trial.
2021
• Co-trial counsel in $32.7 million verdict for Ramaco Resources Inc. in insurance dispute.
2020
• Tried two shareholder/LLC agreement cases in Delaware.
• Obtained confidential settlement for 120+ residents affected by Maryland gas explosion.
2019
• Fourth Circuit upheld $61.34 million verdict in DISH Network case.
• Over $10 million arbitration win vs. Bechtel for S&N Communications.
2018
• Resolved $800+ million in force majeure and coal lease litigation for $190 million.
2017
• $29.7 million ERISA verdict vs. Wilmington Trust.
• $20.5 million TCPA verdict vs. DISH Network; total award raised to $61.34 million.
2016
• Won $286 million fraud judgment in Yellowstone case (later reinstated after reduction).
• Won $219+ million breach of contract judgment against Tim Blixseth.
• Secured $21+ million verdict in Sallyport case.
2015–2011
• Led $1.375 billion sale of Foresight Reserves interest to Murray Energy.
• $2.4 billion IPO for Foresight Energy Partners.
• $21.1 million verdict vs. Sallyport Global in contract case.
• $1.55 billion refinancing for Foresight Energy LLC.
• Represented Chris Burch on Tory Burch board during major investor dispute.
• Defended $127 million claim down to $2 million for International Industries Inc.
2010 and Earlier
• $286 million Yellowstone fraud verdict (cross-appealed after reduction).
• Surface Coal Mining mass action wins under federal environmental law.
• Co-counsel in U.S. Supreme Court case: Buckhannon v. WV DHHR.
• Special Assistant Attorney General for WV on mining/environmental litigation (1999–2003).
• Tried numerous civil/criminal cases in court and arbitration.
Awards & Accolades
• 2024 Forbes Top 200 Lawyers in America
• 2025 Benchmark Litigation Trial Lawyer of the Year Finalist
• 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers
• 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers
• Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers (2024 and 2025)
Benchmark Litigation, Top 100 Trial Lawyers and “Litigation Star” (2025)
Founding Partner of Laminack Pirtle & Martines
Tom Pirtle is a nationally acclaimed trial lawyer renowned for his groundbreaking achievements in personal injury, wrongful death, defective product, and commercial dispute cases. With an exceptional track record in the courtroom, Tom has secured numerous landmark verdicts. Additionally, he has displayed his commitment to representing the rights of injured individuals through leadership positions in significant multi-district litigations, including:
• Executive Committee
MDL No. 2885: In re: 3M Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Litigation, United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
• Discovery Subcommittee
Case No. 4:23-cv-00242: In re: East Palestine Train Derailment, United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
• Executive Committee; Chairman, Settlement Subcommittee
MDL No. 3081: In re: Bard Implanted Port Catheter Products Liability Litigation, United States District Court for the District of Arizona
Tom graduated with honors, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Stephen F. Austin University in 1987, where he was awarded Most Outstanding Graduate by the Board of Regents. He went on to graduate from South Texas College of Law in 1990.
Partner with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, llp
Mr. Winston’s practice includes all areas of corporate insolvency and reorganization and insolvency and valuation related litigation. He has represented debtors, creditors’ committees, secured and debtor in possession lenders, unsecured bondholders, distressed debt traders, trade creditors, and asset acquirers, across numerous industries, out of court and in connection with chapter 9, chapter 11, chapter 15, and involuntary bankruptcies, post-confirmation litigation, SIPA proceedings, and SEC receivership cases.
Mr. Winston routinely advises private equity firms, hedge funds and other investors in distressed companies, whether in court or out of court, with respect to indentures, credit agreements, asset sales, fraudulent transfer and fiduciary duty considerations, and other capital structure and corporate governance issues. He further advises and appears for intellectual property counterparties with respect to the intersection of intellectual property and insolvency law, and has developed expertise representing plaintiffs in class action matters where defendants face insolvency risk.
Recent representative cases include Core Media (AOG Entertainment), Avianca Brasil, SH130, Oro Negro, Taberna Preferred, Orexigen, SandRidge Exploration, Circuit City, Relativity Media, Gaming & Leisure Properties/Cannery Casino, Lehman Brothers Holdings, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities/Fairfield Sentry, Residential Capital, Town of Mammoth Lakes, Avaya, Eastman Kodak, Station Casinos, SemGroup, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, and SK Foods).
Mr. Winston frequently speaks at panels and conferences around the country and has guest lectured at Loyola and University of Southern California law schools. He has written several law review articles, co-authored a chapter in a leading valuation treatise, been interview by Bloomberg Quint concerning international insolvency, is the LEXIS practice advisor on claims trading, and has been a member of the State Bar of California Insolvency Law Committee and the United States District Court for the Central District of California Attorney Discipline Committee.
Senior Partner at Keller Postman LLC
Nicole Berg is a Senior Partner at Keller Postman LLC. She combines an analytical approach to the practice of law with expertise in legal strategy and briefing critical motions to deliver exceptional advocacy on behalf of plaintiffs.
At Keller Postman, Nicole’s practice focuses on product liability matters. She is a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for the Paragard IUD MDL. She also runs the firm’s Depo-Provera litigation in state courts throughout the country. Nicole manages her leadership responsibilities while also overseeing the litigation of the firm’s individual client matters in Depo-Provera, Paragard, 3M Combat Arms Earplugs, among others.
Before joining Keller Postman, Nicole worked in litigation finance, where she analyzed legal and regulatory issues to make investment decisions, gaining significant insight into a wide variety of practice areas and types of legal claims. Nicole also was an associate at Jenner & Block LLP, where she represented clients in complex and federal litigation at the trial and appellate levels, as well as in internal and regulatory investigations. Prior to attending law school, Nicole was a senior options trader at Peak6 Investments.
Nicole served as a law clerk to Judge Jay Bybee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She earned her law degree from the University of Illinois, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Illinois Law Review and graduated summa cum laude. Nicole earned her master’s degree in financial mathematics from the University of Chicago and her undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Nicole is ranked by Chambers USA for Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs (Illinois) and Product Liability: Plaintiffs (USA – Nationwide), and is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs. She is also listed on Illinois Super Lawyers, Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers, and the National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100.
Attorney with Aylstock Witkin Kreis & Overholtz PLC
Reagan Charleston Thomas is a dedicated advocate for justice, representing plaintiffs in complex multidistrict litigation and high-stakes personal injury cases at Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz. Since joining the firm in 2022, Reagan has leveraged her deep legal expertise and passion for helping others to serve clients nationwide, particularly in cases involving product liability, sexual abuse, and emerging areas such as social media addiction litigation.
Reagan is admitted to the Louisiana State Bar and the Eastern District of Louisiana. She earned her Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where she was a member of the Loyola Law Review, Phi Delta Phi Honor Society, and was recognized as a William S. Crowe Scholar. Her legal scholarship has been published and cited by the judiciary, reflecting her commitment to advancing legal thought and advocacy.
Of Counsel Attorney with Aylstock Witkin Kreis & Overholtz PLC
Amber L. Schubert is Partner at AWKO Law LLP and Of Counsel at AWKO, where she leads the firm’s Data Breach & Privacy Subdivision. She has built a national practice at the leading edge of data-breach and consumer-privacy litigation, representing people whose most sensitive information (medical records, financial data, educational histories, private communications, and digital identities) has been exposed or misused.
Ms. Schubert’s cases sit at the intersection of law, technology, and corporate accountability. She brings command of the issues that often determine whether complex privacy cases succeed such as technical discovery, standing, rapidly evolving privacy statutes, multistate claims, class wide damages, and remedies designed not only to compensate consumers, but also to change the practices that put their information at risk.
Courts across the country have appointed Ms. Schubert to leadership positions in dozens of data privacy class actions, including as lead or co-lead counsel, liaison counsel, and a member of plaintiffs’ executive and steering committees. Her current leadership docket includes cases involving some of the largest and most consequential privacy incidents in the country.
Ms. Schubert serves as Interim Co-Lead Class Counsel in In re Blue Shield of California Privacy Litigation, arising from the alleged disclosure of the protected health information of 4.7 million subscribers to Google and Meta. She is also Interim Co-Lead Class Counsel in litigation involving breaches at Discord and Russell Cellular, affecting approximately 1.7 million Discord users and 6.3 million Russell Cellular and Verizon customers, respectively, in the iRhythm data breach class action, and Interim Class Counsel in data breach litigation involving the private travel records of 1.2 million WestJet passengers.
She serves on Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In re PowerSchool Holdings, Inc. Customer Security Breach Litigation, an MDL involving the financial, health, and academic information of 62.4 million students and 9.5 million teachers, and on Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the Instructure data breach class action, in which a threat actor allegedly compromised approximately 275 million records across nearly 9,000 educational institutions worldwide. Ms. Schubert is also Liaison Counsel and a member of the Executive Committee in litigation arising from the Salesforce data breach, and Liaison Counsel in Doe v. GoodRx Holdings, Inc., which concerns the alleged sharing of approximately 50 million consumers’ private health information with Meta, Google, and Criteo.
Ms. Schubert’s leadership roles reflect substantive responsibility, not simply titles. In the Blue Shield litigation, she briefed and argued the opposition to dismissal of federal Wiretap Act claims. As Lead Counsel in Scott v. Healthcare Management Solutions, she drafted and argued a successful opposition addressing Article III standing and California privacy claims in a Medicare data breach affecting approximately 254,000 people. In the Patelco Credit Union litigation, she helped negotiate a $7.25 million settlement for a proposed class of approximately 1.1 million credit-union members.
She has also led some of the most technically demanding work in nationwide privacy litigation. As Chair of the Third-Party Discovery Committee in In re LastPass Data Security Incident Litigation, Ms. Schubert negotiated subpoenas with more than twenty nonparties and briefed four motions to quash in litigation arising from a breach affecting 33 million users. In other major cases, she has directed third-party discovery, developed multistate claims, managed plaintiff vetting, overseen expert work, and taken principal responsibility for briefing dispositive motions and class-certification issues.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Schubert played a central role in the Google AdWords litigation. After her firm secured a landmark Ninth Circuit decision reversing the denial of class certification and establishing important precedent concerning class wide damages, Ms. Schubert served as primary counsel opposing Google’s petition for certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court. The litigation ultimately resulted in a $22.5 million class wide settlement. The Ninth Circuit’s decision, Pulaski & Middleman, LLC v. Google, Inc., has since been cited hundreds of times.
Beyond her courtroom work, Ms. Schubert helps shape the developing law and practice of data privacy. She serves on the Board of the American Association for Justice’s Consumer Privacy and Data Breach Litigation Group and participates in The Sedona Conference’s Data Security and Privacy Liability Working Group. Her work brings together the plaintiffs’ bar, defense counsel, industry professionals, and privacy experts to address emerging questions surrounding data security, disclosure, and liability.
Ms. Schubert is equally committed to broadening who has the opportunity to lead consequential litigation. An active member of the LGBTQ community, she serves as the American Association for Justice LGBT Caucus’s liaison to the organization’s FAIR Committee, which works to increase participation and leadership opportunities for trial lawyers from historically underrepresented groups. She is a firm believer that complex cases are better led, and clients better served, when the people making the decisions bring different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to the table.
Shareholder with Rafferty Domnick Cunningham & Yaffa
Troy Rafferty is a shareholder at Rafferty Domnick Cunningham & Yaffa, and arguably one of the nation’s most accomplished trial lawyers. For nearly 30 years, Mr. Rafferty has delivered extraordinary results for clients injured or harmed by defective drugs and products.
He was appointed in March 2025 to the Plaintiffs’ Leadership Council of the Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) products liability litigation, as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee. In this role, Rafferty will work with a select group of notable litigators from around the country to help coordinate and oversee the activities of Plaintiffs’ counsel throughout the pretrial proceedings.
His reputation for securing landmark verdicts and settlements in complex mass tort cases is unparalleled. Notably, in the Testosterone Replacement Therapy litigation, Mr. Rafferty won jury verdicts of $150 million and $140 million, among the largest in the nation. His leadership extends beyond the courtroom, having played a pivotal role in resolving high-stakes litigation.
In the nationwide opioids litigation, Mr. Rafferty served as Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel and a key member of the Settlement Committee, securing a historic $36 billion settlement from major distributors. He also led negotiations in the Benicar litigation, resulting in another significant national settlement. His breadth of experience includes every phase of mass tort litigation, from depositions and expert collaboration to serving as lead trial counsel.
Mr. Rafferty’s legal excellence has earned him board certification in civil trial law by The Florida Bar and a host of prestigious accolades. He has been named one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the American Trial Lawyers Association and is a fellow of the International Society of Barristers. He is also one of only 500 U.S. attorneys inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America and Florida Super Lawyers, he holds an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, reflecting his outstanding legal skill and ethics.
Beyond his impressive litigation record, Mr. Rafferty’s commitment to the legal profession is reflected in his leadership roles. He served as President of the Florida Justice Association (FJA) from 2014-2015 and was honored with the FJA’s highest accolade, the Perry Nichols Award, for his dedication to civil justice. In 2018, he received the Living the Dream HK Matthews Legacy Award for his leadership and service in advancing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision.
A dedicated philanthropist, Mr. Rafferty actively supports local charities, including a $1 million donation toward a major expansion of youth education and sports programs at the Theophilus May Community Center in Pensacola. His philanthropy is driven by an unwavering commitment to uplift those in need and make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. This dedication is most powerfully demonstrated by his pivotal role in securing a $20 million allocation from the Florida Legislature on behalf of survivors of abuse at the Dozier School for Boys and Okeechobee School for Boys. Despite hundreds of documented cases of rape, torture, and death, the Dozier School remained open from January 1, 1900, to June 30, 2011. Over the course of several years, Mr. Rafferty guided this pro bono settlement, and in 2024, justice was finally served.
Mr. Rafferty is a sought-after lecturer, sharing his expertise with trial lawyers nationwide. He is licensed to practice before all Florida state courts, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Partner with Seeger Weiss LLP
Parvin is an emerging leader within the Plaintiffs’ bar where she represents plaintiffs in mass tort and class action cases. She litigates product liability and class action cases and prepares them for trial.
Parvin was appointed co-lead counsel in the Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAs) Products Liability Litigation, consolidating dozens of lawsuits against drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly filed by patients who took Ozempic and other similar GLP-1 RA medications and suffered serious injuries.
In March 2026, Parvin was appointed Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs in the In Re: GLP-1 RAS Non-arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Products Liability Litigation. The lawsuit alleges that GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs, including Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Trulicity, caused patients to develop non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a serious eye condition that can result in sudden and permanent vision loss.
Parvin serves as co-lead counsel in the Elmiron Products Liability litigation, a nationwide multi-district litigation against numerous pharmaceutical companies, including Janssen, alleging that the companies failed to tell doctors and patients about the risk of permanent vision injury with the drug Elmiron. In the Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation, where it was alleged that Androgel caused heart attacks and strokes in users, she worked on multiple bellwether trial teams and was responsible for presenting a key FDA regulatory expert in a trial that resulted in an initial verdict of $140 million for the plaintiff. A series of bellwether trials in that litigation resulted in more than $290 million in initial verdicts. Parvin also worked on the 3M Earplug litigation in which it was alleged that 3M knowingly marketed, manufactured, and sold dangerously defective earplugs. She prepared expert and fact witnesses for a bellwether trial that resulted in a $110M verdict against 3M.
In addition to her trial work, Parvin also often leads the development of regulatory and scientific experts in pharmaceutical drug and device cases. In Elmiron, she led the development of multiple causation and liability experts. She has also co-led teams handling a key FDA expert for the nationwide Opioids MDL litigation and the Hernia Mesh MDL litigation.
Outside of her work on the above MDLs, Parvin has played a role in such significant matters as:
• The nationwide litigation battle over opioid drugs, representing counties and municipalities whose health and hospital systems have been severely tested by the epidemic of drug abuse. The opioid lawsuits are “on par to become the largest civil litigation agreement in U.S. history,” according to Forbes Magazine;
• The multi-billion-dollar cases brought against Volkswagen and other carmakers for disguising the actual emission levels of their diesel engine cars. The settlement figure in this case makes it “the largest auto-related consumer class-action settlement in U.S. history,” lawyers told The Star of Toronto.
• Representing many investors in Bernard Madoff’s investment fund, revealed to be a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme, and protecting the investors’ millions of dollars when the court-appointed bankruptcy trustee attempted to take back money they had in good faith withdrawn from their Madoff accounts. The U.S. Attorney’s office in New York indicated in proceedings that the Madoff Ponzi scheme was the largest in history, and the largest investor fraud ever committed by a single person.
In 2025, Parvin was elected as a member of the American Law Institute (ALI), one of the nation’s leading legal independent organizations producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law.
Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
Partner with Bailey & Glasser, LLP
Katherine E. Charonko is a partner and litigator who leads Bailey & Glasser, LLP’s Electronically Stored Information & Technology Practice Group where she designs and deploys ESI strategies across all of the firm’s cases, as well as nationwide class action and MDL matters. Kate routinely leads ESI in cases that involve large numbers of documents, including cases that involve cross-border discovery. She also speaks and writes on cutting-edge topics involving technology and litigation, including the use of artificial intelligence.
Kate is part of many of Bailey & Glasser, LLP’s elite trial teams, including in 2025 when she was part of the trial team that successfully represented the Coalition of Counsel for Justice for Talc Claimants against Johnson & Johnson in the Red River litigation bankruptcy case.
In addition to her e-Discovery practice, Kate serves as part of Bailey Glasser’s multidistrict litigation (MDL) teams focusing on automotive and medical device product liability actions across the country. She was appointed to serve as liaison director of e-Discovery and ESI on several MDL leadership committees and creates case-specific document review workflows.
Kate is a Certified e-Discovery Specialist (CEDS) and frequently speaks on various e-Discovery topics, including ESI, AI, TAR, and legal ethics. Kate has earned widespread recognition for her work, including being nationally ranked by Chambers & Partners in Nationwide – Product Liability: Plaintiffs and Nationwide – E-Discovery & Information Governance: Plaintiffs (Band 1) and as a 2027 Lawdragon 2027 Top 500 Leading Litigator. In 2026, she was named an Elite Women of the Plaintiff’s Bar Winner by ALM and the National Law Journal, a winner of the Monica Bay Women of Legal Tech Award by Legalweek (ALM), and a 2026 Lawdragon 100 Leading AI & Legal Tech Advisor, among many other recognitions.
Awards & Accolades
Chambers USA:
USA Nationwide – Product Liability: Plaintiffs (2024 – 2026)
USA Nationwide – E-Discovery & Information Governance: Plaintiffs (Band 1) (2026)
USA Nationwide – E-Discovery & Information Governance (2026)
Elite Trial Lawyers, Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar (2026)
Lawdragon:
500 Leading Litigators in America (2026 and 2027)
100 Leading AI & Legal Tech Advisors (2026)
500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers (2025 and 2026)
500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers (2025 and 2026)
Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation, Electronically Stored Information (2024)
Legalweek (ALM) Leaders in Tech Law Awards, Monica Bay Women of Legal Tech Award Winner (2026)
Founder & Trial Attorney, The Cheek Law Firm LLC
Lindsey Cheek founded The Cheek Law Firm LLC in 2015 after building extensive trial and litigation experience with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and a nationally recognized asbestos and mass tort plaintiffs’ litigation firm.
Ms. Cheek has represented hundreds of individuals and families in Louisiana and across the country and has secured more than $100 million in settlements and verdicts on behalf of her clients. She has extensive experience in complex litigation, toxic torts, asbestos and mesothelioma claims, talc-related litigation, environmental matters, and other high-stakes civil cases.
Known for her Louisiana jury trial experience, Ms. Cheek has tried numerous cases to verdict and has earned a reputation for handling challenging and complex litigation. Her work has included representing victims of asbestos exposure, mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other serious injuries, as well as representing entities and municipalities in environmental matters.
The majority of the firm’s practice focuses on representing individuals and families who have been harmed in Louisiana. In addition to litigating throughout Louisiana, Ms. Cheek has handled matters in jurisdictions across the country, including Texas, Mississippi, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Washington, Utah, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina.
Ms. Cheek is a peer-elected member of the Louisiana State Bar Association Board of Governors and serves on the LSBA Ethics Advisory Committee. She has been an Adjunct Faculty Professor in Tulane Law School’s Trial Advocacy Program since 2015, mentors law students, has published in legal and bar journals, and is frequently invited to speak at national conferences on trial advocacy, jury trials, asbestos and mesothelioma litigation, mass torts, law firm management, and women in the legal profession.
Outside of her legal practice, Ms. Cheek remains actively involved in charitable, educational, and community initiatives throughout Louisiana.
Founder and Senior Partner with Bradley/Grombacher LLP
Marcus J. Bradley is the founder and senior partner of Bradley/Grombacher LLP in Westlake Village, California. An accomplished trial attorney with more than 22 years of litigation experience, Mark represents clients in matters including complex consumer litigation, class actions, mass torts, product liability, personal injury, and more.
A graduate of the University of California, Davis, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English, Mark obtained his law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law. He is licensed to practice in all California state courts and the U.S. district courts for the northern, central, southern and eastern districts of California as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Active in professional organizations, Mark is a member of the American Association for Justice, the Consumer Attorneys of California, the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and The State Bar of California, among other groups. He also participates in numerous charitable and community organizations.
Mark’s writings on legal topics have been widely published and he is frequently called upon to speak at conferences and seminars for professional organizations.
FIRST JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF FLORIDA, ESCAMBIA COUNTY
After graduating from Loyola Law School with honors with a publication for law review, and initially clerking at the appellate level, Judge Pitre amassed nearly 70 jury trials working in the trenches of a prosecutor’s office. He then transferred to civil practice handling commercial litigation, creditor’s rights, property law, personal injury and probate with a high focus on complex matters both at the state and federal levels. He also acquired an appellate practice for civil matters of all types. He is admitted to practice in the states of Florida, Louisiana, South Dakota, and also before the United States Supreme Court. He obtained an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell and served as a partner at a mid-size level law firm in Florida.
Following 20 years of practice, he was then appointed as a Circuit Judge for the First Judicial Circuit in Florida, sworn in July 4, 2018. He currently presides over a civil docket involving personal injury and mass torts of all types, in addition to contract and other actions. He is the past president of the American Inns of Court – Pensacola Chapter, a Paul Harris Fellow Rotarian, and frequently presents for bar associations on matters relating to civil actions.
Chief Revenue Officer of Shield Legal
In the complex and ever-evolving realm of mass tort litigation, expertise and insight are paramount.
As someone deeply immersed in this dynamic field, Andy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. With a comprehensive understanding of the intricate legal landscape, a keen awareness of the latest trends, and a track record of successfully assisting firms on acquiring mass tort cases, he has established himself as a trusted authority in this specialized area.
Partner with Pittman Dutton Hellums Bradley & Mann, P.C.
Chris was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on October 2, 1968. He attended college at the University of Alabama and graduated with a B.A. in business in 1990. Upon graduation, he entered the University of Alabama School of Law and obtained his J.D. Degree in 1993. While in law school, he served as the student representative to the Board of Trustees. He was admitted to practice law in the State of Alabama in 1993, and the State of Colorado in 1994.
Since obtaining his law license in the State of Alabama, Chris has been a practicing attorney at Pittman, Dutton, and Hellums, P.C. His primary practice is in the areas of litigation involving insurance fraud, bad faith, class actions, identity theft, commercial disputes, consumer protection, tax shelters, and general personal injury matters.
Chris handles cases not only throughout the State of Alabama but on a national level as well. He is admitted to practice before the Alabama Supreme Court as well as the United States District Courts. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar Association, Birmingham Bar Association, Alabama Association for Justice and American Association for Justice. He has served on various committees with the Alabama Association for Justice throughout his legal career.
Chris is married to Racheal Hellums and they have three children, Christopher, Ben, and Caroline. Chris and his family are members of Mountain Brook Community Church and reside in the Crestline Community of Mountain Brook, Alabama.
Partner with Schlichter Bogard
Holly is a Partner and Co-Leader of the Firm’s Mass Torts Department, one of the Firm’s three primary practice groups. In this role, she co-leads the department’s mass tort litigation, oversees attorneys and staff, and collaborates with Firm leadership to develop strategic plans and identify new opportunities.
Holly has extensive experience in federal multidistrict litigations (MDL) and large-scale mass tort cases, representing individuals, businesses, and municipalities harmed by corporate misconduct, particularly pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. Prior to joining the Firm, she was a Partner at Simmons Hanly Conroy, where she focused on complex pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, recovering over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements for clients.
Holly combines strategic leadership, deep trial experience, and a client-centered approach to deliver meaningful results in complex mass tort litigation. She is recognized for her ability to manage multi-state litigation, coordinate large trial teams, and achieve significant recoveries for clients and communities harmed by corporate wrongdoing.
Practice Areas
Consumer and Environmental
Pharmaceutical
PARTNER WITH SBAITI & COMPANY
Chris is the Co-Chair of the Firm’s Mass Tort Practice Group and Chair of the Consumer Protection Practice Group.
He is an accomplished trial attorney who represents individuals and public entities in state and federal courts nationwide. He has built a reputation for holding powerful entities accountable when they put profits over people. His practice focuses on mass tort, class action, and complex commercial litigation, including defective medical devices and consumer products, dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, environmental contamination and exposure, qui tam/whistleblower actions, investment fraud, and antitrust.
Chris is widely recognized for his expertise in eDiscovery and preservation of electronically stored information (ESI) and has served as designated ESI counsel for plaintiffs in numerous high-stakes matters.
Chris has served on the leadership team in major multidistrict litigations, class actions, and social justice litigation. His recent work includes:
• In the Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation (JCCP No. 5255), Chris serves as a member of the Plaintiffs Executive Committee and Co-Chair of the E-Discovery Committee. This landmark litigation alleges that major social media platforms were intentionally designed to addict young users despite documented dangers to adolescent mental health. Chris advocates for victims suffering severe psychological harm and families who have lost children to suicide.
• Chris represents the Estate of Henrietta Lacks and members of her family in groundbreaking litigation (D. Md.) against pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for profiting from Mrs. Lacks’s cells—taken without consent in 1951 and commercialized for decades. On what would have been Henrietta Lacks’s 103rd birthday, the family secured a historic settlement with the biotechnology company they sued for its unauthorized use of her cells.
• In the Roblox Child Sexual Abuse Litigation (MDL No. 3166), Chris serves in a key ESI leadership role. This litigation consolidates claims alleging that the Roblox platform failed to adequately protect children from sexual predators who exploited the platform to groom, exploit, and abuse minors.
• Chris served on the leadership team in In re Mercedes-Benz Emissions Litigation (D.N.J.), which secured an $800 million settlement on behalf of U.S. owners and lessees. He led discovery efforts and secured one of the strongest ESI validation procedures and random sampling protocols to test the defendants’ search methodologies and results.
Chris is known for his strategic acumen, thorough preparation, and courtroom effectiveness—consistently securing favorable outcomes against powerful corporate interests. His recognitions include Forbes’s 2025 List of America’s Top Lawyers, the 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, and the Association of American Law Schools, Section on Litigation’s Outstanding Practitioner Award (2025). He also co-authored a new LexisNexis treatise on the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.
Before joining Sbaiti & Company, Chris was a Partner at a national plaintiffs’ firm, where he litigated complex, high-stakes matters across a broad range of practice areas.
Chris was a four-year varsity athlete on Brown University’s wrestling team.
Shareholder & Chair of Levin Papantonio’s Securities & Business Litigation Department
Peter Mougey is a shareholder and the Chair of Levin Papantonio’s Securities and Business Litigation department. He concentrates his practice in the areas of complex litigation, financial services, securities litigation, and whistleblower or qui tam litigation. Mr. Mougey has been recognized as one of Florida’s top 100 trial lawyers and a Florida Super Lawyer and has dedicated his career to championing individuals’ rights against the world’s largest companies.
Mr. Mougey has represented over 1,500 state, municipal, and institutional entities, as well as tribal sovereign nations, in litigation and arbitration around the globe. In addition, he has represented more than 3,000 individual fraud victims in state and federal court and arbitrations.
His peers have rated him AV Preeminent, the highest possible rating by Martindale-Hubbell. And most recently, in the National Prescription Opiate and Pharmacy Litigation MDL, Mr. Mougey was selected to serve as Co-Lead of the Distributor cases and serves on the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee in what has been called “the largest and most complex case in the history of jurisprudence” by the Washington Post. He also was recently credited as one of the key negotiators in the nearly $60 billion settlements with opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and the “Big Three” drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, McKesson, and national pharmacy claims. He was selected as Co-Lead trial counsel for the city of San Francisco and the state of New Mexico. Both cases were tried through closing arguments and resulted in $1.5 billion in settlements to the two clients. These two trials were the primary catalyst for the national pharmacy settlements.
Mr. Mougey routinely lectures on issues confronting the legal and business industry including “Bet the Company Litigation,” Broker-Dealer Regulation, Structured Finance, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, Managing Large Datasets for use in Litigation, and Quantitative Modeling. He is frequently quoted in the national press, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Barron’s, Kiplinger, Business Week, and Investment News.
Mr. Mougey advocates for the rights of investors as both the past President and member of the Board of Directors of the national securities bar, PIABA. He has also served as Chairman of the NASAA Committee, Executive Committee, and FINRA’s Improving Arbitration Task Force. Currently, Mr. Mougey serves on the PIABA Foundation charged with educating investors in conjunction with the SEC. In recognition of his long-term and sustained dedication to promoting the interests of investors, he received the PIABA Lifetime Distinguished Service Award from his peers.
Mr. Mougey received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Finance, from Creighton University. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Portland and graduated from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law.
Co-Chair, Class Action & Appellate Litigation Practice Group, Shook Hardy & Bacon
Amir is the National Co-Chair of Shook’s Class Action Practice Group and co-leads Shook’s Automotive Industry Group. Amir’s practice is primarily dedicated to defending companies in class actions and aggregated litigation.
Amir has led the defense of class actions of all types, including automotive, food, beverage, pet food, cosmetics, personal care products, and insurance. He has also defended companies in regional and specialty class action roles.
Beyond traditional class actions, Amir has served in lead roles in mass and aggregated litigation, including JCCP and MDL proceedings, and in managing class opt-out litigation and mass arbitrations.
Senior Partner with Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, Attorneys at Law
Jonathan D. Selbin is a senior partner in the New York office of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, where he has practiced for 30 years, and a long-time member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He has led complex consumer protection, defective products, and sex abuse class action lawsuits in courts around the country against many of the world’s largest corporations and institutions. Together, cases in which Jonathan played a lead role have resulted in court-approved class action settlements with a combined total cash payout to class members in excess of $3.5 billion, plus other relief such as extended and enhanced warranties and implementation of best-practices institutional reforms. He has extensive appellate experience, having argued in the 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 11th Circuits, as well as before state supreme and appellate courts.
Since March 2025, Jonathan has served as Special Assistant Attorney General to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, assisting and advising her office on issues relating to federal constitutional and administrative law and connected questions.
Jonathan served on the Board of Directors of Equal Justice Works, where he and his family also founded the Selbin Voting Rights Fellowship which funds a rolling two-year fellow working to ensure fair access to voting. He also serves on the Board of the Beyond #MeToo Working Group on Corporate Governance, Compliance, and Risk.
Jonathan was a Finalist for The American Lawyer’s 2021 Litigator of the Year, a National Law Journal 2021 “Plaintiffs’ Lawyer Trailblazer,” a Law360 2020 “Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar,” and a New York Law Journal “2020 Litigation Trailblazer.” In February 2020, Modern Counsel profiled Jonathan, highlighting his lifelong legacy of fighting for consumer and civil rights in “Jonathan Selbin Levels the Playing Field.”
Jonathan is a 1993 magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and a 1989 summa cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan. He clerked for the Honorable Marilyn Hall Patel of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California from 1993-1995 prior to joining Lieff Cabraser.
Co-Chair, Class Action & Appellate Litigation Practice Group, and Los Angeles Managing Partner with Shook Hardy & Bacon
Michael is a trial lawyer who has represented clients in class action and complex litigation matters, including cases related to economic product defects, unfair competition, false and deceptive advertising, business torts, privacy, entertainment and intellectual property. He has defended consumer protection actions and investigation initiated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the U.S. Department of Justice, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, as well as numerous state enforcement agencies. A client states that “Michael is fantastic at issue-spotting, and has the ability to lead a case and get the results we need.”
For nearly 30 years, Michael has been at the forefront of representing clients in significant consumer protection matters, including:
• Securing a defense victory in a recent automobile defect class action jury trial in the Central District of California
• Defeating the Federal Trade Commission in a bench trial in the Northern District of Georgia
• Defending the first enforcement action prosecuted by FTC related to the National Do Not Call Registry
• Securing a major automotive industry victory before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit mooting injunctive claims for relief brought by private plaintiffs following a product recall; and
• Defeating a federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action by persuading the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals that internet classified ads constitute an express invitation.
He regularly counsels clients on marketing and advertising issues, and has substantial experience in the automotive, fashion retail, dietary supplement, telemarketing, electronic mail marketing, consumer products and payment processing industries.
He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including recognition by Chambers USA in the categories of California Litigation: General Commercial, and Product Liability: Consumer Class Action, and The Legal 500 United States in Dispute Resolution – Product Liability, mass torts and class actions: automotive/transport and consumer products. Law360 named him one of the “Transportation MVPs of the Year” in 2018, and a “Privacy & Consumer Protection MVP” in 2012. BTI Consulting Group recognized him as a “BTI Client Service All-Star” in 2012. Southern California Super Lawyers has honored him for Class Action/Mass Torts, Business Litigation and Civil Litigation Defense. Michael also has received the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
Michael currently serves on the California Civility Task Force, the Los Angeles Bar Association Complex Court Committee, which he previously co-chaired, and is a member of the Chancery Club of Los Angeles. Michael served as president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers in 2024. Before joining Shook, he was a partner with Sidley Austin, where he was the co-leader of the firm’s Consumer Class Action Defense practice. He also is an avid marathoner, triathlete and five-time Ironman, completing competitions in Roth, Germany (2026), Maryland (2018), Vineman (Sonoma County, California, 2016), Cozumel (2015) and Boulder (2014).
Founder of Matthews & Associates
David Matthews has been practicing law for over 38 years, handling cases involving defective products, dangerous drugs and devices, clergy abuse, toxic pesticides, chemical exposures and other catastrophic injuries. He is board certified in personal injury law and has taken more than 175 cases to verdict. He has handled cases across the country in over 25 states and Puerto Rico. His law firm consists of over 20 lawyers, experienced paralegals, investigators and medical professionals, all of whom work in unison for justice and compensation for our clients.
Mr. Matthews has taken more than 175 jury trials to verdict. He has been voted by his peers as one of the Top 100 National Trial Lawyers. He has been interviewed on CNN, Dateline MSNBC, National Public Radio (NPR) and several other nationwide media outlets. He has been quoted for his legal expertise in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, Austin American Statesman and several other news publications.
Mr. Matthews’ more recent jury verdicts include a $74 million judgment in Sept. 2015 in a Texas courtroom in favor of his client in a pelvic mesh case against Boston Scientific. In 2014, he won a $3 million verdict for his client in a Philadelphia courfroom against Johnson & Johnson in a Topamax birth defects case. His firm also won a $3 million verdict that year in a Texas fracking case, and a $5.5 million verdict in a transvaginal mesh case in California. Additionally, a $33 million verdict in an IVC Filter case in Philadelphia. All of those verdicts led to settlement awards for thousands of his clients in nationwide mass tort litigation.
Mr. Matthews has taken leadership roles as a member of several Plaintiff Steering Committees, including transvaginal mesh and the Cook IVC Filter litigation. He and his law firm have taken leadership roles in many of the largest drug and medical device litigations in the last decade, including Transvaginal Mesh (J&J, Boston Scientific, Bard, Coloplast); Vioxx (Merck); Gadolinium/MRI (General Electric, Bayer); InFuse (Medtronic); and IVC Filter (Cook, C. R. Bard, Johnson & Johnson, and others).
David Matthews is the founder of Matthews & Associates, with offices in Houston, Texas, New York City and Salinas, California. Before starting his own firm, Mr. Matthews worked briefly in insurance defense, then spent 18 years as a partner in the oldest personal injury firm in Texas. He has also prosecuted employment and civil rights cases, truck and car accident litigation, environmental and toxic torts, product and premises liability, plant explosions, priest molestation, nursing home abuse cases, mesothelioma cases, and more. He has helped plaintiffs attain some of the largest verdicts or settlements in the country in litigation against the makers of such drugs as Phen-Fen, Rezulin, Vioxx, Bextra-Celebrex, Zyprexa and PPA.
David P. Matthews is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has Martindale-Hubbell’s top rating from his peers in the legal field. He is licensed to practice law in Texas, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and New York.
Texas, 1988; Mississippi, 2004; New York, 2004; Pennsylvania, 2009; U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 2007; U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas, 1996; U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, 1993; U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 1990; U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 2005; U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1990
South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas, 1988 J.D.
Honors: Recipient, American Jurisprudence Awards: Property, Civil Procedure
Law Review: South Texas College Law Review, Assistant Editor, 1988
Law Review: South Texas Law Review, Comment Editor University of Wisconsin at Madison, 1984 B.A.
“SelfInsureds & Non-Subscribing Suing & Defending,” Damage Control Institute, 1997
“New Horizons in Damages,” Damage Control Institute, 1997
Adjunct Professor, South Texas College of Law
Texas Bar Foundation Member
Houston Bar Association Member American Bar Association Member
State Bar of Texas Member
Houston Young Lawyers Association Member
Texas Trial Lawyers Association Associate Director
American Board of Trial Advocates Member American Association of Justice
Spanish
PARTNER WITH TROUTMAN PEPPER LOCKE
Ryan is a trial attorney who represents life sciences, health care, and consumer products companies in complex product liability, mass tort, and commercial litigation nationwide. He has deep experience guiding clients through every phase of litigation — from pre-suit investigation and strategic counseling through dispositive motions, expert discovery, mediation, trial, and appeal — in both federal and state courts across the U.S. Ryan is frequently called upon to handle matters with significant scientific, regulatory, and technical complexity, and he works closely with clients to develop practical strategies that align legal risk with business objectives.
A seasoned trial advocate, Ryan has served as national and trial counsel in high-stakes pharmaceutical and medical device matters, including multidistrict litigation and coordinated state proceedings. He has been trial counsel in multiple jury trials and defense verdicts, including bellwether trials and complex product liability cases in both federal and state courts. In addition to his courtroom work, Ryan advises clients on risk management, litigation avoidance, and compliance strategies designed to reduce exposure before disputes arise. His practice also includes white collar defense and internal investigations, where he has represented corporate executives and financial institutions in regulatory and enforcement matters.
US DISTRICT COURT, EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
Judge Kai Scott was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She was educated in the Philadelphia public school system, attending the Julia R. Masterman School and the Philadelphia High School for Girls. Subsequently, she enrolled at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. She then furthered her education at the West Virginia University College of Law and graduated from that same institution.
After graduation from law school, Judge Scott began her legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable Donald Poorman. In 1998, she embarked on her path as a criminal defense attorney when she began working as an Assistant Defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. During her tenure as an Assistant Defender, Judge Scott tried over one hundred misdemeanor and serious felony trials to verdict, handling both bench and jury trials. In order to expand her knowledge and experience in defending complex criminal cases, in 2004, Judge Scott accepted a position as an Assistant Federal Defender at the Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In 2010, Judge Scott was named as Chief of the Trial Unit at the Federal Community Defender Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She served in that position for four years.
In 2015, Judge Scott campaigned and ran for election as a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia. She was elected to a ten year term in November 2015, and began her term in January, 2016.
In July 2022, President Joseph Biden nominated Kai for a position as a district court judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. On December 7, 2022, she was confirmed by the United States Senate. Along with her commitment to the legal profession, and her many social and community activities, Kai is a dedicated mother of a fifteen year old daughter.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Nominated by George W. Bush on July 14, 2003, to a seat vacated by Lacey A. Collier. Confirmed by the Senate on October 20, 2003, and received commission on November 21, 2003. Served as chief judge, 2011-2018.
Other Federal Judicial Service:
U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, 2002-2003
Education:
University of West Florida, B.A., 1989
California Western School of Law, J.D., 1992
Professional Career:
U.S. Army, 1985-1987
Law clerk, Hon. Lacey A. Collier, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida, 1992-1994
Private practice, Pensacola, Florida, 1994-1998, 1999-2002
General counsel, West Florida Medical Center, Pensacola, Florida, 1998-1999
US DISTRICT COURT, EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
CO-FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL, SIGNAL INTERACTIVE MEDIA | CEO, THE MESSINA GROUP
Jim Messina is Co-Founder and Principal of Signal Interactive Media, the legal notice firm that applies the data science of modern presidential campaigns to class action and mass tort litigation. As campaign manager for President Obama’s 2012 re-election, called “the best-run campaign ever” by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Messina’s team modeled eight million Ohio voters’ behavior within a fraction of a percentage point, saving the campaign $40 million by reaching voters as individuals rather than demographics. Signal was founded in 2014 on a simple premise: if a presidential campaign could reach voters with that kind of precision, claimants deserve nothing less.
Signal has designed notice programs for some of the country’s highest-profile cases, going far beyond traditional publication to ensure the right people are actually informed of their rights. That expertise is backed by a team that has supervised over $2.1 billion in paid advertising across Signal and its parent company, The Messina Group, offering media buying power and audience insight no traditional notice provider can match. Its newest advancement, Digital Twins, uses AI to build synthetic personas grounded in survey research, in-depth interviews, and consumer data covering hundreds of behavioral and demographic variables. Before a dollar is spent on media, notice materials are tested against a hundred AI personas, representing the actual makeup of a class, to measure whether claimants understand the notice, know their rights, and know how to act on them. For mass tort attorneys, that means notice programs that are rigorous, testable, and defensible before they ever reach a courtroom.
Messina spent over two decades on Capitol Hill, including service as Chief of Staff to Senator Max Baucus during his chairmanship of the Senate Finance Committee, where he worked on major tax legislation, the Medicare prescription drug bill, and multiple trade agreements.
He went on to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff in President Obama’s White House, where he was integral to the passage of the historic health care bill, the economic stimulus act credited with saving the US economy, and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Messina is also CEO of The Messina Group, a strategic consulting firm that advises the world’s biggest companies and more than a dozen presidents and prime ministers across six continents. He is a frequent commentator on CNN, Bloomberg, MS NOW, Fox News, and the BBC. Messina currently serves on the boards of Blockchain.com, Fortera, Vectra.ai, LanzaTech, the United States Soccer Foundation, the Montana Land Reliance, and The Wilderness Society.
US DISTRICT COURT, CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. appointed Michelle Williams Court as a United States District Judge for the Central District of California on November 7, 2024, and she assumed office on November 12, 2024. Judge Court presides over matters in Los Angeles in the Court’s Western Division.
Before her appointment to the federal bench, Judge Court served as a Superior Court Judge for Los Angeles County. As a state court judge, Judge Court presided over civil and family law matters. She served as Supervising Judge of the Civil Division from 2022 through 2024 and served as Assistant Supervising Judge of the Civil Division from January 2021 to December 2022. Judge Court also served by appointment by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court on the Judicial Council of California and several of its advisory bodies, the Commission on the Future of California Courts, and the California Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions.
Judge Court is the founding President of California Women Judges and is a founding member of the Association of African American California Judicial Officers.
Prior to her appointment to the Superior Court, Judge Court served in multiple roles at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm focused on poverty law. There, she worked as Deputy Director of Litigation, Director of Litigation, interim President and CEO, and finally as Vice President and General Counsel. As Vice President and General Counsel, she directed the legal work of more than 30 staff attorneys and advocates, supervised the Human Resources and Pro Bono Departments, and implemented the strategic vision to the organization, which includes direct services and impact litigation. Additionally, in 2006, Judge Court served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles where she co-taught a seminar on poverty law.
Before joining Bet Tzedek, Judge Court worked as a senior associate at Milberg, Weiss, Bershad Hynes & Lerach where her practice focused on consumer and civil rights class actions involving unfair business practices. From 1999 to 2000, Judge Court worked on Fair Housing Act policy and enforcement initiatives as a Community Builder Fellow, Civil Rights Specialist at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
From 1995 to 1999, Judge Court worked as an associate at Litt & Márquez where she focused on multi- plaintiff and class action employment and housing cases. From 1994 to 1995, she worked for the ACLU of Southern California as a project attorney on a team representing individual and organizational plaintiffs in Native American burial site and workplace disputes. From 1993 to 1994, Judge Court worked as an associate at Gilbert, Kelly, Crowley & Jennett where she represented defendants suspected of insurance fraud in automobile accident cases.
Throughout her career, Judge Court has been active in several bar and judges’ associations. She has also dedicated significant time to legal education, outreach, and mentorship, including by presiding over many moot court programs and competitions.
Judge Court received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College and her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School.
US DISTRICT COURT, DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY
Judge Karen McGlashan Williams is a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, confirmed on November 1, 2021. Prior to becoming a District Judge, Judge Williams was a Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey from May 1, 2009 until her confirmation. Judge Williams sits in Camden, New Jersey. Since 2015, Judge Williams has co-presided over the District of New Jersey’s Reentry Court (ReNew Camden) established for select individuals on post- conviction supervision.
Before her appointment as a Magistrate Judge, Judge Williams was the managing partner of the Atlantic City office of Jasinski & Williams, P.C., a boutique law firm representing employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. Judge Williams began her law career with the law firm, then known as Jasinski & Bisceglie, as a summer associate in 1991, after spending several years in human resource management for various health care institutions. While with the firm, in addition to litigating in federal and state courts, Judge Williams developed and conducted employee training workshops on diversity, workplace harassment, wage and hour compliance, and employee discharge and discipline; conducted workplace harassment investigations; and negotiated collective bargaining agreements in both the public and private sector.
Judge Williams served as the district chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee from 2008 to 2009 and was a member from 2002-2009. Judge Williams also served as the panel chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court Office of Attorney Ethics Fee Arbitration Committee in 2006 and a member of the committee from 2002-2006.
In addition to her judicial duties, Judge Williams currently serves as an adjunct professor at Rowan University in the Department of Law and Justice. Judge Williams has also served as an adjunct professor at the Rutgers School of Law-Camden, teaching e-Discovery and pretrial litigation.
Judge Williams received her Bachelor of Science from The Pennsylvania State University in 1985 and earned her law degree from Temple University School of Law in 1992.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Jon S. Tigar is a Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, where he has served since January 2013. He previously served as a Judge of the Alameda County Superior Court for eleven years , where he handled a wide variety of trial court assignments and also served as the Presiding Judge of the court’s Appellate Division.
Judge Tigar is a member of the American Law Institute, where he serves as an Adviser to the forthcoming Restatement (Third) of Torts: Defamation and Privacy. He previously served as an Adviser to the Restatement (Third) of Torts: Liability for Economic Harm. He has also previously served on both the Ninth Circuit Jury Instructions Committee and the California Judicial Council’s Advisory Committee on Civil Jury Instructions. From 2016-19, he was the Judicial Representative to the ABA Section of Antitrust. He also served as co-chair of the ABA Section of Litigation’s Federal Practice Task Force. Since 2017, he has been the Co-Chair of the Federal Judicial Center/ABA Antitrust Section Judicial Antitrust Education Program. He previously taught Pretrial Litigation at Berkeley Law School. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
Before taking the bench, Judge Tigar practiced commercial litigation at Keker & Van Nest in San Francisco; as a trial lawyer in the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office; and in the litigation department of Morrison & Foerster. He clerked for Judge Robert S. Vance of the United Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Judge Tigar graduated from Boalt Hall School of Law (now Berkeley Law School), where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and an Articles Editor of the California Law Review. He has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and English from Williams College.
US DISTRICT COURT, CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
On May 18, 2022, the United States Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s nomination of Riverside County Superior Court Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes to serve as a federal district judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Judge Sykes received her Presidential Commission on June 14, 2022 and took her oath of office on June 21, 2022. Judge Sykes presides over matters in Riverside, California, in the Court’s Eastern Division. She is a member of the Navajo Nation, the first Native American Article III judge in California, the first Article III judge from the Navajo Nation, and the fifth Native American Article III judge actively serving in the U.S.
Judge Sykes served as the first Native American judge appointed to the Riverside Superior Court from 2013 to 2022. Before her appointment to the Superior Court bench, she worked in the Office of County Counsel, Riverside County, where she served as a Deputy County Counsel from 2005 to 2013. From 2003 to 2005, she was a contract attorney for the Juvenile Defense Panel in Murrieta, California. In 1998 and from 2000 to 2003, Judge Sykes served at California Indian Legal Services, first as an administrative assistant (1998), law clerk (2000), then as a staff attorney (2001-2003). Judge Sykes was a clinical program advocate for the East Palo Alto Community Law Project from 1999 to 2000. In 1999 she was law clerk for DNA Legal Services on the Navajo reservation.
Born in Tuba City, Arizona, Judge Sykes received her Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in 2001 and her Bachelor of Arts, with honors, from Stanford University in 1997.
US DISTRICT COURT, CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
The Honorable Josephine L. Staton is a United States District Judge in the Central District of California in Los Angeles, California. She was appointed to the federal bench in 2010 by President Obama. Before serving on the federal bench, Judge Staton served for eight years on the Orange County Superior Court bench and, by temporary assignment, on the California Court of Appeal.
Judge Staton has chaired several committees for the Central District of California, including the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, the Rules Committee, the Case Management and Assignment Committee, and the Court Services Committee. From 2014 to 2022, Judge Staton presided over the Conviction and Sentence Alternatives (“CASA”) Program in the Southern Division, a post-guilty plea diversion program designed to allow criminal defendants to avoid incarceration and instead learn to live productive lives. Judge Staton received the Orange County Women Lawyers Association Judge of the Year Award in 2015 and the Orange County Federal Bar Association Judge Alicemarie Stotler Award in 2021.
In the legal community, Judge Staton serves on the University of California, Irvine School of Law Board of Visitors. She previously served on the Judicial Advisory Board for the Orange County chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, and the Orange County Federal Bar Association Board. She has judged a number of moot court and mock trial competitions, and has served as a presenter or panelist at a number of seminars and workshops.
Judge Staton graduated from Harvard Law School in 1986 and began her law career as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable John R. Gibson, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit. Before her appointment to the bench, Judge Staton was a partner with the law firm of Morrison & Foerster and co-chaired its Labor & Employment Law Department. In 2001, she was honored as the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association Employment Trial Lawyer of the Year.
US DISTRICT COURT, DISTRICT OF HAWAII
US DISTRICT COURT, DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY
Judge Michael A. Shipp was appointed to the federal bench to serve as a United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey in July 2012. Prior to his elevation to the District Court, Judge Shipp served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey. He is a respected jurist known for his dedication to justice and fairness in the legal system. Judge Shipp displays a keen understanding of complex legal matters and a steadfast commitment to impartiality. His rulings reflect a deep respect for the law and a dedication to ensuring fair and equitable outcomes. To this end, Judge Shipp is one of a limited number of judges selected by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to oversee complex multidistrict litigations, and he currently oversees one of the largest multidistrict litigations in the country.
Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, Judge Shipp served in several different capacities in both government and private practice. He began his legal career with a clerkship for the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Thereafter, he spent eight years with the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. At Skadden, he worked across multiple practice areas including complex commercial litigation, labor and employment, products liability, and contracts.
Judge Shipp’s commitment to public service led him to various roles within the legal community. In September 2003, he joined the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety as the Assistant Attorney General in-charge-of the State’s Consumer Protection Practice Group. As an Assistant Attorney General, he managed and assisted counsel in the litigation of large institutional investor class actions and individual lawsuits, served as the primary point person on consumer protection enforcement issues, and reviewed and commented on proposed legislation and policy issues. In February 2007, Judge Shipp was named Counsel to the Attorney General, where he served as a top advisor to the Attorney General, assisted in managing day-to-day issues, and strategized with attorneys and other government officials on significant litigation matters. Judge Shipp’s unwavering dedication to upholding the principles of justice earned him recognition and respect from his peers and the legal community at large.
Judge Shipp is an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University School of Law. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and Seton Hall University School of Law. He also received a Master’s degree from Duke Law School and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Seton Hall University School of Law. Judge Shipp is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Alumni of the Year Public Service Award and Adjunct Professor of the Year Award from Seton Hall University School of Law.
Outside of the courtroom, Judge Shipp is actively involved in legal education and community outreach initiatives, striving to promote legal literacy and access to justice for all people. His tireless efforts have left a lasting impact on the legal profession and the communities he serves.
US DISTRICT COURT, DISTRICT OF UTAH
Robert Shelby has been a District Judge in the District of Utah since 2012, and Chief Judge since 2018. He serves by appointment on the Committee on Defender Services for the Judicial Conference of the United States. He served on the Tenth Circuit Judicial Council from 2021-2023.
Judge Shelby obtained degrees from Utah State University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He clerked for United States District Judge J. Thomas Greene in the District of Utah, and later enjoyed a diverse private practice with an emphasis in complex commercial litigation.
He is a former President of the Salt Lake County Bar Association and the David K. Watkiss – Sutherland Inn of Court and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Judge Shelby served on active duty with the Utah Army National Guard during Operation Desert Storm before receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1994.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Richard Seeborg was nominated on August 6, 2009 by President Obama to serve as a United States District Judge for the Northern District of California. The United States Senate confirmed Judge Seeborg’s nomination on December 24, 2009 and he received his commission on January 24, 2010. Judge Seeborg maintains his chambers and courtroom in San Francisco, California. Judge Seeborg served as a Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division from February 2001 until his appointment as a District Judge.
Judge Seeborg graduated from Yale College in 1978 and from Columbia Law School in 1981. From 1981 to 1982 he served as a law clerk to the Honorable John H. Pratt in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Following his clerkship, Judge Seeborg joined the law offices of Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco, becoming a partner in the firm in 1987. From 1991 to 1998, Judge Seeborg served as an Assistant United States Attorney in San Jose, California, handling federal criminal prosecutions. In 1998, he rejoined Morrison & Foerster as a partner in the firm’s Palo Alto, California office and served in that capacity until his appointment as a Magistrate Judge in 2001.
Judge Seeborg has participated in numerous rule of law projects around the world and for several years served on the adjunct faculty at Santa Clara University School of Law. He served as the chair of the U.S. Judicial Conference Committee on the Magistrate Judge System from 2015 to 2018 and for six years was a member of the Ninth Circuit Jury Instruction Committee. Concurrent with his duties as a federal district judge, since January, 2018 Judge Seeborg has served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. On February 1, 2021, Judge Seeborg succeeded to the position of Chief Judge of the Northern District of California.
US DISTRICT COURT, DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY
The Honorable Zahid N. Quraishi was appointed as a United States District Judge on June 23, 2021. Zahid, who is of Pakistani ancestry, is the first Muslim American to serve as an Article III judge in the United States. Judge Quraishi previously served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey in the Trenton Vicinage since 2019, where he was the first Asian-American to serve on the federal court in New Jersey.
Prior to his appointments to the federal bench, he was Chair of Riker Danzig’s White Collar Criminal Defense and Investigations Group, where his practice focused on white collar criminal defense, internal corporate investigations, and complex civil litigation.
In private practice, Judge Quraishi had extensive experience representing clients with government enforcement and compliance issues involving potential criminal charges. He regularly managed complex federal and state court litigation on behalf of corporations and their officers, directors, and employees. He represented both companies and individuals in criminal investigations involving violations of securities law, healthcare fraud, money laundering, computer crimes, environmental statutes, public corruption, and tax laws, among other white collar matters. His practice also extended to complex federal and state civil litigation.
Before joining Riker, Judge Quraishi served for over five years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. He tried numerous federal criminal cases involving public corruption, financial fraud, perjury, firearms, and narcotics offenses within the Special Prosecutions Division, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, and Government Fraud Units of the Criminal Division.
Judge Quraishi’s government service extends beyond his tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He previously served as an Assistant Chief Counsel and trial attorney with the Department of Homeland Security. He also served as a military prosecutor and achieved the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. While in the Army, he was assigned to the First Infantry Division in Germany and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2006 before being honorably discharged.
Earlier in his career, Judge Quraishi worked as a litigation associate at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, LLP and clerked for the Honorable Edwin H. Stern, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division (retired).
Prior to his elevation to the federal bench, Judge Quraishi served as a trustee of several prominent organizations, including the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, and the United States Attorney’s Office Alumni Association (DNJ).
Judge Quraishi has been widely recognized by the legal, Asian-American, and Muslim communities. Most recently, he served as the commencement speaker for the 2024 Rutgers Law School Graduation. In 2023, he was the keynote speaker at the National Muslim Law Students Association annual conference. In 2022, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Rutgers Law School, served as commencement speaker at Seton Hall Law School (where he also received an honorary degree), and was recognized at the Rutgers Law Review Alumni Gala. He was also awarded the 2022 Trailblazer Award from APALA-NJ and served as Grand Marshal of the 2022 Muslim Day Parade in New York City.
In 2021, Judge Quraishi received SABA-NJ’s Legal Excellence Award, the Excellence in Leadership Award from the Muslim American Leadership Alliance, and recognition from the Consul General of Pakistan for his historic judicial appointment. In 2019, he received APALA-NJ’s Professional Achievement Award, SABA-NJ’s Standing Ovation Award, NJMLA’s Trailblazer of the Year Award, and recognition as a community trailblazer by Rutgers Law School’s Muslim Law Students Association.
As a practitioner, Judge Quraishi has been recognized by Chambers USA as one of the nation’s leading white collar lawyers, Best Lawyers in America®, and “Super Lawyers” by Thomson Reuters. He also received Rutgers APALSA’s alumni award for leadership and service in 2017 and was named a “New Leader of the Bar” by the New Jersey Law Journal in 2014.
Judge Quraishi earned his law degree from Rutgers Law School – Newark, where he served as Managing Business Editor of the Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal and was a member of the Rutgers Moot Court Board.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
P. Casey Pitts has served as a district judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California since July 2023. Before taking the bench, Judge Pitts was a partner at Altshuler Berzon LLP, a public interest law firm in San Francisco where his practice focused on representing workers, labor unions, consumers, public entities, and public interest organizations in complex impact and appellate litigation. Judge Pitts is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School, where he was a director of the Rebellious Lawyering Conference, managing editor of the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism, and a senior editor of the Yale Law Journal. After law school, he served as a law clerk to Ninth Circuit Judge Stephen Reinhardt. He was the first out LGBTQ+ nominee to a district judge seat in the Northern District and he sits in the Court’s San José courthouse.
US DISTRICT COURT, EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
Judge Perez earned her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts before enrolling at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. Upon graduating, Judge Perez accepted a position at the Defender Association of Philadelphia where she honed her skills as a trial attorney, dedicating thousands of hours to her cases, culminating with the representation of indigent defendants in the Court of Common Pleas, Major Trial Division.
Ready for a different challenge, Judge Perez was then tapped to serve as an associate at Friedman Schuman Applebaum, PC where she represented municipalities in counties throughout Southeast Pennsylvania and members of Laborers Union Local 135.
In 2011, Judge Perez established her own practice, Perez Law LLC, specializing in criminal defense and family law. The practice argued cases in federal court, in addition to counties throughout Pennsylvania, while maintaining an office in Philadelphia. Judge Perez handled various types of complex cases including sex trafficking and capital homicide.
Judge Perez has demonstrated her passion for teaching young lawyers by serving as an adjunct professor at the Temple University’s James E. Beasley School of Law, teaching second- and third-year law students for ten years and coaching the school’s distinguished Trial Advocacy Program. She also serves as an instructor for Trial Advocacy Consulting and Training, LLC.
In 2016, Judge Perez became one of the youngest judges to serve on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas bench. She presided over thousands of cases in the Criminal Division. In July 2021, Judge Perez was one of five Criminal Division judges tapped to participate in the Case Accelerated Resolution Program (CARP), designed to bring expedited resolutions to the many cases pending as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and cleared hundreds of cases since the initiation of that program. Judge Perez also served as the Supervising Judge of the city’s Investigating Grand Jury Program, as a co-chair of the First Judicial District’s Education Committee, on the First Judicial District Jury Committee, and as a member of: the First Judicial District Language Focus Group, the First Judicial District Criminal Division Pandemic Working Group, the Philadelphia Bar Association “Bench Bar” committee, the State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates. Judge Perez was appointed to serve on the Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf in January of 2022.
President Joe Biden nominated Judge Perez to serve as a United States district Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on July 12, 2022. The United States Senate confirmed Judge Perez’s nomination on December 7, 2022, and she received her judicial commission on December 16, 2022.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Federal Judicial Service:
Education:
Professional Career:
US DISTRICT COURT, EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA
Judge Jane Milazzo was appointed as a United State District Court Judge by President Barack Obama on October 12, 2011, after being unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. Prior to her appointment, Judge Milazzo served as a state court judge for three years. Judge Milazzo graduated from LSU Law School in 1992, and immediately went into practice in her family’s law firm. Her judicial career began after 16 years in private practice. As a state district court judge, she served on the executive committee of the District Judges Association. Judge Milazzo is the President-Elect of the Federal Bar Association.
Judge Milazzo regularly speaks to lawyers on issues of professionalism, advocacy, and complex litigation. She currently presides over the multidistrict litigation, In Re: Taxotere (Docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation.
She is married to her husband, John. They have six children and five grandchildren.
US DISTRICT COURT, MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
Judge Karoline Mehalchick is a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, confirmed in early 2024. Prior to her confirmation as a District Judge, Judge Mehalchick served the Court as a United States Magistrate Judge for over a decade, having been appointed by the judges of the United States District Court to that position in July 2013. With that appointment, she became the first woman judge to sit in the Scranton vicinage of the Middle District of Pennsylvania. She was reappointed to the position for a second term in 2021 and appointed Chief Magistrate Judge in January 2021. Judge Mehalchick is a graduate of the Schreyer Honors College of the Pennsylvania State University, and the Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana. Prior to joining the bench, she practiced civil and commercial litigation in Northeast Pennsylvania.
In addition to her regular judicial duties, Judge Mehalchick currently serves as President of the national Federal Bar Association after many years in leadership of that organization, and is an adjunct professor at Widener Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and served as the school’s Jurist in Residence for the 2024-2026 term. She has also served on the Judicial Conference Committee on Codes of Conduct, as a member of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts Magistrate Judges Advisory Group, and is a member of the Third Circuit Judicial Council’s Reentry Courts and Workplace Conduct committees. Within the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Judge Mehalchick helped create the Prisoner Litigation Settlement Program and presides over the Scranton vicinage’s CARE court, the district court’s reentry program. She is also very engaged in civics and community outreach, participating in weekly Scholar Exchanges through the National Constitution Center, leading middle and high school students in discussions about constitutional issues and civil discourse, and helping launch the Middle District’s first “Courts and the Community” program last fall. Outside of the legal community, Judge Mehalchick is in her ninth year of service as Vice President of Production for the Ballet Theatre of Scranton.
Throughout her legal career, Judge Mehalchick has been recognized for her many contributions to the bar and community and is a recipient of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Michael K. Smith Excellence in Service Award and the Lackawanna Bar Association’s Margaret P. Gavin Award, presented to an outstanding young lawyer member of the Lackawanna Bar Association dedicated to service to the bar and community. Judge Mehalchick was recognized in 2012 as one of thirty-five Pennsylvania “Lawyers on the Fast Track” by The Legal Intelligencer, and in May 2020 as a “Woman Trailblazer by the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín began serving as a United States district judge for the Northern District of California in March 2023. Prior to her appointment to the federal bench, she was an impact litigator working for the National Immigration Law Center, from 2018 to 2023. Judge Martínez-Olguín served as the managing attorney at the Immigrants’ Rights Project at Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto from 2017 to 2018, and as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights from 2016 to 2017. She also worked at the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project and Women’s Rights Project from 2013 to 2015 and from 2006 to 2010, respectively. Judge Martínez-Olguín was a staff attorney for Legal Aid at Work (formerly Legal Aid Society – Employment Law Center) from 2010 to 2013.
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF ALAMEDA
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
Judge Elaine Lu was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2007. She currently presides over a Complex Civil Court with a docket of class actions, mass torts, and multi- party complex actions. In her current Complex Civil assignment, Judge Lu has presided over a trial concerning the safety of a Human Papilloma Virus vaccine as well as a damages trial arising out of the Thomas Fire. Judge Lu is Chair of the Civil Curriculum Committee of the California Judicial Council’s Center for Judicial Education and Research and has taught seminars on class actions, anti-SLAPP motions, internet privacy, privileges, and judicial ethics for bench officers throughout the state. Judge Lu also serves on the Judicial Council’s Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations for improving the administration of justice in civil proceedings; in particular, Judge Lu chairs the Case Management and Environmental Law Subcommittee.
On a more local level, Judge Lu co-chairs the Los Angeles Superior Court Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She also actively promotes her court’s community outreach efforts as Chair of the Power Lunch Committee and as a presiding judicial officer at Pasadena Teen Court. The Power Lunches that Judge Lu has helped organize over the years have brought more than 2,000 students to courthouses throughout the county to learn about the Constitution and our legal system from attorneys and judges.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Lu served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Major Frauds section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. She was also a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Rudi M. Brewster of the U.S. District Court and for the Honorable A. Wallace Tashima of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
US DISTRICT COURT, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
District Judge Linda Lopez was nominated in September 2021 to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2021. Prior to her confirmation, she served in the same district as a magistrate judge since her appointment in 2018. Previously, she was a senior trial attorney for the Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc., from 2007 until her appointment to the bench. From 2003 to 2007, she was a sole practitioner, running a criminal defense firm and practicing in both state and federal court in Miami, where she defended both retained defendants and financially eligible defendants appointed to her as part of the Criminal Justice Act Panel. From 1999 to 2003, she was an attorney with a small firm in Miami where she had worked for nine years in various legal assistant positions while going to college and law school.
Judge Lopez received her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Florida International University in 1996 and her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, in 1999 from the University of Miami School of Law, where she served as an editor for the University of Miami Law Review.
In 2018, Judge Lopez was recognized with a Service Award for her dedicated leadership as head of the San Diego Chapter of the Federal Bar Association’s Community Outreach Committee from 2018 to 2019. In addition to her work with the Community Outreach Committee, Judge Lopez has volunteered extensively with the San Diego Chapter of the FBA throughout her career, including as a board member, and as a liaison for the Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. Judge Lopez is currently a Master of the Welsh Inn of Court, and was previously a Master of the Enright Inn of Court. She has served on the Board of Governors of the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers since 2018, a Ninth Circuit Director at Large to the Federal Judicial Association since 2024, and a member of the Judging Committee for the Ninth Circuit Civics Essay Contest. Finally, Judge Lopez is on the FBA’s Judicial Advisory Board.
U.S. DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Judge Rita F. Lin is a U.S. District Judge in the Northern District of California. Prior to her appointment to the federal bench, she served as a Superior Court Judge in San Francisco for five years. She presided over felony trials involving crimes ranging from murder to rape to child sexual abuse, as well as a variety of criminal calendars, including mental health court and preliminary hearings. Before becoming a judge, Judge Lin was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of California in the Criminal Division. She investigated and prosecuted public corruption, illegal opioid prescriptions, organized crime, money laundering, and narcotics trafficking, among other crimes. Before that, she was a litigation partner at Morrison and Foerster, where she practiced complex commercial litigation principally involving class actions and intellectual property, and maintained an active pro bono caseload. In 2012, the Daily Journal named her one of the Top 100 Women Lawyers in California, and in 2017, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association named her one of the Best Lawyers Under 40. Judge Lin is the first Chinese American woman to become a District Judge in the Northern District. She began her career as a law clerk for Judge Sandra Lynch on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Judge Lin is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School
US DISTRICT COURT, DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY
The Honorable Robert Kirsch is a judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. He was nominated by President Joseph Biden in January 2023 and confirmed by the United States Senate on May 2, 2023. He received his judicial commission on May 8, 2023.
Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, from 2010 through mid-2023, he served as a judge of the New Jersey Superior Court, Union County. Judge Kirsch was initially nominated by Governor Jon Corzine in 2009 and subsequently renominated by Governor Christopher Christie in 2016. He was unanimously confirmed by the New Jersey Senate at both his initial and reconfirmation hearings.
During his tenure on the New Jersey Superior Court, Judge Kirsch served in the Family, Civil, and Criminal Divisions. Upon taking the oath of office, he was first assigned to hear cases involving allegations of child abuse and neglect, including litigation seeking the termination of parental rights. Thereafter, he presided over juvenile delinquency matters, during which he heard and rendered verdicts in over 75 bench trials. While sitting in the Civil and Criminal Divisions, Judge Kirsch presided over approximately 75 jury trials.
In addition to serving in various state and local leadership positions relating to juvenile justice, Judge Kirsch initiated a statewide juvenile re-entry program. The program was presented at every youth detention facility in the state serving at-risk youth in all 21 counties of New Jersey. For his work on juvenile justice, he was selected by Family & Children’s Services of Union County as a “Champion for Children” in 2013. On several occasions, he has spoken at the annual Prison Reentry Conference sponsored by former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, and has actively supported Integrity House, a Newark, New Jersey-based nonprofit organization providing therapeutic substance abuse treatment services to approximately 2,000 individuals each year.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Kirsch served for more than twelve years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of New Jersey. In that capacity, Judge Kirsch served for four years in the Civil Division. He then served for more than eight years as a federal prosecutor specializing in sophisticated white-collar fraud, handling a number of high-profile criminal prosecutions. Judge Kirsch tried numerous cases involving complex international and domestic investment and corporate financial fraud schemes, as well as garden-variety prosecutions for drug trafficking, weapons offenses, and theft.
Before his tenure in the United States Attorney’s Office, Judge Kirsch served for four years in the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the United States Department of Justice. As a Trial Attorney in the Department’s Civil Division, he handled complex civil litigation matters on behalf of the United States.
Over his career in public service, Judge Kirsch has received numerous awards and commendations for outstanding performance, including from the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Postal Inspection Service, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodity and Futures Trading Commission.
After graduating with honors from the Fordham University School of Law, Judge Kirsch clerked for the Honorable William H. Zloch of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Emory University, where he graduated magna cum laude.
In June 2015, Judge Kirsch was inducted into the Columbia High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of its 1984 championship basketball team.
US DISTRICT COURT, CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Judge Kato was sworn in as a United States District Judge for the Central District of California in November 2023. Judge Kato received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and B.A. from UCLA. She began her legal career as a law clerk to the late Honorable Robert M. Takasugi, the first Japanese American to be appointed to the federal bench. Following her clerkship, Judge Kato served as a Deputy Federal Public Defender, and later entered private practice where she focused on federal criminal defense, civil rights, and employment matters. Prior to being appointed to her current position, Judge Kato served as a United States Magistrate Judge since 2014.
In addition to her civil and criminal docket, Judge Kato is a member of the District’s collaborative courts programs, which offer a pathway for individuals charged with or convicted of federal crimes to attain rehabilitation and become contributing members of the community and are models for criminal justice reform.
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
Judge Maria Jhai is a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, where she currently presides over a civil calendar at the Spring Street Courthouse. Appointed to the bench by Governor Gavin Newsom in May 2025, she brings to the court experience spanning complex civil litigation, federal criminal prosecution, and appellate and trial-court clerkships.
Before taking the bench, Judge Jhai served for six years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California. She prosecuted a broad range of significant federal cases involving organized crime, murder, racketeering, terrorism, hate crimes, narcotics trafficking, and fraud. Her work included serving as one of the lead prosecutors in the federal case against former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, involving an alleged international drug-trafficking and murder-for-hire organization. She also served as the U.S. Attorney’s Office Tribal Liaison, working with tribal governments and law enforcement on public-safety issues in Indian Country.
Judge Jhai began her legal career in private practice at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, where she represented clients in complex civil litigation, including mass torts, consumer class actions, securities litigation, contract disputes, and writ proceedings. While at Munger Tolles, she also completed a fellowship with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, where she tried misdemeanor cases to jury verdicts.
Judge Jhai clerked for Judge Stephen J. Murphy III of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and Judge Helene N. White of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from the University of Michigan Law School. As a student attorney in Michigan’s Innocence Clinic, she helped uncover evidence that led to the exoneration of a man who had been wrongfully convicted of murder.
Judge Jhai took a nontraditional path to the law, returning to college after a gap and earning her undergraduate degree summa cum laude in anthropology from the University of Arizona before attending law school as a single parent. She has said that her study of anthropology continues to influence her approach to judging, particularly the importance of questioning assumptions, listening carefully, and approaching competing arguments with an open mind.
U.S. DISTRICT COURT, CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Wesley L. Hsu is a judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on January 23, 2023, and confirmed by the United States Senate on May 3, 2023, by a vote of 53 – 43.
The United States District Court for the Central District of California is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts.
Prior to joining the court, Hsu was a judge on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, California.
On January 23, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Hsu to the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He was confirmed by a 53 – 43 vote of the U.S. Senate on May 3, 2023. Hsu received commission on May 12, 2023.
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
Judge William Foster Highberger received his A.B. in public and international affairs from Princeton University in 1972 and his J.D. from Columbia University in 1975. During law school, he served as the Notes and Comments Editor of the Columbia Law Review. After law school, he clerked at the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit for the Honorable William H. Timbers. He passed the California bar in 1976 and began working at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles, becoming partner in 1983, where he practiced employment law and litigation. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Pete Wilson in 1998. He is married to Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl who is also on the bench of the Los Angeles Superior Court.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA
Steven Grimberg is a United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Georgia. Prior to taking the bench in 2019, Judge Grimberg served a 12-year career with the United States Department of Justice, first as a Trial Attorney in Washington, DC, and then as an Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Chief of the white-collar crime section for the United States Attorney’s Office in Atlanta. Judge Grimberg began his legal career in private practice as a civil litigator, and just prior to taking the bench he served as General Counsel for a global investigations firm.
Judge Grimberg received a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from the University of Florida in 1995, and his JD with honors from Emory University School of Law in 1998.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
The Honorable Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. has served as a United States District Judge for the Northern District of California since December 2014. Judge Gilliam graduated magna cum laude from Yale College in 1991, and received his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1994. After law school, Judge Gilliam clerked for the Honorable Thelton E. Henderson, then the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
Judge Gilliam is one of the judges who presides over the Oakland venue of the Northern District’s Conviction Alternatives Program (CAP) court. CAP provides qualifying defendants with a framework of supervision and services, with the goal of helping them learn from their mistakes, make better choices, engage in productive behavior, overcome substance abuse challenges, and reduce the risk of reoffending. Participants who successfully complete CAP generally receive a noncustodial sentence.
Judge Gilliam chairs the Northern District’s Community Outreach Committee, which focuses on building relationships with Bay Area communities and sharing information about the court’s work and the role of the federal judiciary. He is the President of the board of directors of the Northern District Practice Program, which sponsors continuing legal education programs focused on informing attorneys of new and important developments in the law and providing practical guidance and skill-building opportunities. Judge Gilliam also serves as the Liaison Judge for the Northern District’s Standing Committee on Professional Conduct.
Judge Gilliam was in private law practice from 1995 to 1998. He worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Francisco from 1999 to 2006, ultimately serving as Chief of the Securities Fraud Section, before returning to private practice. Before his appointment, Judge Gilliam’s law practice focused on white collar criminal and regulatory matters and internal investigations.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Judge Beth Labson Freeman is a Judge on the Federal Court in the Northern District of California, appointed by President Obama in 2014. Judge Freeman sits in the San Jose Division, hearing a broad array of cases including antitrust, civil rights, consumer class actions, commercial litigation and technology cases including patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret cases. She serves on the Northern District’s patent local rules and jury instruction committees. Judge Freeman previously was a Superior Court Judge in San Mateo County, California from 2001 to 2014. Judge Freeman served as Presiding Judge and Assistant Presiding Judge of the San Mateo Court.
Prior to her appointment to the bench in 2001, Judge Freeman was deputy county counsel in San Mateo County, and an associate attorney at Lasky, Haas and Cohler in San Francisco and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson in Washington, D.C. Judge Freeman is a graduate of the Harvard Law School and University of California, Berkeley.
US DISTRICT COURT, CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Michael W. Fitzgerald is a United States District Judge for the Central District of California. Judge Fitzgerald was appointed in 2012. As a district judge, he has presided over numerous civil and criminal trials. He has handled numerous cases involving mass torts, class actions, and complicated environmental cleanups.
Judge Fitzgerald has served as the Chair of the district court’s Criminal Justice Act Committee and Attorney Liaison Committee. Currently, he is the 9th Circuit representative to the Committee on Space and Facilities of the Judicial Conference of the United States. He also is a past President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He has received the Daniel O’Connell Award from the Irish American Bar Association, the IP Vanguard Award (Judicial) from the California Lawyers Association, and the Community Pioneer Award from the Tom Homann LGBTQ+ Law Association.
Before his appointment, Judge Fitzgerald practiced for seventeen years at Corbin, Fitzgerald & Athey LLP and its predecessor firms. He focused his practice on criminal and regulatory cases and investigations. Judge Fitzgerald served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles from 1988 to 1991, during which time he tried twenty cases, handled numerous appeals, and conducted large money laundering investigations.
Judge Fitzgerald clerked for the Honorable Irving R. Kaufman of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In 1985, he graduated from the School of Law of the University of California at Berkeley (Berkeley Law), where he was elected to the Order of the Coif, served as Managing Editor of the Industrial Relations Law Journal (now the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law), and received the American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law. He received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Harvard University.
US DISTRICT COURT, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Nominated by Barack Obama on January 6, 2014, to a seat vacated by James Ware
Confirmed by the Senate on February 25, 2014, and received commission on February 26, 2014
Education:
University of California, Berkeley, B.A., 1983
Harvard University, A.M., 1984
Stanford Law School, J.D., 1988
Professional Career:
Law clerk, Hon. Procter R. Hug, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1988-1989
Private practice, San Francisco, California, 1990-1993, 1996-2014
Deputy city attorney, San Francisco, California, 1993-1996
US DISTRICT COURT, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Gonzalo P. Curiel is a Senior U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of California and received his commission as a District Judge on October 1, 2012. Prior to the federal bench, Judge Curiel served as a San Diego Superior Court judge from 2006 to 2012. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney from 1989 to 2002 in San Diego and from 2002 to 2006 in Los Angeles. He has been a member of the American Law Institute since 2019 and serves as an Adviser on the ALI’s Restatement of the Law, Constitutional Torts project. He has also served as a Master with the Enright Inn of Court since 2007. He is currently the chair of the Board of Visitors for the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and was admitted to the Academy of Indiana University Law Alumni Fellows in 2016.
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
The Hon. David S. Cunningham III is a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge. He serves as the Supervising Judge for the Complex Civil Litigation Program, presiding over product liability cases, consumer protection class actions, labor-related class actions, and mass torts. He was appointed to the court by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on January 22, 2009.
Judge Cunningham graduated with his B.A. in Economics from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1977. He was awarded a Root-Tilden-Kern Public Service Scholarship and received his Juris Doctorate from the New York University School of Law in 1980.
In the fall of 1980, Judge Cunningham was admitted to the New York State Bar and began his legal career as an attorney in the Honors Program with the United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Voting Rights Section in Washington, D.C. He worked on the redistricting plan for the Texas House of Representatives and tried several voting rights cases throughout the South. His work aided Congress in its decision to extend the Voting Rights Act another 25 years in 1982.
In 1983, upon returning to California, Judge Cunningham was admitted to the California State Bar and served as a judicial clerk for the Hon. Terry J. Hatter, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. In 1984, Judge Cunningham joined the Beverly Hills Office of Finley Kumble Heine Underberg Manley & Casey as an associate. From 1987 to 1991, while simultaneously developing his practice, he taught financial institutions and trial advocacy courses at Loyola Law School.
Cunningham grew his public law practice in the early nineties by representing many municipal entities, redevelopment agencies, the Los Angeles Airport, the LA World Port Authority, Southern California Edison, and several public utilities. In 2006, Judge Cunningham joined the California-based law firm of Meyers Nave Riback Silver & Wilson as a principal, specializing in eminent domain, real estate-related matters, and public law.
While practicing law in the private sector, Cunningham also served as a police commissioner for the Los Angeles Police Department from 2001 to 2005. It was a challenging time for the City of Los Angeles, coming on the heels of the worst corruption scandal in the history of the Los Angeles Police Department, a rise in crime, and federal scrutiny of the city’s policing practices. He served on the commission for four years, becoming its president in 2003. He saw the LAPD move forward in 2003- 2005 with sweeping reforms and strengthened civilian leadership.
Judge Cunningham has continued his academic interest in the law. Since 2015, he has been an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California, Gould Law School, periodically teaching evidence to second—and third-year law students. From 2016 to 2019, he served on the Executive Board of the California Judges Association, the “Voice of the Judiciary.”
Department 11 is a complex court that manages class actions and mass torts involving numerous plaintiffs with similar claims against one or more defendants, typically arising from a single product, event, or related action. Judges managing mass torts normally coordinate and consolidate individual cases into a single mass tort action to streamline pretrial proceedings, avoid duplicate discovery, and reduce court burdens. In cases involving federal courts or other state jurisdictions, Judge Cunningham may coordinate with judges in those jurisdictions to ensure consistent rulings and avoid conflicting decisions. His complex case assignments have included the following mass torts, to name a few.
US DISTRICT COURT, DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY
Madeline Cox Arleo has served as a United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey since November 2014. Prior to that, she served as a federal magistrate judge for fourteen years. She is founding judge of the District’s Re-entry Court known as “ ReNew” which supports those recently released from long sentences of incarceration. In 2024, the Renew Court opened the first food pantry in a federal courthouse, “Danny’s Pantry,” named in honor of the slain son of her colleague, Judge Esther Salas.
In October 2021, Chief Judge Roberts appointed Judge Arleo to serve on the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. She is the first judge from the District of New Jersey to serve on the Panel. Prior to her appointment, she presided over numerous MDLs, both as a District Judge and as a Magistrate Judge.
Judge Arleo received her bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from Rutgers College, Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, NJ, and her master’s degree from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. She graduated summa cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, received an excellent legal education and made life-long friends. She was a law clerk to the Honorable Marie L. Garibaldi, New Jersey Supreme Court from 1989-90.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Arleo was a litigation partner at Tompkins, McGuire, Wachenfeld & Barry in Newark, NJ. Before that, she was associated with the law firm of Clapp & Eisenberg, in Newark, NJ. While in practice, she served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Seton Hall Law School and as Secretary to the District V-A Ethics Committee.
Presently, Judge Arleo is an Advisor to the Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and to the Association of the Federal Bar for the District of New Jersey For many years, she served as honorary gala chair for the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association. She served on the Board of Trustees of her alma mater, St. Dominic Academy, Jersey City, from 2006-2012 and presently serves on the Board of Trustees of its sister school, Mount St. Dominic Academy in Caldwell, New Jersey. She is a frequent speaker for continuing legal education, for bar associations, and for educational institutions.
Raised in Hudson County, New Jersey, Judge Arleo lives in Sea Girt, New Jersey with her husband, Frank Arleo, and their beloved dog Millie. Their two children, Alexandra and Peter, are recent law school graduates.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley has served on the federal bench since 2011. From 2011 through 2022 she served as a magistrate judge in San Francisco. In that role, and with the parties’ consent, she presided over nearly every type of civil action at all stages of the proceedings, from motions to dismiss through jury trial. She has also served as a settlement judge in hundreds of cases. She was appointed as a United States District Judge in March 2022.
Just prior to taking the bench as a magistrate judge, Judge Corley was a partner at Kerr & Wagstaffe, LLP in San Francisco as a civil litigator with an emphasis on federal practice. She represented individuals, government entities, and institutions as plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of matters that included trademark, copyright, patent, constitutional law, defamation, malicious prosecution, class actions, contract, and probate. From 1998 through 2009 Judge Corley served as a career law clerk to the Honorable Charles R. Breyer.
Judge Corley received her undergraduate degree from U.C. Berkeley, and her J.D. from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude, where she was an editor and Articles Chair of the Harvard Law Review. Upon graduation she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert E. Keeton of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She then practiced complex commercial litigation and white collar criminal defense at Goodwin, Procter LLP in Boston and was a litigation associate at Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP in San Francisco before joining Judge Breyer in 1998.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Vince Chhabria is a federal district judge in the Northern District of California, based in San Francisco. He was nominated by Barack Obama in July 2013 and confirmed by the Senate in March 2014.
Before taking the bench, Judge Chhabria was Chief of Appellate Litigation for the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, as well as a deputy on the Government Litigation Team for that office. He successfully defended a challenge to San Francisco’s universal health care program, and was part of the legal team that successfully challenged California’s ban on same-sex marriage. He also defended the City in: a First Amendment challenge to an ordinance requiring cell phone retailers to warn customers about possible health risks from rf energy exposure from cell phones; an Establishment Clause challenge to a resolution passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors criticizing Vatican statements and policies regarding adoption by same-sex couples; separate First Amendment and Equal Protection challenges to an ordinance banning tobacco sales in drug stores; a state law preemption challenge to an ordinance requiring landlords to pay relocation assistance to evicted tenants; and a Due Process challenge to the City’s red light camera program. Chhabria was also a member of the City Attorney’s Affirmative Litigation Task Force. In that capacity he served as lead counsel in several matters involving the failure of businesses to pay employees the minimum wages and benefits required by San Francisco law. Prior to joining the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, Chhabria worked in the San Francisco office of Covington & Burling, where he focused primarily on criminal defense litigation.
Chhabria served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer during the 2001-2002 term. Before that, he clerked for James R. Browning on the Ninth Circuit and Charles Breyer on the Northern District of California.
Chhabria attended law school at Berkeley from 1995-1998. Before that, he spent three years working as a Legislative Assistant to Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey in Washington, D.C. He received his undergraduate degree in Politics at the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1991.
On the bench, Judge Chhabria’s cases have included a challenge to the Trump Administration’s decision to cut Affordable Care Act subsidies, a challenge to the federal government’s detention of unaccompanied minors accused of gang affiliation, a challenge to the conditions of confinement at ICE detention facilities during the COVID pandemic, a case about whether Lyft Drivers are employees or independent contractors, an MDL involving allegations that Monsanto’s Roundup causes cancer, and an MDL arising from Cambridge Analytica’s acquisition of Facebook user data.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney has served on the federal bench since her 1995 appointment by President Clinton. Her legal career began in 1968 when she joined the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, where she served for eleven years. During that time, she created the first special unit in the country for the prosecution of crimes involving sexual assaults. Judge Chesney began judicial service in 1979 when she was appointed to the San Francisco Municipal Court. In 1983, Governor Jerry Brown elevated her to the San Francisco Superior Court, where she served until 1995. Judge Chesney is a founding member of the National Association of Women Judges, has served on the Board of Governors of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, and has been a lecturer and panelist at numerous judicial and CLE programs. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and its law school.
US DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Judge Chen is a 1979 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. After clerking for U.S. District Judge Charles B. Renfrew and U.S. Court of Appeals Chief Judge James R. Browning, he practiced as a litigation associate with the law firm of Coblentz, Patch, Duffy, and Bass. He joined the legal staff of the ACLU Foundation of Northern California in 1985 where he handled complex civil litigation.
From 2001 to 2011, Judge Chen served as a federal Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of California. Judge Chen was first nominated by President Obama to the U.S. District Court on August 6, 2009 and was confirmed in May 2011. In addition to his judicial duties, Judge Chen has participated and led judicial seminars on mediation, employment, intellectual property, civil rights, access to justice, case management, and conduct of virtual jury trials. He currently chairs the Northern District’s jury committee, served as co-chair of the Circuit’s Fairness Committee, was a member of the FJC Advisory Committee on District Judge Education, serves on the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System, chairing its diversity subcommittee, and is currently on the Board of Editors for the revised edition of the Manual for Complex Litigation. Judge Chen has presided over several MDL case and recently tried three substantial class actions to verdict.
U.S. DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA.
Judge Breyer received his AB in 1963 from Harvard College and his JD in 1966 from UC Berkeley School of Law. Upon graduation from law school, he clerked for Oliver J. Carter, chief judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He then served as an assistant district attorney in San Francisco until 1973, when he was appointed assistant special prosecutor, Watergate Special Prosecution Force. He entered private practice in 1974, specializing in the defense of white-collar criminal cases. He was appointed to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, in 1997 by President Clinton. In 2011, he was appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States to serve on the Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation. He was appointed by President Obama (with the consent of the Senate) in 2012 to serve as Vice Chairman of the United States Sentencing Commission, and re-appointed in 2017 by President Trump. During his twenty-five year judicial career, Judge Breyer has presided over a number of criminal matters implicating foreign concerns such as terrorism, theft of intellectual property, sex trafficking, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Additionally, he managed one of the largest civil cases filed in the United States: Volkswagen’s installation of defeat devices in their diesel vehicles intended to circumvent environmental laws. Since 1997, Judge Breyer has advised the governments of Egypt, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, and Ukraine on criminal justice and civil case management issues. In October 2018 he received the prestigious Devitt Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a United States Article III federal judge.
US DISTRICT COURT, WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI
Judge Stephen R. Bough was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in 2014
US DISTRICT COURT, CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Judge Birotte was appointed by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in July 2014. The son of Haitian immigrants, Judge Birotte graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1991 and Tufts University before that.
Prior to his nomination to the federal bench, Judge Birotte served as the United States Attorney for the Central District for four years. From 2003 to 2010, Judge Birotte served as Inspector General of the Los Angeles Police Department. Judge Birotte first joined the Office of the Inspector General in 2001 as an Assistant Inspector General.
Judge Birotte also worked as an associate at Quinn Emanuel, where he represented clients in white-collar crime and commercial litigation matters. Prior to joining Quinn Emanuel, Judge Birotte served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District and as a Deputy Public Defender in Los Angeles County.
US DISTRICT COURT, CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
United States District Judge, Central District of California (Appointed December 22, 2020). Presides over federal civil and criminal cases.
Frequent speaker on anti-corruption, compliance, fraud investigations, and white-collar crime, including international conferences in the United States, Mexico, and Dubai.
Fluent in Spanish. Born in Havana, Cuba. Married with three children.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL WITH SCOUTING AMERICA
Joseph A. Zirkman is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America. He brings more than 30 years of experience serving as general counsel for both public and private companies.
Prior to joining Scouting America, Mr. Zirkman served as Vice President and General Counsel of Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc., and as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Fiesta Restaurant Group. His career highlights include guiding Carrols through its initial public offering, overseeing the subsequent spin-off of Fiesta Restaurant Group, managing significant mergers and acquisitions transactions, and leading the successful defense of a high-profile proxy contest.
As General Counsel of Scouting America, Mr. Zirkman has played a key role in guiding the organization through what the Wall Street Journal described as the largest and most complex nonprofit bankruptcy case in United States history.
Mr. Zirkman is widely respected in both the legal and business communities and frequently speaks at legal forums and conferences. His areas of focus include corporate governance, activism defense, mergers and acquisitions, SEC reporting and compliance, franchising, complex litigation strategy and management, and employment law.
He earned his Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Duke University. Mr. Zirkman is admitted to practice law in New York and Texas.
PARTNER WITH LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & BERNSTEIN
David Stellings represents consumers and small businesses from around the world in complex litigation in federal and state courts.
For the last 25+ years, Mr. Stellings has focused on product liability, consumer fraud, financial fraud, and breach of contract cases. His clients and class members have received more than
$17.5 billion as a result of his advocacy. Several of Mr. Stellings’ recent cases are described below.
Mr. Stellings is Court-appointed co-lead counsel in a large multidistrict class action litigation pending in federal court in Los Angeles. Plaintiffs allege certain auto part makers and automobile manufacturers – including ZF-TRW, Hyundai-Kia, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Honda, and Fiat Chrysler – caused consumers to buy and overpay for millions of cars that have defective airbag and seat belt systems. These defective safety systems have led to a number of deaths and serious injuries. In 2023 Plaintiffs and Toyota entered into a settlement valued at more than
$148 million, pending final approval of the Court. The litigation against the other defendants continues.
Mr. Stellings is Court-appointed co-lead counsel in another defective-airbag-related multidistrict class action litigation pending in federal court in Atlanta. Plaintiffs allege airbag manufacturer ARC, along with several other part suppliers and automakers, manufactured and sold more than 50 million vehicles with defective airbags that sometimes explode in a crash, and
send razor-sharp pieces of steel shrapnel into the faces, necks and bodies of drivers and passengers.
Mr. Stellings is co-lead counsel in a class action in federal court in Miami against truck manufacturer Hino. Plaintiffs allege Hino engaged in various types of emission cheating, and that as a result Hino purchasers paid too much for their trucks. The parties agreed to settle the case for $237.5 million plus valuable extended and additional warranties. The settlement is subject to Court approval.
Mr. Stellings is co-lead counsel in a case in federal court in Northern California against General Motors, in which plaintiffs allege the airbags in millions of GM trucks are calibrated improperly to fail to deploy in certain types of moderate and severe crashes, which can lead to serious injuries and/or death.
Mr. Stellings is a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in a multidistrict litigation pending in federal court in Pittsburgh against Philips Respironics and its parent companies. Plaintiffs allege defendants manufactured and sold more than 10 million defective CPAP machines, which caused economic damage and physical injuries to the people who bought and used the machines.
Mr. Stellings is part of the leadership team in the historic Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” multidistrict litigation, in which plaintiffs alleged that Volkswagen intentionally and systematically cheated
its customers, lied to the government, and misled the public about the emissions of its diesel engine vehicles sold under the Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche brands. The Court approved a settlement relating to 2.0-Liter engines worth approximately $10 billion in cash, as well as a
3.0-Liter engine settlement with an estimated value between $1.2 and $4 billion. The Court also approved a separate $327.5 million settlement with Bosch for designing the “defeat device” software in the affected VW vehicle engines. Class members in these cases recovered 100% of their alleged economic damages.
Mr. Stellings is a member of the leadership team in the Takata exploding airbag multidistrict litigation. Plaintiffs in that case allege that more than 40 million class members were damaged when airbag manufacturer Takata and several major automobile manufacturers knowingly exposed them to the risk of being killed or injured by shrapnel from exploding airbags. Certain automaker defendants in the case have settled for a total of more than $1.5 billion, and the litigation continues against the remaining defendants.
Mr. Stellings was on the leadership team in a case against various automakers who allegedly cheated fuel economy tests for certain gasoline-powered vehicles, and as a result, represented to regulators and consumers that the vehicles obtained better fuel economy than they actually did. The litigation and intensive settlement negotiations resulted in a non-reversionary $96.5 million settlement that provides class members “full compensation”—i.e., 100¢ on the dollar— for their alleged losses.
Mr. Stellings led a similar class action against Porsche for fuel economy cheating. The case settled for more than $80 million, close to 100% of the economic damages class members experienced.
Mr. Stellings was part of the leadership team in the Fiat Chrysler “EcoDiesel” multidistrict litigation, in which plaintiffs alleged that Fiat Chrysler and Bosch designed and installed cheating emissions software in more than 100,000 vehicles. The Court approved a settlement that required Fiat Chrysler to fix the vehicles, and provided class members $307.5 million in cash plus a valuable extended warranty.
Product Liability, Consumer Protection, Financial Fraud, Breach of Contract
New York University School of Law, New York, New York
J.D. – 1993
Law Journal: Journal of International Law and Politics, Editor
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
B.A. (cum laude) – 1990
New York, Appellate Division, 1st Department, 1994
U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit, 2004
U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, 2010
U.S. Court Of Appeals, 4th Circuit, 2013
U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, 2009
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, 2017
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 2007 Michigan Eastern District Court, 2015
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, 2012
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1996
U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, 2022
Speaker, ABA National Class Action Institute, 2023
Speaker, Miami Law Class Action & Complex Litigation Forum, 2023
Speaker, “Trends in Class Action Litigation,” Trial Lawyers of Mass Torts Inaugural Conference, December 2022
Speaker, “MDL—Who Wants One? Plaintiff, Defense and Judicial Perspectives on MDL Pros and Cons,” University of Miami School of Law 2020 Class Action & Complex Litigation Forum, January, 2020
American Bar Association
Bar Association of the City of New York New Jersey State Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
“Super Lawyer for New York Metro,” Super Lawyers, 2012 – 2023
“Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers in America,” Lawdragon, 2023 “Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in America,” Lawdragon, 2021-2023 “Consumer Attorney of the Year Finalist,” Consumer Attorneys of California, 2017
“Trial Lawyer of the Year Finalist,” Public Justice, 2012 “Lawdragon Finalist,” Lawdragon, 2009
PARTNER WITH WILKINSON STEKLOFF LLP
Brian is a go-to first-chair trial lawyer who has tried more than 30 cases to verdict before juries across the country, achieving numerous full defense verdicts on behalf of clients in some of the nation’s most challenging jurisdictions.
In recognition of his success, Brian is nationally ranked by Chambers in “Products Liability and Mass Torts.” Chambers describes him as “a litigation genius” who “sees problems before they even happen” and is “instrumental in getting favorable results.” He is also recognized by Legal 500 as a “Leading Partner” in “Toxic Torts” and recommended for “Consumer Products,” “General Commercial Disputes,” “Antitrust Civil Litigation,” and “Sports.” In 2023, Brian was named “Trial Lawyer of the Year” and “Top Product Liability Litigator” by Benchmark Litigation and led the trial team that received Benchmark’s “National Impact Case Award” for the defense verdict secured in Clark v. Monsanto.
Brian is also recognized as a Benchmark “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” and “Litigation Star,” one of Lawdragon’s 500 “Leading Lawyers” and “Leading Litigators” in America, and a two-time finalist for the National Law Journal’s “Winning Litigator” award.
Most recently, Brian co-led the trial team that secured judgment as a matter of law for the NFL and its 32 member teams in a class action lawsuit challenging the distribution of the Sunday Ticket subscription package and the NFL’s media agreements. During the trial, Brian examined several key witnesses, including the plaintiffs’ primary sports economist expert, laying the foundation for a successful post-trial Daubert ruling excluding the testimony as unreliable. He later delivered the oral argument on the NFL’s post-trial motions, resulting in a complete victory for the league.
Brian serves as national trial counsel for several clients in multidistrict and consolidated litigations across the country, including Monsanto in its Roundup litigation. In that matter, he secured the first full defense verdict for Monsanto in a Los Angeles Superior Court case involving a child diagnosed with cancer at age five. He has also obtained complete defense verdicts for Bayer, Eli Lilly, and Pfizer in products liability bellwether trials, including the first state court jury verdict for Bayer in the Xarelto litigation.
In addition to his courtroom successes, Brian has played a significant role in securing victories before trial. He achieved a Daubert and summary judgment victory for Medtronic in hernia mesh litigation in the Central District of California by successfully challenging the plaintiffs’ specific causation expert. This resulted in summary judgment in favor of Medtronic, which Brian continues to represent in national products liability litigation involving hernia mesh.
Before founding Wilkinson Stekloff, Brian practiced at Covington & Burling and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where he tried multiple cases to verdict. He also served for four years as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida, obtaining full acquittals in nearly one-third of his jury trials at a rate more than double the national average.
LITIGATION PARTNER AND CO-LEADER OF THE MASS TORT BANKRUPTCY PRACTICE AT OTTERBOURG P.C.
Adam C. Silverstein is a litigation partner and Co-Leader of the Mass Tort Bankruptcy Practice at Otterbourg P.C. With more than thirty years of experience as a complex commercial litigator, he has successfully first-chaired jury and non-jury trials through verdict, litigated arbitrations through award and confirmation, and argued appeals in both federal and state courts in New York and across the country.
Over the past several years, Mr. Silverstein has represented hundreds of thousands of individuals harmed by defective products whose claims were forced into bankruptcy proceedings rather than traditional court litigation or settlement negotiations.
Most recently, Mr. Silverstein delivered both the opening and closing arguments on behalf of an ad hoc group of law firms that successfully opposed confirmation and secured dismissal of the Red River Talc LLC (Johnson & Johnson talcum powder) bankruptcy. The outcome benefited thousands of women who developed ovarian cancer following exposure to Johnson & Johnson talcum powder products by preserving their ability to choose how to pursue their claims.
Mr. Silverstein also delivered the opening argument and much of the closing argument in the successful trial to dismiss the In re Aearo Technologies LLC (3M Combat Arms Earplugs) bankruptcy on behalf of the Official Committee and more than 225,000 combat veterans and service members. Following dismissal of the bankruptcy case, claimants reached settlements totaling more than $6 billion.
In addition to representing official committees, ad hoc committees, MDL leadership, governmental entities, and other claimants in filed and potential mass tort bankruptcies, Mr. Silverstein has extensive experience representing secured creditors in enforcing and defending their rights in bankruptcy, federal, and state courts, as well as through negotiated workouts. He also maintains an active commercial litigation practice focused on real estate disputes and corporate governance and control matters.
Mr. Silverstein has been selected for inclusion in New York Super Lawyers each year from 2009 to the present and has long held an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, and the American Bankruptcy Institute. His closing argument on behalf of MasterCard in the FIFA World Cup injunction trial is quoted in Andrew Jennings’ FOUL! The Secret World of FIFA: Bribes, Vote-Rigging and Ticket Scandals (paperback edition, 2008).
Education
FOUNDING PARTNER OF SEEGER WEISS LLP
Christopher A. Seeger is a founding partner of Seeger Weiss LLP and one of the nation’s leading plaintiff attorneys, widely recognized for his leadership in complex multidistrict litigations and class actions involving drug injury, toxic exposure, and mass torts. His practice also includes product liability, antitrust, third-party payer, and consumer fraud litigation. A 2020 ALM study found that he received more MDL appointments than any other lawyer between 2016 and 2019.
As proposed counsel for the proposed class in the Roundup Products Liability Litigation, Chris negotiated a proposed $7.25 billion settlement for individuals across the United States who were exposed to Roundup products and were or will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Chris has held court-appointed leadership roles in many of the most consequential litigations in United States history. He was selected by Judge M. Casey Rodgers as co-lead counsel in the 3M Combat Arms Earplug Litigation, representing more than 250,000 service members and veterans and helping secure a landmark settlement exceeding $6 billion in 2023. He was also appointed co-lead counsel by Judge Joy Flowers Conti in the Philips Recalled CPAP Litigation, where he served as lead negotiator for settlements totaling more than $1.6 billion.
In the National Prescription Opioid Litigation, Chris served on the Executive and Settlement Committees by appointment of Judge Dan A. Polster and played a key role in negotiating more than $60 billion in settlements. He also served as co-lead counsel in the Proton-Pump Inhibitor Litigation, where settlements totaling $590.4 million were announced in 2023.
Chris was appointed Plaintiffs’ Lead Negotiation Counsel in the national Talcum Powder Litigation, where he leads global settlement negotiations on behalf of injured consumers. He was also appointed Plaintiffs’ Lead Counsel in the Class Action Settlement Administration Litigation and the Depo-Provera Products Liability Litigation, while serving as Plaintiffs’ Coordinating Counsel in the MultiPlan Health Insurance Providers Litigation.
Throughout his career, Chris has helped secure historic resolutions, including a $4.85 billion settlement involving Vioxx, a more than $21 billion settlement arising from the Volkswagen and Audi “clean diesel” scandal, a $1.5 billion settlement for farmers harmed by Syngenta GMO seed contamination, and an uncapped settlement exceeding $1 billion in the NFL concussion litigation.
Chris began his legal career as a corporate defense lawyer before transitioning to plaintiff-side advocacy after witnessing the imbalance of power between corporations and injured individuals. The son of a union carpenter, he is a former amateur boxer and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He is also frequently quoted by national and international media outlets.
Partner with Sidley Austin LLP
JENNIFER SAULINO is a global co-leader of Sidley’s Product Liability practice. As a fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, Jennifer possesses an unusual ability to translate complex legal theories into simple, clear messages for judges and juries. As a first-chair trial lawyer, she focuses on synthesizing extensive case findings into crisp themes, uncovering and dissecting critical, compelling facts, and shaping successful strategies that position clients for optimal results. With experience trying more than a dozen complex, lengthy cases to jury verdicts, and having appeared in numerous federal and state courts across the country, individuals and corporations consistently seek her leadership when faced with tough litigation.
Jennifer is ranked by Chambers USA for General Commercial Litigation (2022–2024) and Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations (2023–2024) in the District of Columbia with clients recognizing her trial prowess and high-quality advice. Additionally, she has been ranked by Benchmark Litigation 2025 as a “National Practice Area Star” and “Litigation Star” for Product Liability in the District of Columbia and was named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2025 “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” and “Top 250 Women in Litigation” lists.
PARTNER WITH TROUTMAN PEPPER LOCKE
Eric is a first-chair trial attorney who has dedicated his entire career to helping clients in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and health care sectors manage risk. His trial to verdict experience in courts throughout the U.S. make him a go-to litigator for his clients’ most difficult cases.
Eric defends clients in litigation involving mass tort, personal injury, and wrongful death claims. As a sought-after trial attorney for one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, he has trial-to-verdict experience in federal and state courts throughout the U.S. Eric has significant experience with multidistrict litigation (MDL), has served as lead counsel in “virtual firms” for large mass torts, and also defends clients against single-plaintiff claims.
Equally comfortable with science and the law, Eric is recognized for his ability to effectively communicate his clients’ products and technologies to diverse audiences. His experience spans a diverse range of products and therapeutic applications, from hip replacement devices to cosmetic injectables.
Eric is also passionate about serving his community. He and his wife have served as certified foster parents to multiple children and he has held various leadership roles at his church. Eric has also coached several youth sports teams.
ATTORNEY WITH WISNER BAUM
Behram V. Parekh is an attorney at Wisner Baum in the firm’s Los Angeles office, where he focuses his practice on mass torts, products liability, and class action litigation. A seasoned attorney with over 30 years of experience litigating complex class action and mass tort cases, Behram has represented individuals and institutions in high-stakes litigation at the trial and appellate levels. He has earned appointments as lead or co-lead counsel in numerous cases involving consumer fraud, false and misleading advertising, unfair competition, securities fraud, and product liability. Over his career, he has helped recover well over $2 billion for injured plaintiffs.
Behram is widely recognized for his experience and proven results in all stages of litigation, from taking and defending fact and expert witness depositions to arguing significant motions—including Daubert and summary judgment—to serving on trial teams and successfully arguing before state and federal appellate courts.
Born in India and raised in Hong Kong, Behram came to the United States at age 18. He attended UC Irvine as an undergraduate before attending Pepperdine University School of Law.
A recognized authority on the discovery of electronically stored information (ESI), Behram’s background in computer science and electronics not only has positioned him as a go-to resource for negotiating and overseeing ESI protocols in complex litigation, but it also allows him to quickly and readily understand the complicated technological issues associated with the factual underpinnings of litigation against technology companies. He frequently chairs ESI and discovery committees and is regularly invited to speak at conferences on topics related to consumer fraud, complex litigation, arbitration, and ESI.
In addition to federal MDLs, Mr. Parekh has held leadership positions in numerous California state court Judicial Council Coordinated Proceedings, which function as mini-MDLs for state court actions. Mr. Parekh’s work on behalf of plaintiffs and class members has been commended by numerous jurists, including in a written opinion by the Hon. Audrey B. Collins of the Central District of California for his work in Rubio v. Capital One Bank (USA) N.A., Case No. 07-cv-06766 which settled after four years of intensive litigation, including appeals to the Ninth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. In approving the settlement, Judge Collins found that the settlement reached was an “outstanding result [that] represents the expertise, skill, and tenacity of Plaintiff’s Counsel.”
PARTNER WITH BARNES & THORNBURG LLP
Jim’s practice focuses on the defense of pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer product litigation in state and federal courts nationwide, particularly consolidated mass torts and multi-district litigations.
In Chambers, clients describe Jim as having “[a]n incredible ability to synthesize complex scientific issues into very persuasive arguments that can be used both in court and in negotiations with the other side.”
He serves as national coordinating counsel and MDL counsel for consolidated litigations across the U.S. involving thousands of plaintiffs as well as in numerous single-plaintiff cases involving pharmaceuticals, consumer products and medical devices. In conjunction with those roles, Jim emphasizes efficient discovery and manages significant mass tort e-discovery undertakings for his clients.
Jim has also coordinated the resolution of some of the largest, mass torts of the last decade.
Jim also counsels clients on product liability due diligence related to potential acquisitions and divestitures.
Regarding pharmaceutical and biologic manufacturers, Jim’s experience includes:
Regarding medical device and consumer products manufacturers, Jim’s experience includes:
PARTNER WITH GIBBS MURA, A LAW GROUP
Andre M. Mura represents plaintiffs in class actions and mass torts, including matters involving consumer protection, privacy, and products liability. Before joining Gibbs Mura, Andre was senior litigation counsel at the Center for Constitutional Litigation PC, where he represented plaintiffs in high-stakes appeals in state supreme courts and federal appellate courts.
Andre has twice been honored with a California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Award: in 2023 for his involvement and success at trial in Patz v. City of San Diego, and in 2019 for his work before the California Supreme Court in De La Torre v. CashCall. He serves on the Board of the Impact Fund and the Civil Justice Research Initiative of Berkeley Law. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a member of the Lawyers Committee of the National Center for State Courts, President of the National Civil Justice Institute, past Chair of the American Association for Justice’s LGBT Caucus, past Trustee of the National College of Advocacy, and a member of Williams College’s Latino/a and BiGLATA Alumni Network.
Litigation Highlights
In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation
Andre was court-appointed to Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee Leadership and has undertaken a wide range of responsibilities, including law and briefing and managing discovery related to the TikTok defendants. The firm also represents children and families in lawsuits in federal and state courts against Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snap, and YouTube.
In re: Meta Pixel Healthcare Data Privacy Litigation
Andre was court-appointed to the plaintiffs’ executive committee in this consolidated litigation representing millions of patients whose sensitive health data was allegedly collected and shared without their consent. In his appointment decision, Judge Orrick cited interim class counsel’s highly relevant experience and knowledge.
Brooks v. Thomson Reuters Corporation
Andre served as court-appointed class counsel in this data privacy case involving Thomson Reuters’ CLEAR product. After the court granted class certification, the parties reached a $27.5 million settlement providing substantial injunctive relief. Final approval of the settlement was granted on February 21, 2025.
San Diego and Otay Water District Tiered Water Rates Lawsuits
Lead trial counsel in a $79.5 million verdict on behalf of single-family customers against the City of San Diego for unconstitutional water rates. The case is currently on appeal. He was also a key member of the litigation team that achieved a $24 million verdict against the Otay Water District in a similar challenge. That case is also on appeal.
In re: 3M Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Litigation
Andre was court-appointed to the plaintiffs’ law-and-briefing committee in this multidistrict litigation on behalf of servicemembers and veterans injured by defective 3M earplugs. He also served on several bellwether trial teams, securing multiple favorable jury verdicts.
In re: Taxotere (Docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation
Andre served on the trial team in a federal jury trial and is a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and co-chair of Law and Briefing in this multidistrict litigation on behalf of breast cancer survivors who suffered permanent hair loss. He obtained a unanimous appellate decision granting a bellwether plaintiff a new trial. See 26 F.4th 256 (5th Cir. 2022).
In re: Vizio, Inc., Consumer Privacy Litigation
Andre was co-lead counsel for the settlement class in this multidistrict lawsuit alleging improper collection and sale of consumer viewing data. He negotiated a settlement providing class-wide injunctive relief and a $17 million compensation fund.
De La Torre v. CashCall
Andre played a key role in briefing before the California Supreme Court, resulting in a unanimous decision in plaintiffs’ favor that changed long-standing assumptions about lender protections under California law.
In re: Lenovo Adware Litigation
Andre successfully briefed and argued motions to dismiss and for class certification. The parties moved for preliminary approval of an $8.3 million settlement resolving claims that Lenovo preinstalled software that caused performance, privacy, and security issues.
Beaver et al. v. Tarsadia Hotels, Inc.
Andre contributed to briefing before the Ninth Circuit, resulting in a unanimous decision affirming application of California’s Unfair Competition Law four-year statute of limitations to claims under the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act.
Watts v. Lester E. Cox Medical Centers, 376 S.W.3d 633 (Mo. 2012)
Andre successfully argued that a state law limiting compensatory damages in medical malpractice cases violated the constitutional right to trial by jury. The Missouri Supreme Court overturned a twenty-year-old precedent in ruling for his client.
FOUNDER OF MONSOUR LAW FIRM
Douglas C. Monsour, or Doug Monsour, is a trial lawyer who handles important and significant injury cases in Texas and across the nation. He is one of a handful of trial lawyers who have successfully tried multiple pharmaceutical, medical device, and mass tort product liability cases as the lead lawyer. He also vigorously represents injured oil field workers, victims of 18-wheeler wrecks, industrial accident victims, and those that have been severely burned.
Doug is known for his abilities in the courtroom. Recently, Doug secured two major trial victories in the 3M Combat Arms version 2 earplug litigation. On December 10, 2021, a Tallahassee, Florida Federal Court jury awarded U.S. Army veteran T.J. Finley $22.5 million for hearing loss suffered due to his defective Combat Arms version 2 earplugs. A few months later, on April 29, 2022, a Federal Court jury in Gainesville, Florida awarded $2.2 million to U.S. Army veteran Jonathan Vaughn for his hearing loss suffered from wearing the defective Combat Arms version 2 earplugs. The Finley v. 3M verdict was listed by The National Law Journal as one of the Top 100 verdicts of 2021. In fact, this verdict was the very first verdict in the entire 3M litigation to ever make the Top 100 list. Both trials were defended by international law firm Kirkland & Ellis.
Previously, in November 2014, Doug served as the lead lawyer in a transvaginal mesh case involving four women implanted with the Obtryx sling system to treat stress urinary incontinence. After an almost month-long trial, the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiffs in the amount of $18.5 million. This was the first verdict against Boston Scientific in the Federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL) for any of its incontinence sling products. (Wilson et al v. Boston Scientific Corp., WV, MDL 2326).
In 2004, Doug’s trial skills were tested by pharmaceutical giant Wyeth. He served as lead lawyer in two very significant Fen-Phen cases. In the first case, Wyeth hired world famous defense lawyer Dan Webb of Chicago’s legal Goliath, Winston & Strawn, to defend them. In the third week of the trial, Wyeth relented and settled for a confidential sum. In the second case, Wyeth retained Houston mega-firm Vinson & Elkins to defend them. Wyeth again relented, and just before closing arguments settled for a confidential sum.
In addition to these trials, Doug has tried over thirty cases of various types including oil field injuries, defective drugs, defective medical devices, medical malpractice, trucking (18-wheeler) wrecks, industrial accidents, car wrecks, civil rights and malicious prosecution.
Doug is triple board certified. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. In addition, he is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Furthermore, he is Board Certified in Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy by the National Board of Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy.
MEMBER ATTORNEY WITH MOTLEY RICE
Building upon his experience in complex asbestos cases, the historic tobacco lawsuits, and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks litigation, Don Migliori is a multifaceted litigator who can navigate both the courtroom and the negotiating table. He represents victims of defective medical devices and drugs, occupational diseases, terrorism, aviation disasters, antitrust, and securities and consumer fraud in mass torts and other cutting-edge litigation that spans the country.
Don serves in leadership roles for a number of multidistrict litigations, including being a key member of Motley Rice’s team that represents dozens of cities, towns, counties and townships in the National Prescription Opiate MDL against opioid manufacturers and distributors. He also represents states in similarly filed litigation. He played a significant role in negotiations on behalf of tens of thousands of women allegedly harmed by pelvic mesh/sling products and served as co-liaison counsel in the N.J. Bard pelvic mesh litigation in Atlantic County. Hundreds of cases have been filed in federal and state courts against multiple defendants.
He is also co-lead counsel for In re Ethicon Physiomesh Flexible Composite Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation, a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for In re Bard IVC Filters Products Liability Litigation, as well as the Depuy® Orthopaedics, Inc. ASR™ and Pinnacle® Hip Implant MDLs. Don has litigated against both Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, and C.R. Bard previously in pelvic mesh litigation and also against C.R. Bard in the Composix® Kugel® hernia mesh multidistrict litigation, In re Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch Products Liability Litigation, the first MDL before the federal court of Rhode Island. Don also serves as co-lead plaintiffs’ counsel and liaison counsel in the federal MDL, and as liaison counsel for the Composix® Kugel® Mesh lawsuits consolidated in Rhode Island state court on behalf of thousands of individuals alleging injury by the hernia repair patch.
As liaison counsel for all wrongful death and personal injury cases in the September 11th aviation security litigation, Don played a central role in the extensive discovery, mediations and settlements of more than 50 cases of aviation liability and damages against numerous defendants. He also represented families of the victims who opted out of the Victim Compensation Fund to seek greater answers, accountability and recourse. Additionally, he manages associated litigation as a lead attorney for In re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001, MDL #1570, a groundbreaking case designed to bankrupt the financiers of al Qaeda.
Don contributed his experience in connection with the commencement of and strategy for shareholder derivative litigation brought on behalf Chiquita Brands International, Inc., alleging the defendants breached their fiduciary duties by paying bribes to terrorist organizations in violation of U.S. and Columbian law. He also served as trial counsel for PACE Industry Union-Management Pension Fund in a securities case against Forest Laboratories, Inc., and was involved in the initial liability discovery and trial strategy in an ongoing securities fraud class action involving Household International, Inc.
Don began working with Motley Rice attorneys in 1997 on behalf of the State Attorneys General in the historic lawsuit against Big Tobacco, resulting in the largest civil settlement in U.S. history. He tried several noteworthy asbestos cases on behalf of mesothelioma victims, including the state of Indiana’s first contractor liability verdict and first premises liability verdict for wrongful exposure to asbestos. He continues to manage asbestos cases and actively litigates mesothelioma lawsuits and individual tobacco cases in the courtroom.
Don is a frequent speaker at legal seminars across the country and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, as well as in print media to address legal issues related to terrorist financing, aviation security, class action litigation, premises liability and defective medical devices. A “Distinguished Practitioner in Residence” at Roger Williams University School of Law for the 2010- 2011 academic year, Don taught mass torts as an adjunct professor for more than 10 years. Don is an AV® rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell®.
PARTNER WITH COTCHETT PITRE & MCCARTHY LLP
Thomas E. “Tom” Loeser is a partner in Hausfeld’s Technology and Data Breach practice with over 27 years of litigation experience representing consumers in complex class actions and other high-stakes matters involving technology, privacy, data security, antitrust, and consumer protection. Tom handles all aspects of complex litigation, from case strategy and leadership through discovery, depositions, briefing, and settlement.
Tom has played a key role in some of the largest consumer class actions in the United States, drawing on extensive experience leading complex consumer litigation, including the $10 billion Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” multidistrict litigation and the related $1.3 billion dealer litigation.
Tom has worked on hundreds of cases involving the collection, use, tracking, and disclosure of consumer data. His experience includes litigation against Meta concerning its collection and use of consumer data; leadership roles in the 2022 T-Mobile data breach litigation; litigation arising from an AT&T data breach affecting approximately 75 million current and former customers; and litigation concerning GM’s OnStar vehicle tracking practices. He has also represented online influencers in litigation against PayPal, Rakuten, and RetailMeNot concerning alleged withholding of online influencer commissions.
Tom brings a unique combination of private practice and federal law enforcement experience to his work. Before entering private practice, he spent nearly five years as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice in Los Angeles, including in the elite cyber-crimes section where he investigated and prosecuted cases involving hacking, cyberstalking, online child exploitation, malware, cyber extortion, and data breaches. As part of his federal service, he received specialized training through programs operated by the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, and National Advocacy Center.
Tom has received an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell from 2016 to 2026 and has been recognized by Lawdragon among its 500 Leading Plaintiffs Consumer Lawyers and 500 Leading Plaintiffs Financial Lawyers.
SENIOR PARTNER WITH KELLER ROHRBACK
Derek is a partner in Keller Rohrback’s nationally recognized Complex Litigation Group and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.
Derek’s passion for holding large corporations accountable for wrongdoing has helped recover billions of dollars for consumers, retirees, governments and institutions. He has served in leadership roles in multidistrict litigation and major complex cases across the country.
Derek currently serves as co-lead counsel in In Re: TikTok, Inc, Minor Privacy Litigation, the MDL in which Plaintiffs allege that TikTok unlawfully collects and uses the personal information of children under the age of 13. He also is co-lead counsel in In re Facebook, Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, the MDL litigation against Facebook stemming from the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal. In the case, after years of hard-fought litigation, he and the team achieved a historic $725 million settlement, the largest amount paid to date to resolve a privacy-based class action.
Other notable class action cases in which Derek serves as lead or co-lead counsel include: In re Wells Fargo COVID Forbearance Litigation, a consumer class action against Wells Fargo for putting mortgage customers into unauthorized loan forbearances. On February 15, 2025, the court granted final approval of a $185 million settlement for a class of over 200,000 borrowers; Jabbari, et al. v. Wells Fargo & Company and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., , the consumer class action arising out of Wells Fargo’s notorious unauthorized account scandal. In this case, Derek and the Keller Rohrback team achieved a $142 million settlement requiring the bank to refund all improper fees and provide first-of-its kind credit damage reimbursement, among other relief, to Wells Fargo customers.
Derek also served as lead counsel in multi-billion dollar mortgage-backed securities cases on behalf of the Federal Home Loan Banks of Chicago, Indianapolis and Boston; ERISA class cases on behalf of employees whose retirement savings were decimated by corporate fraud and abuse on the part of Enron, WorldCom, Countrywide, and Washington Mutual, among others. He has also litigated fraud, RICO, and antitrust cases against drug manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers, and insurance companies for conspiring to drive up the cost of life-saving medications such as insulin.
In addition to his class action work, Derek helps manage the Keller Rohrback team representing state and local government entities in a number of matters involving significant public health crises. For example, Derek leads the Keller Rohrback team litigating government cases against opioid manufacturers and distributors in The National Prescription Opioid Litigation. In the Opioid MDL, Derek serves on the Expert and Law & Briefing Committees and led the litigation against a major opioid manufacturer, Mallinckrodt. He also represented school districts and counties in litigation against the e-cigarette company, JUUL, for targeting and addicting youth. These cases are quintessential examples of the type of litigation Derek and the Keller Rohrback team passionately pursue – corporate fraud and malfeasance causing serious harm to the public.
Many of Derek’s cases have required coordinating with state and federal agencies involved in litigation that parallels cases pursued by Keller Rohrback, including state attorneys general, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Labor. In addition, Derek has extensive experience negotiating complex, multi- party settlements, and coordinating with the many parties and counsel necessary to accomplish this. He is frequently asked to speak at national conferences about class actions, public health litigation, ERISA, and other complex litigation topics.
Derek has been included on the Super Lawyers® “Top 100: Washington Super Lawyers” list from 2022 through 2026, and he was recognized by Law360 as a “Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar” in 2024, Forbes inaugural list of America’s Top 200 Lawyers in 2024, Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America 2018, 2022-2027, along with a variety of other prestigious recognitions.
Before joining Keller Rohrback, Derek served as a law clerk for the Honorable Michael R. Hogan, U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. He was also a trial attorney in the Employment Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. where he prosecuted discrimination cases on behalf of the United States.
PARTNER WITH LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & BERNSTEIN
The chair of Lieff Cabraser’s Economic Injury Product Defect Practice Group, partner Jason L. Lichtman has extensive experience leading multidistrict and large class action litigation on behalf of consumer plaintiffs. With a practice focused on consumer protection, data privacy, and damages, Jason recently recovered more than $122 million in economic value for coffee farmers in the Kona region who sued nearly two dozen companies for selling “Kona coffee” that was not coffee from Kona. The Court described Jason as conducting one “of the most impressive class action cases I have dealt with in my time on the federal bench,” adding that his results in the litigation were “great for justice” because this was a case with “a real result that makes people whole again.”
Numerous other courts have also appointed Jason to leadership positions in large consumer protection cases, in which he has recovered more than $500 million for his clients, including the exploding Samsung Top-Loading Washing Machines case (Co-Lead Counsel); the Whirlpool Corp. Front-Loading Washer products liability litigation (Co-Lead Counsel); and the Dover v. British Airways airline overcharging case (Class Counsel). In the Whirlpool Defective Washers Products Liability litigation, Jason served as Co-Chair of the Law and Motion Committee, one of the trial counsel, and Lead Settlement Counsel, achieving a nationwide settlement strongly favorable to plaintiffs following a bellwether trial, multiple appeals to the Sixth and Seventh Circuits (all won by plaintiffs), and multiple petitions for certiorari (all defeated by plaintiffs). Jason has also secured major victories as counsel of record before numerous federal appellate courts.
Jason’s practice also includes a focus on complex damages issues, including in the Anthem Data Breach Litigation and Marriott Data Breach litigation, leading plaintiffs’ work with damages experts, including the development of highly technical, comprehensive experts reports, defending depositions of plaintiffs’ experts, and taking defendants’ experts’ depositions. The Marriott case remains pending, but Jason’s work contributed heavily to the groundbreaking settlement for plaintiffs of $115 million in Anthem, as well as significant injunctive relief targeting deficient Anthem’s cybersecurity practices. Jason also serves on the board of directors for Public Justice Foundation and is past Chair of the Public Justice Class Action Committee. Public Justice is devoted to standing up for consumers against unscrupulous payday lenders, reckless polluters, dangerous food producers, and other bad corporate actors. A multiple-year “Super Lawyer” for the New York area, he also served on the Law360 Privacy and Consumer Protection Editorial Advisory Board, providing feedback on Law360’s news coverage, including case updates, policy developments, and trends in various industries.
LITIGATION PARTNER WITH MUNGER TOLLES & OLSON
Bethany Kristovich is a litigator and trial lawyer focused on complex civil litigation, with a particular emphasis in high-stakes trials and appeals. She has represented some of the nation’s largest companies, law firms and private equity firms in their most sensitive, complex and urgent matters.
Bethany brings a trial lawyer’s instinct to developing a case strategy with an eye toward achieving the client’s goal. A client described Bethany as “a tremendous litigator, and she catches us off guard when she is being practical but aggressive in a very approachable way.” Recognized by Chambers USA for her acumen as a litigator, Bethany has advised on a wide variety of disputes—including those involving consumer protection, product defect and mass tort claims and class actions. She has particularly deep experience advising lawyers and law firms on professional liability matters.
Bethany has a history of driving intractable problems to resolution, whether through trial, motion or dispute resolution. Thriving in a high-stakes environment, she has also been called upon to defend against numerous applications for preliminary injunction.
Originally from Louisiana, Bethany grew up near her family’s tree farm. Her earliest experience as a lawyer included service as a public defender in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In her free time, she enjoys running and boxing.
Practices
Industries
Experience
Complex Civil Litigation – Individual Actions
Class Actions
Professional Liability Litigation
Clerkships
Education
Admissions
Awards & Honors
Community Involvement
Thought Leadership
Publications
Speaking Engagements
PARTNER WITH OLSON GRIMSLEY KAWANABE HINCHCLIFF & MURRAY LLC
Kenzo Kawanabe is an acclaimed trial lawyer with substantial experience in high-stakes cases. Kenzo is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Prior to forming a national trial boutique nearly three years ago, Kenzo was a partner at a venerable, 100-year-old Denver law firm.
Kenzo is a founder of Olson Grimsley Kawanabe Hinchcliff & Murray LLC, an impact litigation law firm which tried eight cases in its first three years, obtaining more than $150 million in judgments. Last month, he was one of the lead trial lawyers to obtain a groundbreaking $70 million trial victory from a Chicago jury against Abbott Laboratories. He also was on the team – brought in less than one month before trial – to obtain the first verdict in the country regarding premature infant formula and necrotizing enterocolitis. That jury returned the verdict awarding our client – whose baby died from NEC – $60 million in compensatory damages against Mead Johnson. One third of his firm’s work is pro bono, and Kenzo was one of the lead lawyers to obtain a state-wide injunction against ICE to stop illegal warrantless arrests.
Kenzo is a fourth-generation Coloradan and engages deeply in community service. He is on the boards of Colorado Legal Services and Colorado State University, and recently completed board service for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – D.C. He was also the first-ever General Counsel for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He has received widespread recognition including America’s Top 200 Lawyers by Forbes Magazine. Kenzo was a Boettcher Scholar at the University of Colorado, and a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center. He clerked for Chief Justice Mary J. Mullarkey of the Colorado Supreme Court.
SHAREHOLDER WITH BURG SIMPSON ELDREDGE HERSH JARDINE PC
For over two decades, Seth has advocated for people harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices, and corporate negligence. As a shareholder at Burg Simpson, he leads some of the nation’s most significant mass tort and class action cases, recovering more than one billion dollars for injured clients. Seth has been a shareholder with Burg Simpson since September 2005, prior to which he was a partner in the New York law firm of Seeger Weiss LLP. Mr. Katz is the head of Burg Simpson’s Mass Tort and Class Action litigation practice group, and he focuses his practice on cases involving drug and device litigation, class actions, as well as consumer protection and products liability litigation. Seth began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City, where he prosecuted everything from drunk drivers, drug dealers, and murders committed by violent gang members. This experience gave him unique insights into complex investigations and trial strategy‚ skills he now uses to fight for injured clients against powerful corporate interests. In addition to his varied professional experience, Mr. Katz is a frequent speaker on pre-trial tactics and practice including electronic discovery, MDL and pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, and class action litigation.
When pharmaceutical companies put profits over people’s safety or corporations harm entire communities, Seth steps in to hold them accountable. Some examples of Seth’s dedication to victims have received national news coverage.
Seth is Co-Lead and Class Counsel in consolidated litigation arising from the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio in In re: East Palestine Train Derailment (No. 4:23-cv-00242) pending before the Hon. Benita Y. Pearson in the Northern District of Ohio. Seth and the other Co-Lead and Class Counsel were charged with managing the putative class action and the individual actions that have been filed. As part of her ruling, Judge Pearson found that the appointed lawyers have demonstrated the qualifications, experience, and commitment to adequately represent the putative class and noted that “[t]he appointment of interim class counsel is critically important in a case of this nature, as it is an ongoing event affecting potentially thousands of residents, property owners, and businesses in East Palestine, Ohio and the surrounding area, all of whom are members of the putative classes that have been proposed.” On the evening of February 3, 2023, numerous cars of a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Included among the cars that derailed were 5 cars transporting vinyl chloride. After several days of the derailed cars being surrounded by fire, Norfolk Southern decided to perform a controlled “vent and burn,” releasing vinyl chloride, benzene residue, and other toxic materials into the environment. The NTSB has concluded that this derailment was 100% preventable. In 2024, after a year of vigorous and contentious litigation, a $600 million dollar class settlement was reached and approved by Judge Pearson. Seth and the other Class Counsel are spearheading the response to an appeal.
Seth’s leadership extends to protecting patients harmed by dangerous medications. He has served as either Lead Counsel, a member of the Executive Committee or a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in many drug and device MDLs. Seth was appointed as Co-Lead Counsel in In re Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2385) by the Hon. David R. Herndon (Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois). In May 2014, the Pradaxa MDL announced a $650 million settlement program on behalf of approximately 4,000 claimants after 21 months of litigation. Seth was one of the primary negotiators of that settlement and as Co-Lead Counsel in the MDL he played an active role in the administration of the settlement, including the resolution of private and government medical liens.
Seth was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in In re: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2524) by the Hon. Matthew F. Kennelly, which is pending in the Northern District of Illinois. In that MDL, he also served as the Co-Chair of the Discovery Committee overseeing the discovery against five manufacturers of six different products involved in that MDL. He also was lead trial counsel in two different Bellwether cases that went to verdict – one against AbbVie and one against Auxilium Pharmaceuticals – prior to product-specific global settlements being reached in the MDL.
Seth was also appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in In re: Proton Pump Inhibitor Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2789) by the Hon. Claire C. Cecchi, which is pending in the District of New Jersey. Seth was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In re DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2197) by the Hon. David A. Katz, in the Northern District of Ohio. Seth was one of the primary attorneys who prosecuted the In re Zyprexa Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 1956) that resulted in a $700 million settlement, where he not only held a leadership role in conducting discovery but also served as Chair of the Law and Briefing Committee. Seth has been recognized by the Legal 500 as “highly experienced, excellent… in all phases of the mass tort and class action practice areas.”
Seth also served as Chair of the Discovery Committee in In re Yasmin and Yaz (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2100) pending in the Southern District of Illinois, before the Hon. David R. Herndon. In August 2015, Judge Herndon appointed Seth to the Negotiating Plaintiffs’ Committee as part of the team that negotiated a global settlement with Bayer of the arterial injury cases. Seth has also served as one of the Co-Chairs of the Discovery Committee in In re Gadolinium Based Contrast Agent Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1909), pending in the Northern District of Ohio. Seth was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee by Justice Helen Freedman for the ReNu with MoistureLoc litigation pending in New York State Supreme Court. Burg Simpson’s cases settled shortly after Seth deposed the then-CEO of Bausch & Lomb. Seth was one of the lead attorneys prosecuting the In re Ortho Evra Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1742) on behalf of women who suffered serious adverse events as a result of the use of the Patch, where he held a leadership role in conducting discovery. At the 2006 AAJ Annual Convention in Seattle, Seth was elected as Co-Chair of the Ortho Evra AAJ Litigation Group.
Seth has also been involved in many class actions during his career. Seth was one of the small team of lawyers who negotiated a $143 million class action settlement in In re Columbia Gas Explosion Cases (Mass. Sup. Ct.) after a gas explosion rocked parts of three towns outside of Boston in September 2018. Seth served as Liaison Counsel to the court in a nationwide class action pending in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado against Western Union stemming from Western Union’s practice as it relates to unclaimed funds and failing to provide notice to customers that the funds they wired could not be delivered and failing to adequately return the funds to the sender in a timely fashion. Seth has served as counsel in several other class actions involving securities fraud and consumer fraud cases against some of the nation’s largest companies such as Apple, IBM, Firestone Tires, Progressive Insurance Company, Allstate, State Farm, and Panasonic. In 2004, Seth was part of the trial team of lawyers who tried a class action to jury verdict against Allstate Insurance Company due to its failure to fully compensate its policyholders in accordance with the terms of its policy in St. Clair County, Illinois (Sims v. Allstate, 99-1-393-A).
Seth served as the inaugural President of The Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Association until July 2013. The Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Association is made up of attorneys who are dedicated to obtaining fair compensation for clients who have been injured by defective products, dangerous pharmaceuticals, or other conduct causing large-scale injuries. The Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Association’s goal is to enable members to draw upon the Association’s strong training, educational, and networking resources so they may derive benefits that were either unavailable or difficult to find on their own. In addition, Seth served on the Board of the National Trial Lawyers Association. Seth served on the Editorial Board of the Corporate Observer Blog, a blog dedicated to protecting consumer rights.
Prior to joining Seeger Weiss, Seth was an associate at Loeb & Loeb LLP in New York City. There he represented clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies and banking institutions to individuals in a wide variety of complex litigation and pre-litigation matters. Seth was part of a small group of lawyers that performed internal investigations in order to design or modify corporate compliance policies on behalf of Loeb & Loeb’s clients. Seth was also part of Loeb & Loeb’s white-collar criminal practice where he represented clients in a variety of different securities fraud and money laundering matters, including representing a Fortune 500 company in a governmental investigation of the allegedly illegal transfer of missile technology to China.
Seth was born in New York, New York. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts, with distinction, from the University of Michigan in 1990 and earned his law degree, cum laude, from Boston University School of Law in 1993.
Seth is admitted to practice law in state courts in Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, and New York as well as the United States District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, Western and Northern Districts of New York, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Seth is Preeminent AV rated by his peers in Martindale Hubbell, and has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America and as a Colorado Super Lawyer for more than a decade.
PARTNER WITH AYLSTOCK, WITKIN, KREIS & OVERHOLTZ, PLC
Jennifer M. Hoekstra is a partner with Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLC. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science from Columbia College, Columbia University in the City of New York. She relocated to Louisiana to attend Tulane Law School, where she earned her J.D. while also completing a certificate in Environmental Law.
Jennifer has been involved in complex litigation cases of all forms since 2007. Her passion and expertise lies in Electronically Stored Information and coordinating discovery across multiple defendant litigations. She has earned a solid reputation and plays an integral role in multiple complex litigation cases, practicing in the areas of Pharmaceutical Mass Torts, Defective Device Mass Torts, and other complex litigation.
Ms. Hoekstra is currently on the Plaintiffs Executive Committee for the MDL 3060 Hair Relaxer and MDL 2789 Proton-Pump Inhibitors Products Liability Litigations. Additionally, Jennifer is a passionate litigator and has been central to the successful outcome in dozens of MDL bellwether trials over the course of her career with more than $11 Billion in trial verdicts to her credit. Most recently in 2021 and 2022, she served as trial counsel and/or as an integral member of the trial team in all of the sixteen 3M Earplug trials securing more than $300 Million in compensatory damages for military veterans.
PARTNER WITH OLSON GRIMSLEY KAWANABE HINCHCLIFF & MURRAY LLC
Sean is a founding partner of Olson Grimsley, a plaintiff-side and public interest trial firm that opened its doors in September 2024 with the mission of holding the powerful to account.
Sean has become one of the nation’s leading trial lawyers, having tried four cases to judgment in Olson Grimsley’s first year alone. He was lead counsel in the country’s first trial against a preterm infant formula manufacturer for causing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) where he and his team secured a $60 million compensatory damages verdict against Mead Johnson, the maker of Enfamil. He co-led the trial in Colorado challenging President Trump’s eligibility to appear on the ballot because he had engaged in insurrection in violation of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. He co-led a trial team that won a $20+ million judgment against Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company, for unlawfully monopolizing the market for calcium silicate pipe insulation. And he co-led a trial team in Cook County, Illinois, against two makers of Zantac—GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim—for causing his client’s prostate cancer, ultimately settling on confidential terms with GSK and trying the case against Boehringer Ingelheim to a hung jury. It was the first trial against a Zantac manufacturer that did not end in a defense verdict. Sean is currently set to try the first multi-plaintiff NEC case in Cook County later this year.
Sean brings an unparalleled breadth of legal experience to the firm. He spent 17 years as a trial lawyer and partner at Bartlit Beck where he tried multiple cases on the plaintiff and defense side to verdict or successful resolution. He has been an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Washington, D.C., Deputy Chief Counsel to President Obama’s Commission investigating the BP oil spill, Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Colorado in its pattern and practice investigation of the Aurora Police and Fire Departments, and most recently General Counsel for two years at Ibotta, a billion-dollar tech startup in Denver. He clerked for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Harry T. Edwards on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
PROFESSOR, YALE
Abbe R. Gluck is the Alfred M. Rankin Professor of Law and the founding Faculty Director of the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School. She is also Professor of Internal Medicine (General Medicine) at Yale School of Medicine and a Professor in the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale.
From November 2020 until November 2021, Professor Gluck served in the Biden Administration as Special Counsel to the President. In that role, she was the lead lawyer for the White House COVID-19 Response, first for the Biden-Harris Transition and later in the White House as Special Counsel to the White House COVID-19 Response Team. She also simultaneously served as a member of the White House Counsel’s Office, where she handled litigation and policy matters relating to health care, the USDA, and Veterans Affairs across the administration.
In 2012, Professor Gluck founded the Yale Law School Medical Legal Partnership Program, a poverty legal services clinic operating across seven sites in New Haven, which she continues to direct. She joined Yale Law School in 2012 after previously serving on the faculty of Columbia Law School and holding senior positions in government. Her academic expertise includes state courts and federalism, Congress and the political process, civil procedure, and health law. She also serves as chair emerita of the Section on Legislation and the Law of the Political Process for the Association of American Law Schools.
Professor Gluck has extensive experience as a lawyer in multiple levels of government. Before joining Columbia Law School, she served in the administration of New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine as Special Counsel and Senior Advisor to the New Jersey Attorney General. She also worked in the administration of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as Chief of Staff and Counsel to the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, Senior Counsel to the NYC Corporation Counsel in the New York City Office of Legal Counsel, and Deputy Special Counsel to the New York City Charter Revision Commission.
Prior to law school, Professor Gluck worked in the United States Senate for Senator Paul S. Sarbanes of Maryland. Following law school, she practiced at the Paul Weiss law firm in New York before returning to government service. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University, graduating summa cum laude, and received her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. After graduation, she clerked for then-Chief Judge Ralph K. Winter of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Professor Gluck is the author and co-author of several influential books, including COVID-19 and Law: Disruption, Impacts, Legacy, The Trillion Dollar Revolution: How the Affordable Care Act Transformed Politics, Law, and Health Care in America, and A New Deal For Cancer: Lessons from a 50 Year War.
Her scholarship has appeared in leading publications including the Yale Law Journal, Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, Columbia Law Review, New England Journal of Medicine, and Health Affairs. Her work includes pioneering studies on multidistrict litigation, unpublished judicial opinions, gun violence litigation, and the opioid crisis. In 2013, she completed the most extensive empirical study ever conducted on the realities of the congressional law-making process, published in the Stanford Law Review. Her 2017 work provided a comprehensive account of state implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Professor Gluck is also co-author of a leading Legislation casebook and has served as co-counsel in major health law cases, including filing influential amicus briefs in Texas v. Azar, King, and NFIB v. Sebelius. Her scholarship is among the most widely cited in the country in her fields of expertise.
She currently serves on numerous boards and commissions, including the Uniform Law Commission, where she chairs the Health Law Committee, and the American Law Institute, where she was elected to its governing Council in 2018. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Fund for Modern Courts in New York City, is a member of the New York State Taskforce on Life and the Law, and remains active in the New York City Bar Association.
In 2015, Professor Gluck received Yale Law School’s teaching award in recognition of her contributions to legal education.
PROFESSOR, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
Brian Fitzpatrick’s research at Vanderbilt focuses on class action litigation, federal courts, judicial selection, and constitutional law. He is best known for his book The Conservative Case for Class Actions (University of Chicago Press, 2019) and for his empirical studies of class action settlements and fee awards. Professor Fitzpatrick joined Vanderbilt’s law faculty in 2007 after serving as the John M. Olin Fellow at New York University School of Law. He graduated first in his class from Harvard Law School and went on to clerk for Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court. After his clerkships, Professor Fitzpatrick practiced commercial and appellate litigation for several years at Sidley Austin in Washington, D.C., and served as Special Counsel for Supreme Court Nominations to U.S. Senator John Cornyn. Before earning his law degree, Fitzpatrick graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s of science in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He has received the Hall-Hartman Outstanding Professor Award, which recognizes excellence in classroom teaching, for his Civil Procedure and Federal Courts courses.
Education
J.D., Harvard Law School
B.S., University of Notre Dame
PARTNER WITH TROUTMAN PEPPER LOCKE
Sean P. Fahey is a partner and chair of Troutman Pepper Locke’s Health Care & Life Sciences Department, where he leads the group’s litigation, white collar, regulatory, intellectual property, and transactional practices. He has extensive experience serving as national coordinating and trial counsel in complex multidistrict products liability and health care litigation. Sean represents several of the largest pharmaceutical, medical device, and life sciences companies in high-stakes litigation matters. He also serves as strategic settlement counsel and coordinating counsel in parallel litigation, including Department of Justice and regulatory investigations, as well as congressional hearings. He is nationally recognized by clients and peers and has been ranked by leading legal publications and organizations including Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, The Legal 500, LMG Life Sciences, and The Best Lawyers in America.
CHAIR, INCLUSIVITY COMMITTEE WITH BUTLER SNOW LLP
La’Verne Edney practices within Butler Snow’s Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare Litigation group and serves as Chair of the firm’s Inclusivity Committee. She is experienced in defending cases involving product liability, medical negligence, premises liability, bad faith insurance, employment disputes, and legal malpractice. Chambers USA, which recognized La’Verne for Litigation: General Commercial – Mississippi in 2023 and 2024, describes her as “very well known and highly respected,” “incredible,” and “noted for her impressive trial skills.”
Practice Areas
Tort, Transportation & Specialized Litigation
Drug & Device Litigation
Premises Liability
Insurance
Labor & Employment
Drug & Device Litigation – Trials
Health Law
Health Care Litigation
Mass Torts
Industry Focus
Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare
About
Recognized by Lawdragon 500 as one of its Leading Litigators in America, Chambers USA, and Best Lawyers in America® in the area of Mass Torts/Class Actions since 2016, La’Verne is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the International Society of Barristers. She is also the Past President and an Associate of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
With more than 25 years of experience trying cases in challenging venues across state and federal courts, La’Verne’s practice focuses on mass tort litigation, premises liability, medical negligence, and commercial litigation. In recent years, her trial work has centered on pharmaceutical products and medical device litigation.
La’Verne has frequently been called upon to prepare and try cases in difficult jurisdictions, including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she secured a defense verdict in a pelvic mesh trial in 2019. She is widely recognized for her ability to connect with jurors and explain complex evidence in a relatable and understandable manner.
In May 2022, La’Verne served as a United States Delegate at The Forum on the Rule of Law at the U.S. Supreme Court, where she co-authored a paper and spoke on Human Rights and Civil Liberties. She is also a frequent speaker on issues related to women in litigation and leadership. Most recently, she participated as a guest panelist in 2022 on the topic “Hear Us Roar: Being a Female Litigator in a Male-Dominated Industry” at a conference in Palm Springs, California.
Her recent honors include the Capital Area Bar Association’s Professionalism Award in 2021, the Mississippi Women Lawyers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, and Mississippi College School of Law’s Distinguished Alumni Lawyer of the Year Award in 2018.
In addition to her legal career, La’Verne serves on numerous community boards and committees, including the Board of Trustees of Mississippi College, Origin Bancorp, Inc.’s Board, the Magnolia Speech School Board, the Baptist Hospital Board of Regents, and as Immediate Past Chair of the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership Board.
La’Verne earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Alcorn State University and her Juris Doctor from Mississippi College School of Law. Following law school, she clerked for the Honorable Leslie Southwick on the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
PARTNER WITH WINSTON TAYLOR
Sharon is a courtroom-proven trial lawyer with extensive experience in high-profile cases involving parallel proceedings in state and federal courts. Known for her ability to collaborate across the aisle, she is a frequent writer and speaker on trial strategy alongside industry leaders, and has been named a “Key Lawyer” by The Legal 500 in life science and product liability defense. Sharon’s proactive viewpoint and unique ability to navigate the uncertain waters of mass torts has enabled her to deliver excellent results for her clients, and has earned her the respect of judges, opposing counsel, and joint defense groups in some of the most contentious litigation of this decade.
Sharon has represented Fortune 100 companies in class actions, mass torts, and multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the pharmaceutical and consumer product industries. She has been a key member of several trial teams, including helping secure a defense trial verdict on behalf of a multinational medical device and health care company in the NEC litigation in state court after the Plaintiff requested over US$6.2B in damages. She later went on to obtain a complete summary judgment ruling in her client’s favor in the first two NEC MDL bellwether trials. Sharon also previously represented a major pharmacy chain at a history-making trial in the Opioid litigation (described by the Washington Post as “the most complex civil lawsuit in U.S. history”), after which the Ohio Supreme Court sided with her client.
JUDGE OF THE LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT
Hon. J. Stephen Czuleger (Ret.) spent his career presiding over nearly every category of case that comes through a courtroom, from felony trials to complex civil litigation. Partnered with the demands of running the largest trial court in the world, that range gives him a practical understanding of how courts, and the people inside them, behave under pressure. Judge Czuleger brings the same discipline that defined his courtroom to every mediation, with thorough preparation, respect for everyone’s time, and a sharp instinct for identifying what each party actually needs to reach a resolution.
With a storied history of keeping composure under demanding circumstances, Judge Czuleger offers a unique steadiness to the table. He treats each dispute as singular, because the people and motivations involved are never the same twice. He works to gather the full picture by giving each party the room to be heard, believing people need to say what is truly on their mind before moving toward an agreement.
Judge Czuleger’s path to the bench ran through the most demanding corners of federal and state law enforcement. As a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, he investigated and tried major narcotics and organized crime cases, represented the Republic of Mexico in the extradition of one of the country’s foremost political fugitives, and helped the FBI establish the Los Angeles Joint Terrorist Task Force. As a Special Attorney with the Organized Crime Strike Force in San Francisco, he supervised multi-agency task forces addressing organized crime across Northern California and developed expertise in Chinese organized crime that took him to Hong Kong to work with local law enforcement. The Governor of California appointed him to the Los Angeles Municipal Court before he was elevated to the Los Angeles Superior Court, sat as a Justice Pro Tem on the California Court of Appeal, and took an assignment from the Chief Justice of California to preside over the criminal cases arising from the Orange County bankruptcy, resolving it within a year despite national attention. He went on to serve the Superior Court as Assistant Supervising Judge, Assistant Presiding Judge, and ultimately Presiding Judge, acting as chief executive of a court system supervising 600 bench officers.
Judge Czuleger’s international work reflects that same instinct for understanding people before trying to move them. Fulbright Specialist grants brought him to Albania twice, to teach at the University of Tirana Law School and later at the Albanian School of Magistrates, where he trained judges, prosecutors, and law students, and advised government officials on rule of law and anti-corruption reform. He approached each assignment the way he approaches a room in conflict, by understanding the landscape first, and offering ideas rather than dictating outcomes.
Judge Czuleger now brings that same openness and collaborative problem-solving style to Signature Resolution, drawn to the work by a lifelong desire to cut through complexity and get to the root of a dispute. Parties who sit across the table from him will find a mediator who listens first, prepares completely, and works toward a resolution that actually holds.
PARTNER WITH SIMMONS HANLY CONROY
Jayne Conroy is a named partner at Simmons Hanly Conroy and oversees practice areas in the Complex Litigation Department. Under her leadership, the firm has become one of the country’s largest plaintiff law firms dedicated to helping those injured by corporate wrongdoing.
With a legal career spanning more than three decades, Jayne has earned a superb national reputation as an elite trial lawyer, skilled strategist and decisive negotiator. She has consistently helped secure billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for thousands of individuals, families and communities in numerous courtrooms nationwide.
“We are a threat to defendants because we are everywhere,” Jayne said while talking about the depth of experience in her department. “They know they have to deal with us, and we are prepared to try cases.”
Jayne focuses her practice on helping plaintiffs exclusively in mass torts, class actions, product liability, pharmaceutical and sexual abuse litigation. She serves or has served on dozens of court-appointed leadership committees in complex legal actions of national scope. These complex mass tort cases, called multidistrict litigations or MDLs, involve thousands of cases originating from state courts around the country and consolidated before a single federal judge.
Jayne is a co-lead in the National Prescription Opiate MDL and the East Palestine train derailment matter against Norfolk Southern. Jayne’s most recent MDL appointment includes the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee in the In re: Camp Lejeune Water Litigation in the North Carolina Southern Division which alleges drinking may have been contaminated with toxic chemicals that can cause multiple types of cancer, birth defects, Parkinson’s disease and more. She is also on the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee in the MDL In re Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation and the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee for the MDL In re McKinsey & Company Inc National Prescription Opiate Consultant Litigation, Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, which alleges McKinsey knowingly engineered marketing tactics that caused an avalanche of opioid addiction.
PARTNER WITH SKADDEN ARPS SLATE MEAGHER & FLOM LLP, LITIGATION; MASS TORTS, INSURANCE AND CONSUMER LITIGATION
Kristin Cobb represents multinational companies before federal and state courts in a variety of matters involving breach of contract, business torts, unfair competition, tortious interference, misappropriation of trade secrets, products liability, the False Claims Act and state consumer fraud laws.
Ms. Cobb’s representations include:
CME Group, Inc. and The Board of Trade of the City of Chicago Inc. in securing a unanimous defense verdict in a multibillion-dollar class action jury trial in Cook County, Illinois. The plaintiffs were approximately 4,000 former floor traders who claimed that CME and the Chicago Board of Trade had inappropriately cut them out of the profits from the shift toward electronic trading. The plaintiffs sued for over $2 billion in damages soon after CME opened a data center for electronic trading in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois, that they contended acted as the exchange’s new trading floor. After more than 10 years of litigation and a three-week jury trial, the jury deliberated for approximately four hours before returning a complete verdict for the defense.
DePuy Orthopaedics and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in a two-week jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, in which the plaintiffs brought claims for an allegedly defective metal-on-metal hip implant. The court dismissed J&J on Skadden’s Rule 50 motion and the jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning a unanimous verdict for DePuy.
Monsanto in a nine-week jury trial in Seattle, Washington, featuring dozens of expert witnesses and 22 plaintiffs asserting individualized claims. The plaintiffs alleged that they developed a wide variety of physical and cognitive ailments after allegedly being exposed to Monsanto’s PCBs. After several days of jury deliberations, Monsanto and the plaintiffs reached a mutually agreeable settlement.
Monsanto in a jury trial in Sonoma County, California, that was anticipated to be a lengthy trial in which the plaintiffs alleged that Monsanto’s product Roundup had caused cancer. After opening statements and testimony from two witnesses, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their case with prejudice.
Prior to joining Skadden, Ms. Cobb represented:
Monsanto Company in securing a unanimous defense verdict (reached after three hours of deliberations) following a five-week jury trial in Cook County, Illinois, against claims brought by four plaintiffs who alleged that they developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after being exposed to Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer and fire-retardant additives known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) made by the company.
A leading pharmaceutical manufacturer at trial in nationwide litigation relating to opioid products.
A multinational e-commerce company at trial regarding issues related to tax liability.
A multinational aerospace and defense company in a litigation alleging claims for breach of contract and tortious interference.
A U.S. retail corporation regarding insurance coverage for a settlement related to alleged claims for trademark infringement.
A university regarding insurance coverage for a settlement related to alleged antitrust violations.
A residential real estate brokerage in a litigation alleging breach of contract and misappropriation of proprietary information.
An educational company in a litigation alleging claims for misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of contract and patent infringement relating to an educational platform.
A multinational dental implant manufacturer in a bankruptcy court litigation alleging, among other issues, trade secret misappropriation and breach of fiduciary duties.
A foreign high-tech company in a litigation regarding trade secret misappropriation.
Several health care companies in federal and state False Claims Act litigation concerning sales and marketing practices.
CO-CHAIR OF GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER’S CLASS ACTIONS PRACTICE GROUP
Chris Chorba is co-chair of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Class Actions Practice Group. He specializes in defending class actions and complex litigation, and he has been recognized in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and in The Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation. Law360 also named Mr. Chorba a “Class Action MVP,” which profiles attorneys who have “distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.” The National Law Journal also recognized him as a “Trailblazer” for his work defending consumer class actions.
Mr. Chorba has had substantial experience litigating a broad range of complex commercial matters at the trial and appellate level in California and throughout the country, and in multi-district litigation (MDLs). His litigation and counseling experience includes work for companies in every industry, including automotive, beauty / cosmetic, consumer products, education, entertainment, financial services, food and beverage, health care, insurance, life sciences, retail, social media, sports and gaming, technology, telecommunications, and utility / energy.
PARTNER WITH SKADDEN ARPS SLATE MEAGHER & FLOM LLP, LITIGATION; MASS TORTS, INSURANCE AND CONSUMER LITIGATION
Mr. Cachán is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an invitation only fellowship of lawyers “who have demonstrated the very highest standards of trial advocacy, ethical conduct, integrity, professionalism, and collegiality.” He also is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, which is granted by invitation only and limited to 500 active trial lawyers from the United States.
In recognition of his work, Mr. Cachán has been honored by several leading industry outlets and organizations, including:
Benchmark Litigation as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer in the United States, the 2024 Product Liability Litigator of the Year, a National Practice Area Star, a California Litigation Star and a Local Litigation Star
The American Lawyer as Litigator of the Week (twice) and Litigator of the Week Runner-Up (multiple times)
Chambers USA in its Product Liability & Mass Torts category
Bloomberg Law as part of its Unrivaled list of the top 32 trial lawyers in the United States
the Los Angeles Daily Journal, which has named him to its list of the Top 100 Lawyers in California and listed two of his jury wins as Top Defense Verdicts of the year (in 2021 and 2024)
Forbes as one of America’s Top 200 Lawyers
the Los Angeles Business Journal as a Top 100 Lawyer and a Leader of Influence: Top Litigator and Trial Lawyer
the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, which has named him to its annual list of Rainmakers
Mr. Cachán has represented Fortune 500 companies before federal and state courts in jury trials across the nation in breach-of-contract litigations, banking actions, product liability lawsuits and professional malpractice cases. His representations (including those prior to joining Skadden) have included:
CME Group, Inc. and The Board of Trade of the City of Chicago Inc. in securing a unanimous defense verdict in a multibillion-dollar class action jury trial in Cook County, Illinois. The lawsuit stemmed from the fundamental transformation of futures trading from traditional open outcry pit trading to electronic trading platforms, which occurred over approximately two decades beginning in the early 2000s. The plaintiffs were approximately 4,000 former floor traders who claimed that CME and the Chicago Board of Trade had inappropriately cut them out of the profits from the shift toward electronic trading. The traders sued for over $2 billion in damages soon after CME opened a data center for electronic trading in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois, that they contended acted as the exchange’s new trading floor. After more than 10 years of litigation and a three-week jury trial, the jury deliberated for approximately four hours before returning a complete verdict for the defense. Mr. Cachán was recognized as a Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer for his work on the case.
Monsanto Company in securing a unanimous defense verdict (reached after three hours of deliberations) following a seven-week jury trial in Cook County, Illinois, against claims brought by four plaintiffs who alleged that they developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after being exposed to Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer and fire-retardant additives known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) made by the company. The American Lawyer recognized Mr. Cachán for his victory as a Litigator of the Week Runner-Up.
Monsanto in a jury trial in Sonoma County, California, that was anticipated to be a lengthy trial in which the plaintiffs alleged that Monsanto’s product Roundup had caused cancer. After opening statements and testimony from two witnesses, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their case with prejudice. Mr. Cachán again was recognized by The American Lawyer as a Litigator of the Week Runner-Up and this case was selected by the Daily Journal as one of its Top Defense Verdicts of 2024.
Monsanto in a nine-week jury trial in Seattle, Washington, featuring dozens of expert witnesses and 22 plaintiffs asserting individualized claims. The plaintiffs alleged that they developed a wide variety of physical and cognitive ailments after allegedly being exposed to Monsanto’s PCBs. After several days of jury deliberations, Monsanto and the plaintiffs reached a mutually agreeable settlement.
Monsanto in state courts in Riverside, California, and St. Louis, Missouri (verdict reached after three hours of deliberations) on claims that the company’s herbicide Roundup caused the plaintiffs to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Similar claims had previously resulted in verdicts from $80 million to over $2 billion. The jury rejected the claims in their entirety in both trials. The Riverside verdict was selected by the Daily Journal as one of its Top Defense Verdicts of 2021. The Missouri verdict was ranked second on the list of the Top 10 Most Impressive Defense Verdicts of 2022 by the online trial-viewing network Courtroom View Network (CVN). Mr. Cachán was recognized by The American Lawyer as a Litigator of the Week Runner-Up for both verdicts.
Monsanto in a product liability lawsuit in St. Louis, Missouri, involving its Roundup product. Before the jury was empaneled, but following the argument of motions to exclude the plaintiffs’ key expert witnesses, the plaintiffs voluntarily and unilaterally dismissed their lawsuit.
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in multiple trials regarding its talc-based products, including:
in St. Louis, where the jury returned a complete defense verdict on all claims and awarded no damages. The verdict was ranked second on CVN’s list of the Top 10 Most Impressive Defense Verdicts of 2017, and The American Lawyer recognized Mr. Cachán as a Litigator of the Week
the first-ever California trial relating to J&J’s talc-based Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower products and their alleged link to ovarian cancer. After trial, the court entered judgment notwithstanding the verdict for the J&J defendants and, in the alternative, granted J&J’s motion for a new trial
Brius Management Co., California’s largest operator of skilled nursing facilities, in a jury trial in Los Angeles Superior Court involving breach of contract claims brought by a former investor. Following a mistrial caused by an outbreak of COVID-19, and prior to a retrial, the case resolved on terms favorable to Mr. Cachán’s client.
NBCUniversal:
and KNBC-TV in a one-month jury trial in Los Angeles Superior Court involving claims of age discrimination brought by a journalist formerly employed by the station
in connection with claims by actor Gabrielle Union over workplace issues on the competition talent show “America’s Got Talent”
in an arbitration involving profits from a series of popular made-for-television movies
Dick Clark Productions in a bench trial in federal court alleging breach of a production agreement, brought by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association over rights to the Golden Globes awards show.
Rysher Entertainment in a two-week jury trial in a suit brought by the actor Don Johnson, involving his alleged share of profits from a popular television show.
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company in a jury trial against the city of Los Angeles for damages sustained as a result of the unplanned shut-off of a refining tank.
Mr. Cachán is active in the legal community. He is a board member of Public Counsel, the largest provider of pro bono legal services in the United States. He also is an honorary trustee of the Mexican-American Bar Foundation, which provides scholarship assistance to Latino law students. Mr. Cachán previously served as a member of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation of the State Bar of California, which evaluates all candidates under consideration for a judicial appointment by the governor. He is past president of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers in Los Angeles. Mr. Cachán is the son of Cuban exiles and is fluent in Spanish.
PARTNER WITH LIEFF CABRASER
A relentless and principled advocate, Kenneth S. Byrd is a partner in Lieff Cabraser’s Nashville office and an experienced trial attorney who has obtained several large jury verdicts against major tobacco companies. He received the Tennessee Association for Justice’s 2015 Paladin Award for his successful litigation against cigarette manufacturers R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Philip Morris USA Inc., and Lorillard Tobacco Company in Florida federal courts. The Paladin Award is TAJ’s highest honor and is given to the state’s top trial lawyer of the year. His work in these cases included securing separate jury verdicts of $27 million and $41 million, both upheld on appeal.
Kenny represents clients in mass tort cases, defective product cases, and consumer fraud litigation. He represents consumers in class actions as well as injured individuals and families in personal injury and wrongful death cases nationwide. His leadership roles include appointments to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and Early Vetting Subcommittee in In re 3M Combat Arms Earplug Liability Litigation, MDL 2885 (the largest MDL in U.S. history), and to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In re AME Church Employee Retirement Fund Litigation, MDL 3035.
Kenny is also a member of Lieff Cabraser’s Whistleblower/False Claims Act practice group, helping whistleblowers expose fraud and the misuse of government funds.
Areas of Practice
Consumer protection and defective products.
Education
Boston College Law School, J.D., cum laude (2004)
Samford University, B.S. in Mathematics, minor in Journalism (1995), cum laude
Bar Admissions
Tennessee (2004)
U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit (2009)
U.S. District Court, District of Colorado (2019)
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (2016)
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan (2020)
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee (2006)
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee (2005)
U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee (2007)
Published Works & Presentations
Faculty, “Texas Two Step. When Insurance is Gone and the Bankruptcy Court Is Not: Mass Torts in Crisis,” Mississippi Association for Justice Winter CLE Seminar (2022)
Speaker, “Mass Torts/Class Actions and Bankruptcy Issues,” Trial Lawyers of Mass Torts Inaugural Conference (2022)
Co-author, ABA Survey of Federal Circuit Court’s Class Action Decisions (2018)
Professional Associations
American Bar Association
American Constitution Society, Nashville Chapter
Camp Ridgecrest Alumni & Friends (Board Member)
Harry Phillips American Inn of Court, Nashville Chapter
Historic Edgefield, Inc. (President, 2009–2011)
Nashville Bar Association
Tennessee Bar Association
Tennessee Trial Lawyers Board of Directors
Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association (Board of Governors)
Awards and Media
Best Lawyers in America (Consumer Protection, Personal Injury Litigation–Plaintiffs, Product Liability Litigation–Plaintiffs), 2018–2024
Lawyer of the Year, Product Liability Litigation (Nashville), 2023
Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers in America, 2021–2023
Outstanding Private Practice Antitrust Achievement, American Antitrust Institute, 2020
Media interview, “Full Measure Talks to Kenny Byrd About the ‘Forgotten’ Tobacco War,” 2019
Adjunct Faculty, Vanderbilt Law School, “The Practice of Aggregate Litigation,” 2018–present
Media coverage in Nashville Scene (2015, 2017)
Paladin Award, Tennessee Association for Justice, 2015
Super Lawyers Rising Star for Mid-South, 2014
CHAIR OF MUNGER TOLLES & OLSON
Brad Brian is a national trial lawyer and Chair of Munger, Tolles & Olson.
A complex civil and criminal litigator, Mr. Brian is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He was recently named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2025 LA500 List of the most influential people in Los Angeles. He is recognized by both Chambers USA and Chambers Global as one of the top trial lawyers in the country, having been ranked in Band 1 in both categories. Chambers USA calls him “heavyweight litigator for the full range of commercial and criminal trials” and highlights client feedback that he is “among the best to handle big-ticket litigation.”
Mr. Brian has served as lead trial and litigation counsel in some of the largest crisis cases in the country over the past 10 years, including: (a) Hawaiian Electric in the Maui wildfire litigation; (b) PG&E in its civil and criminal litigation arising from Northern California wildfires; (c) MGM Resorts in the litigation arising from the 2017 terrorist shooting at the Mandalay Bay Hotel; and (d) the offshore drilling giant Transocean in the criminal and civil litigation arising out of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy. Mr. Brian won significant trial victories for Transocean, PG&E in the criminal case arising from the Zogg fire, Jeffrey Gundlach and DoubleLine Capital in a trial against Trust Company of the West, and Rhonda Byrne (the author of The Secret).
Mr. Brian was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2025 edition for Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Corporate Compliance Law; Corporate Governance Law; and Criminal Defense: White-Collar, and in 2013 he was named its “Lawyer of the Year” for Bet-the-Company Litigation.
Partner with Gibson Dunn
Kimberly Branscome is a partner in the Century City Office, and co-chair of the Mass Torts and Product Liability practice. She is a first-chair trial lawyer and litigation strategist whose practice covers product liability, mass torts, and complex commercial litigation. She serves as lead counsel in pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer product, and industrial litigation, and has tried cases to verdict in federal and state courts across the country. Her practice also includes professional liability, environmental and toxic tort matters, and securities class actions.
Kim serves as national counsel in large multidistrict litigations and coordinated proceedings, including matters brought on behalf of thousands of claimants, and advises clients at every stage of a case. Her work spans case strategy, bellwether selection, expert development, and dispositive motion practice through trial, and extends to crisis management. She is frequently brought in to try cases that are especially sensitive or that carry the risk of threatening a client’s business. Chambers USA has reported client comments describing her as one of the leading lawyers in this area and as a lawyer clients trust to try their cases.
Kim’s clients are principally large multinational manufacturers and life sciences, consumer products, energy, and automotive companies.
Representative Experience:
• Lead trial counsel for Bayer in a consolidated proceeding in Washington state court alleging injuries from polychlorinated biphenyl exposure caused by its subsidiary Monsanto Company, securing complete defense verdicts on the claims of 11 of the 15 plaintiffs.
• Lead trial counsel for Johnson & Johnson in securing multiple complete defense verdicts in litigation alleging that its talc-based baby powder contained asbestos that caused plaintiffs to develop mesothelioma. The Daily Journal named the results Top Defense Verdicts in 2018 and 2019, and Law360 included them among the Top Product Liability Cases of 2018.
• Lead defense and lead trial counsel for 3M in the multibillion-dollar Combat Arms earplug multidistrict litigation, one of the largest federal MDLs in U.S. history, brought by service members alleging hearing loss from a product supplied to the military, securing multiple favorable verdicts.
• Liaison and lead trial counsel for GSK in the coordinated California Zantac proceedings brought by thousands of claimants alleging that the medication has carcinogenic properties.
• Defense counsel for General Motors in federal multidistrict and parallel state litigation concerning vehicle ignition switches, securing victories in the second federal bellwether trial and the first state bellwether trial.
• Counsel for BP in the multidistrict and related civil litigation arising from the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion and Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and in the parallel multidistrict securities fraud litigation alleging that the company and other defendants materially misrepresented its stock before and immediately after the explosion.
• Counsel for Aon in professional liability litigation.
• Defense counsel for Omega Flex in product liability litigation alleging that its CSST flexible steel gas piping was defective.
Kim has also represented pharmaceutical companies including Merck, Pfizer, Hoffmann-La Roche, and AstraZeneca.
Kim is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, The Trial Lawyer Honorary Society. Law360 named her a Product Liability MVP in 2025, and International Financial Law Review named her Product Liability Lawyer of the Year the same year. The Daily Journal has included her among the Top 100 Lawyers in California in 2019 and 2025 and among the state’s Top Women Lawyers from 2019 to 2021, and the Los Angeles Business Journal named her one of its Most Influential Women Lawyers in 2025. She has also been named to Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in America for 2025 and 2026 and its 500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management for 2026, to Forbes’ America’s Top 200 Lawyers in 2024, and to The American Lawyer’s West Trailblazers in 2022. Recently, Kim was recognized in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for Product Liability Litigation – Defendants.
Chambers USA has ranked Kim in Product Liability & Mass Torts (USA) since 2023, where a client described her as a “fearless trial lawyer.” The Legal 500 US recognizes her in its product liability, mass tort, and class action defense categories across consumer products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and toxic torts.
Prior to entering private practice, Kim served as a law clerk to the Honorable J.L. Edmondson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from 2007 to 2008.
Kim earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2007. She received a Bachelor of Engineering in biomedical engineering and chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2004.
Co-Founder & CEO, Covalynt
Don Beshada is a litigator and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in large-scale litigation and legal marketing, having served as a Partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath before founding boutique firm Beshada Farnese LLP. As CEO of Covalynt, he ensures that every methodology the platform produces is defensible where it matters most: in negotiations, in settlements, and with courts.
Partner with White & Case
Michael Andolina focuses his practice on working with clients to manage crises and defend and resolve complex multiparty and multi-jurisdictional matters. He handles a diverse range of litigation matters in state and federal courts across the country, with an emphasis on resolving large scale litigation in multiple forums.
Mike has extensive experience advising clients in connection with mass tort and other crisis management situations, including coordinating and conducting investigations, engaging with regulators and law enforcement, developing litigation strategy, and defending clients through all stages of litigation. Currently, he serves as lead resolution counsel for the Boy Scouts of America in their pending Chapter 11 restructuring proceedings. He also represents 3M Company in connection with the Combat Arms Earplug multi-district litigation pending in the Northern District of Florida, the largest MDL in US history. Mike was recognized by the MDL Court as an “MDL MVP” for his role in negotiating a settlement structure to resolve more than 250,000 claims again 3M relating to alleged hearing loss.
Mike has also represented Honda in numerous capacities in connection with the Takata airbag recalls, the largest vehicle recall in history, including in multidistrict litigation pending in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, In re Takata Airbag Products Liability Litigation, where plaintiffs allege both economic product defect and personal injury claims against numerous automobile manufacturer defendants and Takata within a single proceeding. Mike also represents Honda in Takata’s worldwide restructuring proceedings, which have been described by industry experts as the most complex multinational proceedings in history, and in connection with litigation brought by state attorneys general.
In June 2019, Mike was named by Crain’s Chicago Business as a Notable Gen X Leader in Law. He was also recognized in February 2018 with the International Law Office’s “2018 Client Choice Award,” which honors partners and law firms worldwide that provide “excellent client care” and are nominated only by corporate counsel.
Previously, Mike served as the deputy head of litigation at a large firm in Chicago, where he practiced for more than 20 years.
Partner, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
David Stellings represents consumers and small businesses from around the world in complex litigation in federal and state courts.
For the last 25+ years, Mr. Stellings has focused on product liability, consumer fraud, financial fraud, and breach of contract cases. His clients and class members have received more than $17.5 billion as a result of his advocacy.
Mr. Stellings is Court-appointed co-lead counsel in a large multidistrict class action litigation pending in federal court in Los Angeles. Plaintiffs allege certain auto part makers and automobile manufacturers – including ZF-TRW, Hyundai-Kia, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Honda, and Fiat Chrysler – caused consumers to buy and overpay for millions of cars that have defective airbag and seat belt systems. These defective safety systems have led to a number of deaths and serious injuries. In 2023 Plaintiffs and Toyota entered into a settlement valued at more than $148 million, pending final approval of the Court. The litigation against the other defendants continues.
Mr. Stellings is Court-appointed co-lead counsel in another defective-airbag-related multidistrict class action litigation pending in federal court in Atlanta. Plaintiffs allege airbag manufacturer ARC, along with several other part suppliers and automakers, manufactured and sold more than 50 million vehicles with defective airbags that sometimes explode in a crash, and send razor-sharp pieces of steel shrapnel into the faces, necks and bodies of drivers and passengers.
Mr. Stellings is co-lead counsel in a class action in federal court in Miami against truck manufacturer Hino. Plaintiffs allege Hino engaged in various types of emission cheating, and that as a result Hino purchasers paid too much for their trucks. The parties agreed to settle the case for $237.5 million plus valuable extended and additional warranties. The settlement is subject to Court approval.
Mr. Stellings is co-lead counsel in a case in federal court in Northern California against General Motors, in which plaintiffs allege the airbags in millions of GM trucks are calibrated improperly to fail to deploy in certain types of moderate and severe crashes, which can lead to serious injuries and/or death.
Mr. Stellings is a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in a multidistrict litigation pending in federal court in Pittsburgh against Philips Respironics and its parent companies. Plaintiffs allege defendants manufactured and sold more than 10 million defective CPAP machines, which caused economic damage and physical injuries to the people who bought and used the machines.
Mr. Stellings is part of the leadership team in the historic Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” multidistrict litigation, in which plaintiffs alleged that Volkswagen intentionally and systematically cheated its customers, lied to the government, and misled the public about the emissions of its diesel engine vehicles sold under the Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche brands. The Court approved a settlement relating to 2.0-Liter engines worth approximately $10 billion in cash, as well as a 3.0-Liter engine settlement with an estimated value between $1.2 and $4 billion. The Court also approved a separate $327.5 million settlement with Bosch for designing the “defeat device” software in the affected VW vehicle engines. Class members in these cases recovered 100% of their alleged economic damages.
Mr. Stellings is a member of the leadership team in the Takata exploding airbag multidistrict litigation. Plaintiffs in that case allege that more than 40 million class members were damaged when airbag manufacturer Takata and several major automobile manufacturers knowingly exposed them to the risk of being killed or injured by shrapnel from exploding airbags. Certain automaker defendants in the case have settled for a total of more than $1.5 billion, and the litigation continues against the remaining defendants.
Mr. Stellings was on the leadership team in a case against various automakers who allegedly cheated fuel economy tests for certain gasoline-powered vehicles, and as a result, represented to regulators and consumers that the vehicles obtained better fuel economy than they actually did. The litigation and intensive settlement negotiations resulted in a non-reversionary $96.5 million settlement that provides class members “full compensation”-i.e., 100¢ on the dollar- for their alleged losses.
Mr. Stellings led a similar class action against Porsche for fuel economy cheating. The case settled for more than $80 million, close to 100% of the economic damages class members experienced.
Mr. Stellings was part of the leadership team in the Fiat Chrysler “EcoDiesel” multidistrict litigation, in which plaintiffs alleged that Fiat Chrysler and Bosch designed and installed cheating emissions software in more than 100,000 vehicles. The Court approved a settlement that required Fiat Chrysler to fix the vehicles, and provided class members $307.5 million in cash plus a valuable extended warranty.
Litigation Partner and Co-Leader of the Mass Tort Bankruptcy Practice at Otterbourg P.C.
Adam C. Silverstein is a litigation partner and Co-Leader of the Mass Tort Bankruptcy Practice at Otterbourg P.C. With more than thirty years of experience as a complex commercial litigator, he has successfully first-chaired jury and non-jury trials through verdict, litigated arbitrations through award and confirmation, and argued appeals in both federal and state courts in New York and across the country.
Over the past several years, Mr. Silverstein has represented hundreds of thousands of individuals harmed by defective products whose claims were forced into bankruptcy proceedings rather than traditional court litigation or settlement negotiations.
Most recently, Mr. Silverstein delivered both the opening and closing arguments on behalf of an ad hoc group of law firms that successfully opposed confirmation and secured dismissal of the Red River Talc LLC (Johnson & Johnson talcum powder) bankruptcy. The outcome benefited thousands of women who developed ovarian cancer following exposure to Johnson & Johnson talcum powder products by preserving their ability to choose how to pursue their claims.
Mr. Silverstein also delivered the opening argument and much of the closing argument in the successful trial to dismiss the In re Aearo Technologies LLC (3M Combat Arms Earplugs) bankruptcy on behalf of the Official Committee and more than 225,000 combat veterans and service members. Following dismissal of the bankruptcy case, claimants reached settlements totaling more than $6 billion.
In addition to representing official committees, ad hoc committees, MDL leadership, governmental entities, and other claimants in filed and potential mass tort bankruptcies, Mr. Silverstein has extensive experience representing secured creditors in enforcing and defending their rights in bankruptcy, federal, and state courts, as well as through negotiated workouts. He also maintains an active commercial litigation practice focused on real estate disputes and corporate governance and control matters.
Mr. Silverstein has been selected for inclusion in New York Super Lawyers each year from 2009 to the present and has long held an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, and the American Bankruptcy Institute. His closing argument on behalf of MasterCard in the FIFA World Cup injunction trial is quoted in Andrew Jennings’ FOUL! The Secret World of FIFA: Bribes, Vote-Rigging and Ticket Scandals (paperback edition, 2008).
Education
B.A., with distinction in all subjects, Cornell University (1988)
J.D., cum laude, University of Pennsylvania (1992)
Founding Partner of Seeger Weiss LLP
Christopher A. Seeger is a founding partner of Seeger Weiss LLP and one of the nation’s leading plaintiff attorneys, widely recognized for his leadership in complex multidistrict litigations and class actions involving drug injury, toxic exposure, and mass torts. His practice also includes product liability, antitrust, third-party payer, and consumer fraud litigation. A 2020 ALM study found that he received more MDL appointments than any other lawyer between 2016 and 2019.
As proposed counsel for the proposed class in the Roundup Products Liability Litigation, Chris negotiated a $7.25 billion proposed settlement for individuals across the United States who were exposed to Roundup products and were or will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Chris has held court-appointed leadership roles in many of the most consequential litigations in U.S. history. He was selected by Judge M. Casey Rodgers as co-lead counsel in the 3M Combat Arms Earplug Litigation, representing more than 250,000 service members and veterans and helping secure a landmark settlement exceeding $6 billion in 2023. He was also appointed co-lead counsel by Judge Joy Flowers Conti in the Philips Recalled CPAP Litigation, where he served as lead negotiator for settlements totaling more than $1.6 billion.
In the National Prescription Opioid Litigation, Chris served on the Executive and Settlement Committees by appointment of Judge Dan A. Polster and played a key role in negotiating more than $60 billion in settlements. He also served as co-lead counsel in the Proton-Pump Inhibitor Litigation, where settlements totaling $590.4 million were announced in 2023.
Chris was appointed Plaintiffs’ Lead Negotiation Counsel in the national Talcum Powder Litigation, where he is responsible for leading global settlement negotiations on behalf of injured consumers. He was appointed Plaintiffs’ Lead Counsel in the Class Action Settlement Administration Litigation and Depo-Provera Products Liability Litigation, while also serving as Plaintiffs’ Coordinating Counsel in the MultiPlan Health Insurance Providers Litigation.
Over his career, Chris has helped secure historic resolutions including a $4.85 billion settlement over Vioxx, a $21 billion-plus settlement arising from the Volkswagen and Audi “clean diesel” scandal, a $1.5 billion settlement for farmers harmed by Syngenta GMO seed contamination, and a $1 billion-plus uncapped settlement in the NFL concussion litigation.
Chris began his career as a corporate defense lawyer before turning to plaintiff-side advocacy after witnessing the imbalance of power between corporations and injured individuals. The son of a union carpenter, he is a former amateur boxer and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, and he is frequently quoted by national and international media.
Founder of Monsour Law Firm
Douglas C. Monsour, or Doug Monsour, is a trial lawyer who handles important and significant injury cases in Texas and across the nation[cite: 12]. He is one of a handful of trial lawyers who have successfully tried multiple pharmaceutical, medical device, and mass tort product liability cases as the lead lawyer[cite: 12]. He also vigorously represents injured oil field workers, victims of 18-wheeler wrecks, industrial accident victims, and those that have been severely burned[cite: 12].
Trial Success
Doug is known for his abilities in the courtroom[cite: 12]. Recently, Doug secured two major trial victories in the 3M Combat Arms version 2 earplug litigation[cite: 12]. On December 10, 2021, a Tallahassee, Florida Federal Court jury awarded U.S. Army veteran T.J. Finley $22.5 million for hearing loss suffered due to his defective Combat Arms version 2 earplugs[cite: 12]. A few months later, on April 29, 2022, a Federal Court jury in Gainesville, Florida awarded $2.2 million to U.S. Army veteran Jonathan Vaughn for his hearing loss suffered from wearing the defective Combat Arms version 2 earplugs[cite: 12]. The Finley v. 3M verdict was listed by The National Law Journal as one of the Top 100 verdicts of 2021[cite: 12]. In fact, this verdict was the very first verdict in the entire 3M litigation to ever make the Top 100 list[cite: 12]. Both trials were defended by international law firm Kirkland & Ellis[cite: 12].
Previously, in November 2014, Doug served as the lead lawyer in a transvaginal mesh case involving four women implanted with the Obtryx sling system to treat stress urinary incontinence[cite: 12]. After an almost month-long trial, the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiffs in the amount of $18.5 million[cite: 12]. This was the first verdict against Boston Scientific in the Federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL) for any of its incontinence sling products.(Wilson et al v. Boston Scientific Corp., WV, MDL 2326)[cite: 12].
In 2004, Doug’s trial skills were tested by pharmaceutical giant Wyeth[cite: 12]. He served as lead lawyer in two very significant Fen-Phen cases[cite: 12]. In the first case, Wyeth hired world famous defense lawyer Dan Webb of Chicago’s legal Goliath, Winston & Strawn, to defend them[cite: 12]. In the third week of the trial, Wyeth relented and settled for a confidential sum[cite: 12]. In the second case, Wyeth retained Houston mega-firm Vinson & Elkins to defend them[cite: 12]. Wyeth again relented, and just before closing arguments settled for a confidential sum[cite: 12].
In addition to these trials, Doug has tried over thirty cases of various types including oil field injuries, defective drugs, defective medical devices, medical malpractice, trucking (18-wheeler) wrecks, industrial accidents, car wrecks, civil rights and malicious prosecution[cite: 12].
Doug is triple board certified[cite: 12]. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trail Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization[cite: 12]. In addition, he is a Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy[cite: 12]. Furthermore, he is Board Certified in Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy by the National Board of Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy[cite: 12].
Senior Litigation Counsel at Parker Waichman LLP
Jason Goldstein is Senior Litigation Counsel at Parker Waichman LLP, where he represents individuals harmed by defective pharmaceuticals and medical devices in complex litigation nationwide.
Mr. Goldstein currently serves as Co-Chair of the Executive Committee and Federal-State Court Liaison in In re: Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAs) Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3163*, a coordinated federal proceeding involving allegations that GLP-1 receptor agonist medications caused non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and permanent vision loss. In this leadership role, he helps oversee national discovery strategy, expert development, and coordinated case management on behalf of plaintiffs across the country.
He also serves as a Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee Member in In re: Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAs) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3094* and as a PSC Member in In re: Exactech Polyethylene Orthopedic Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3044*, where he assists in managing complex pharmaceutical and medical device litigation involving coordinated national discovery and strategy.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Goldstein was a member of the trial team in the landmark talc litigation, including Ingham v. Johnson & Johnson, 2018 (22nd Judicial Circuit, City of St. Louis, Missouri), where a jury returned a multibillion-dollar verdict on behalf of women alleging that long-term talcum powder use caused ovarian cancer. He was also involved in the DePuy Pinnacle hip implant litigation, contributing to coordinated discovery efforts and trial preparation in one of the most significant medical device proceedings in the country. Mr. Goldstein has worked closely with leading national trial counsel, including The Lanier Law Firm and renowned trial attorney Mark Lanier, in complex multidistrict and coordinated state court proceedings.
He earned his Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and received his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University. Mr. Goldstein is admitted to practice law in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, as well as before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (EDPA), the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), and the District of New Jersey (DNJ).
He has been recognized by his peers for his work in complex litigation and has been selected to Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers for his contributions in the field of mass tort and product liability litigation.
Through his leadership appointments and litigation experience, Mr. Goldstein has established himself as a trusted advocate in national pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, representing individuals and families confronting life-altering injuries.
Member of Otterbourg, PC
Judge Melanie L. Cyganowski (ret.) became a Member of the Firm in 2008, after serving a full 14-year term as a Bankruptcy Judge in the Eastern District of New York. From November 29, 2005 through the end of her term, she was the Chief Judge of the Court. Ms. Cyganowski now serves as Chair of the Firm’s Restructuring and Bankruptcy Department.
Ms. Cyganowski practices in insolvency and bankruptcy litigation, and is also an active mediator, having mediated cases in bankruptcy and federal cases throughout the country. Ms. Cyganowski represents debtors, creditors’ committees and has also been appointed to various fiduciary positions in several large and complex bankruptcy cases. Ms. Cyganowski has developed particular expertise in contract interpretation and enforcement, breach of fiduciary duty, examination of transactions, fraudulent conveyance and the pursuit of claims in bankruptcy.
Some representative matters include:
Ms. Cyganowski is a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy, on the Editorial Advisory Board of Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Practice & Law, and an adjunct professor at St. John’s University School of Law. She is active in philanthropic organizations, including Tina’s Wish. Ms. Cyganowski has given presentations and/or written articles sponsored by American Bankruptcy Institute, American Bar Association, New York Institute of Credit, TMA and Federal Bar Council.
Education:
B.A., Grinnell College, 1974
J.D., magna cum laude, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1981
Partner with Dechert LLP
Mark S. Cheffo, co-chair of Dechert’s global litigation practice, has extensive experience serving as national coordinating and trial counsel in complex product liability, insurance and mass torts litigation. He acts for corporations and individuals in the pharmaceutical, medical device manufacturing, bioengineering, insurance and industrial products industries, amongst others. Mr. Cheffo has also handled numerous toxic and environmental exposure suits.
Mr. Cheffo has taken part in several trial teams in high-profile pharmaceutical litigation, managing all stages of a dispute from negotiation, through pre-trial proceedings to trial. In addition to defending expert and company witness depositions, Mr. Cheffo has briefed and conducted numerous Daubert and Frye challenges. He has also briefed and argued dispositive motions and appeals in state and federal courts throughout the United States. Mr. Cheffo also has considerable experience conducting arbitrations and mediations relating to disputes.
Widely recognized as a leader in the field, Mr. Cheffo holds a Band 1 ranking from Chambers USA and is acknowledged as a Leading Lawyer by The Legal 500 U.S. for product liability and mass torts matters. He earned the title of “Litigator of the Week” from The American Lawyer for representing GSK and Saint- Gobain. In 2024, Who’s Who Legal: Life Sciences recognized Mr. Cheffo as a Recommended Individual for Product Liability. In 2023, he was named a Global Elite Thought Leader for Life Sciences – Product Liability by Who’s Who Legal and received the Life Sciences Lawyer of the Year award at the Who’s Who Legal Awards 2020. BTI Consulting Group listed Mr. Cheffo as a Client Service All-Star and Product Liability Attorney of the Year by LMG Life Sciences in 2022. He was chosen as one of Law360’s MVPs of the Year in the Product Liability category in 2019 and 2020. Mr. Cheffo is part of a product liability team that has garnered numerous accolades over the past two decades, including Law360’s Practice Group of the Year for Product Liability in 2018 and 2019, and New York Law Journal’s Litigation Department of the Year for Product Liability in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Mr. Cheffo maintains an active pro bono practice, assisting clients in a variety of matters. Most notably, he obtained a judgment of more than US$1.7 million for liability and legal fees on behalf of 11 restaurant workers in New York’s Chinatown. He also obtained a jury verdict in a defamation case and obtained a directed verdict in a case brought by three plaintiffs who had been shot while in prison.
Prior to joining Dechert, Mr. Cheffo was co-chair of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan’s global product liability and mass torts practice.
Member, Carella Byrne Cecchi Brody Agnello, P.C.
James E. Cecchi founded and directs Carella Byrne’s class action practice – the preeminent consumer class action firm in the State of New Jersey and across the United States[cite: 11]. Mr. Cecchi has held leadership positions in many of the nation’s most complex and important consumer class actions effecting consumer rights in the last ten years and, under his leadership, the firm has returned billions of dollars to consumers[cite: 11]. Select representative matters are listed below[cite: 11].
Prior to joining the firm in 1994, Mr. Cecchi served in the United States Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, participating in significant criminal prosecutions involving money laundering, narcotics smuggling, and violations of federal firearms laws[cite: 11]. From 1989-1991, Mr. Cecchi served as a law clerk to the Honorable Nicholas H. Politan, United States District Judge, District of New Jersey (Ret.)[cite: 11].
In re National Prescription Opiate Litigation, MDL No. 2804 (N.D. Ohio) (Hon. Dan A. Polster) (James Cecchi appointed to Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee relating to marketing of opioid drugs[cite: 11]. Mr. Cecchi was the sole negotiator between the State of New Jersey and its subdivisions regarding the allocation of settlement funds from the nation’s largest drug distributors and Janssen Pharmaceutical, ultimately achieving a 50% allocation (more than $300,000,000.00) to the subdivisions[cite: 11].
In re: Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2672 (N.D. Cal.) (Hon. Charles R. Breyer) (James Cecchi appointed to Steering Committee and as Settlement Class Counsel; settlement in excess of $15,000,000,000 for consumer fraud and warranty claims arising from the use of a defeat device to evade U.S. emissions regulations.)[cite: 11]
In re: Takata Airbag Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2599 (S.D. Fla.) (Hon. Frederico A. Moreno) (James Cecchi appointed to Steering Committee and as Settlement Class Counsel; settlement in excess of $1,500,000,000 for consumer fraud and warranty claims arising from use of defective and dangerous airbags; the case is ongoing as it pertains to second-wave defendants, including Mercedes Benz USA.)[cite: 11]
In re: American Medical Collection Agency, Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, MDL No. 2904 (D.N.J.) (Hon. Madeline Cox Arleo) (James Cecchi appointed sole Lead Counsel in national Multi-District data breach litigation.)[cite: 11]
In re: Mercedes-Benz Emissions Litigation, Civil Action No. 16-cv-881 (D.N.J.) (Hon. Kevin McNulty) (James Cecchi appointed as Interim Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs and the Proposed Class in a case arising out of the alleged use of a defeat device to evade U.S. emissions regulations; settlement with value in excess of $700,000,000 granted final approval.)[cite: 11]
In Re: Vytorin/Zetia Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1938 (D.N.J.) (Hon. Dennis M. Cavanaugh); In re Schering-Plough/Enhance Securities Litigation, Civil Action No.: 08-cv-397 (D.N.J.) (Hon. Dennis M. Cavanaugh); In re Merck & Co., Inc. Vytorin/Zetia Securities Litigation, Civil Action No.: 08-cv-2177 (D.N.J.) (Hon. Dennis M. Cavanaugh) (consumer and securities fraud claims arising from marketing and sale of anti-cholesterol drugs Vytorin and Zetia) (Co-Lead Counsel in Consumer Cases which settled for $41,500,000 and Liaison Counsel in Securities Cases which collectively settled for $688,000,000.)[cite: 11]
In re: Liquid Aluminum Sulfate Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2687 (D.N.J.) (Hon. Jose L. Linares) (James Cecchi appointed as Lead Counsel and secured a settlement of greater than $100,000,000.)[cite: 11]
In Re Effexor XR Antitrust Litigation, Civil Action No. 11-cv-5661 (D.N.J.) (Hon. Joel A. Pisano) (claims on behalf of indirect purchasers of brand-name drug alleging that manufacturer obtained patent by fraud and enforced patent by sham litigation to maintain illegal monopoly of brand-name drug[cite: 11]. James Cecchi appointed as Chair of Plaintiffs’ Indirect Purchaser Executive Committee.)[cite: 11]
Davis Landscape v. Hertz Equipment Rental, Civil Action No. 06-cv-3830 (D.N.J.) (Hon. Dennis M. Cavanaugh) (Co-Lead Counsel in settlement valued at over $50,000,000 on behalf of contested nationwide class asserting claims that HERTZ’ loss/damage waiver charges violated the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act because it provides no benefit to customers.)[cite: 11]
In Re: Merck & Co., Inc., Securities, Derivative & “ERISA” Litigation, MDL No. 1658 (D.N.J.) (Hon. Stanley R. Chesler) (securities fraud claims arising from Merck’s failure to disclose problems with commercial viability of anti-pain drug Vioxx which settled for more than $1,000,000,000.)[cite: 11]
In re: Mercedes-Benz Tele-Aid Contract Litigation, MDL No. 1914 (Hon. Dickson R. Debevoise) (Co-Lead Counsel in $40,000,000 settlement of consumer fraud claims arising from Mercedes’ failure to notify Tele-Aid customers of mandated change from analog to digital system, and charging customers to replace system Mercedes knew would be obsolete.)[cite: 11]
Partner with Dechert LLP
Sheila L. Birnbaum, a partner in Dechert’s product liability and mass torts practice, focuses on complex product liability, mass torts and insurance litigation. She is one of the country’s preeminent product liability defense lawyers, having served as national counsel or lead defense counsel for numerous Fortune 500 companies in some of the largest and most complex tort cases in the United States. She has also argued many influential appeals in appellate courts across the United States, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ms. Birnbaum is national co-counsel for Purdue Pharma in over 1,000 federal and state lawsuits brought by state attorneys general, cities, municipalities, hospitals, third-party payers and others arising out of the marketing of opioid medications. She was co-lead counsel for Pfizer in over 600 birth defects cases in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) pending in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, alleging that the use of Zoloft during pregnancy caused birth defects. The team won a key Daubert ruling striking Plaintiffs’ experts and dismissing the cases on summary judgment, which was affirmed by the Third Circuit. She also served as co-national counsel for Pfizer in defending claims by thousands of Plaintiffs alleging Pfizer’s statin medication, Lipitor, caused them to develop type 2 diabetes. Thousands of cases were dismissed on summary judgment after the MDL judge in South Carolina struck Plaintiffs’ experts in a Daubert ruling that was affirmed by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Birnbaum is also representing Saint Gobain Performance Plastics in medical monitoring class actions and personal injury cases arising out of ground water containing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). She was a lead national counsel for Wyeth in their hormone therapy litigation in both federal and state court and led the company’s strategy in negotiating thousands of settlements to end the litigation.
Ms. Birnbaum has won three cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, including State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company v. Campbell where the Supreme Court reversed a US$145 million punitive damages award against the company as unconstitutionally excessive. She won a unanimous victory in the U.S. Supreme Court in Warger v. Shauers. The case resolved a long-standing circuit split regarding the application of Federal Rules of Evidence 606(b), which generally prohibits testimony of jurors about statements made during deliberations when the testimony is offered in an inquiry into the validity of a verdict. She also successfully argued Buckley v. Metro North, a landmark case involving medical monitoring and risk of injury.
As the court-appointed mediator in federal court, Ms. Birnbaum mediated a US$500 million settlement for 92 families of victims of the 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attack. In 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder appointed her to serve as special master of the reactivated September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. She distributed nearly US$2 billion to claimants over the five years she oversaw the fund.
In addition to her legal achievements, Ms. Birnbaum has led an active career as an academic, becoming the first tenured woman professor of law at Fordham University Law School, and was a professor of law and associate dean at New York University School of Law.
Ms. Birnbaum has been recognized by many organizations as an outstanding lawyer. She has been named by Fortune as one of the 50 most powerful women in American business, Chambers USA as a “star individual” in the area of product liability, and Crain’s New York Business as one of the 25 most influential women in New York business. She is consistently ranked as a leading lawyer by many legal publications. The National Law Journal has recognized her multiple times as one of the “100 most outstanding members of the legal profession,” in addition to being profiled as one of three most outstanding lawyers of the year. In 2010, Ms. Birnbaum was named one of the “10 Most Admired Product Liability Attorneys” of the year by Law360 and was chosen as the leading product liability lawyer in the world by Who’s Who Legal in its product liability defense lawyers category each year since its inception in 2005. Chambers USA describes her as the “queen of mass torts” and “a powerhouse and a go to lawyer.” In 2020, Ms. Birnbaum was selected as one of Law360’s MVPs of the Year in the Product Liability category. Ms. Birnbaum is a member of Dechert’s nationally recognized team of product liability and mass tort lawyers, ranked Band 1 for Nationwide Product Liability & Mass Torts: The Elite by Chambers USA, named in 2018 and 2019 as Practice Group of the Year for Product Liability by Law360, and Litigation Department of the Year for Product Liability by New York Law Journal in 2019 and 2020. Recently, Ms. Birnbaum was listed by BTI Consulting Group as a 2022 Client Service All-Star.
She has received numerous other honors, including the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award from the American Bar Association, the John L. McCloy Memorial Award from the Fund for Modern Courts and the Law and Society Award from the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. She is also the recipient of the New York University Law Alumni Award for outstanding achievement in the legal profession, the George A. Katz Torch of Learning Award and the Milton S. Gould Award for Outstanding Appellate Advocacy. Ms. Birnbaum was honored with the Louis D. Brandeis Award by the American Jewish Congress and an award from Touro Law School for achieving the highest standards of professional excellence. She is a member of the Hunter College Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Benchmark Litigation Annual Awards and the New York Law Journal.
Partner with Arnold & Porter
Anand Agneshwar co-chairs the firm’s Product Liability Litigation practice group. Anand represents pharmaceutical and consumer product companies as national, strategic, trial, and appellate counsel in product liability litigation and related litigation. His experience includes bench and jury trials, numerous bench hearings, and hundreds of significant arguments in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. He is recognized nationwide for his courtroom presence and strategic acumen and was the architect of the personal jurisdiction theory that ultimately prevailed in Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California. He counsels clients on litigation risks, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory issues, and the litigation and compliance impact of potential legislation. Anand writes frequently on product liability and FDA issues. He maintains an active pro bono practice focusing on protecting civil liberties and chairs the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
Anand graduated from New York University School of Law, magna cum laude, in 1992, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif, Developments Editor of the NYU Law Review, and published a note entitled “Rediscovering God In The Constitution.” Following law school, he clerked for the late Honorable Harold A. Ackerman, U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey, and the Honorable Morton I. Greenberg, U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
US District Court, District of New Jersey
Hon. Rukhsanah L. Singh is a United States Magistrate Judge in the Trenton Vicinage of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey[cite: 10]. She is an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall University School of Law and routinely speaks on topics involving a broad range of discovery issues, such as electronic discovery, as well as pretrial practices, particularly in complex and multidistrict litigation[cite: 10]. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Singh was an Assistant General Counsel for Litigation at BASF Corporation and previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York[cite: 10]. Judge Singh also practiced at a midsize firm in New Jersey and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joel A. Pisano, U.S.D.J., in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, as well as to the Honorable Roberto A. Rivera-Soto, Associate Justice in the New Jersey Supreme Court[cite: 10]. Judge Singh received her B.A. from Davidson College and her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law[cite: 10].
United States District Judge, District of New Jersey
The Honorable Brian R. Martinotti, U.S.D.J., was appointed to serve as a United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey on July 11, 2016, by former President Barack Obama[cite: 8]. Judge Martinotti graduated cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law and from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance[cite: 8]. Prior to becoming a federal judge, Judge Martinotti served as a New Jersey Superior Court Judge from 2002 to 2016[cite: 8]. He sat in both the Family Division and the Civil Division in Bergen County[cite: 8]. While assigned to the Civil Division, he was one of the state’s three Multi-County Litigation judges handling mass torts and complex litigation[cite: 8]. Over the course of his judicial tenure in state and federal court, Judge Martinotti has presided over thirteen Multi-District and Multi-County Litigations[cite: 8].
Judge Martinotti is the recipient of the 2020 Hon. Peter Ciolino Professionalism Award from the Bergen County Bar Association, the recipient of the Congressman Peter Rodino Medal of Excellence from Seton Hall School of Law, a 2018 Tri-County Scholarship Fund Honoree, a Fellow of the American Bar Association, and an elected member of the American Law Institute[cite: 8]. Judge Martinotti is a frequent lecturer for the American Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association Institute for Continuing Legal Education, New Jersey Association for Justice, and the Bergen County Bar Association[cite: 8]. He has published in the Manual for Complex Litigation and the Loyola University Chicago Law Journal on the topic of Multi-District and Multi-County Litigation and has been recognized by the Fordham Law Review and JAMs for developing and implementing innovative methods of resolving complex litigation[cite: 8]. He is also a member of the Judicial Advisory Board for the Institute for Complex Litigation and Mass Claims at the Emory University School of Law, and as well as a co-chair of the Federal/State subcommittee, which continues to promote state and federal cooperation, particularly in the complex litigation arena[cite: 8]. He is a member of the RAND Kenneth R. Feinberg Center for Catastrophic Risk Management and Compensation Advisory Board and was appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts to be on the Editorial Board for Federal Judicial Center’s Manual for Complex Litigation[cite: 8].
Prior to being appointed to the State bench, Judge Martinotti was in private practice with the law firm of Beattie Padovano, LLC, from 1987 until 2002, beginning as an associate and eventually being elevated to partner in 1994[cite: 8]. While in private practice, Judge Martinotti was a distinguished and well-regarded litigator and Certified Civil Trial Attorney[cite: 8]. He was a council member for the Borough of Cliffside Park and also served other towns in various roles as municipal public defender, prosecutor, and tax attorney[cite: 8]. Judge Martinotti began his legal career by serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Judge Roger M. Kahn of the New Jersey Tax Court[cite: 8].
US District Court, District of New Jersey
Christine P. O’Hearn was sworn in as a United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey on October 25, 2021[cite: 9]. She spent 28 years as an attorney at Brown & Connery, LLP in Westmont, New Jersey, first as an associate and then as a partner[cite: 9]. She practiced complex civil litigation with a focus on employment defense litigation in state and federal courts[cite: 9]. She is a Certified Civil Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers[cite: 9]. Judge O’Hearn received her B.A. from the University of Delaware and her J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law[cite: 9].