JaMar S. Mancano
JaMar has been a member of numerous trial teams in federal and state jurisdictions, representing pharmaceutical manufacturers in nationwide litigation. In that role, he has worked with attorneys from around the county to develop and coordinate overall litigation strategy and day-to-day handling of individual cases. He has also taken the lead in preparing opening statements, closing arguments, and witness examinations; drafting dispositive motions and other motions in limine; and working with expert witnesses in areas such as epidemiology, neurology, psychiatry, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, and pharmaceutical product labeling.
Much of JaMar’s experience also includes taking and defending depositions of both expert and fact witnesses, including prescribing and treating physicians, and preparing expert witnesses and company employees for deposition and trial. His work in this area has included lawsuits involving allegations of injuries related to antiepileptic medications, proton pump inhibitors, anti-inflammatory medications, and numerous FDA-licensed and -approved vaccines.
JaMar served as lead counsel in a case before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California related to alleged birth defects from a licensed pharmaceutical product. JaMar handled all status conferences, oral arguments, and other proceedings related to this case. He managed a team of attorneys and paralegals in coordinating fact and expert discovery, drafting and filing motions, and advising the client and settlement counsel on strategy. JaMar took depositions from fact witnesses, including the prescriber and treating physicians. JaMar also took and defended several expert witness depositions. He oversaw the drafting and argued a motion for summary judgment that was granted, successfully disposing of all claims in the action.
JaMar also plays a significant role in the representation of a leading national grocery store chain in a variety of litigation matters, including claims of alleged drug misfills and personal injury. He manages all phases of the litigation, including responding to initial pleadings and discovery requests, taking and defending depositions, drafting dispositive motions and motions in limine, settlement negotiations, and organizing overall litigation strategy and eventual trial strategy and execution, if necessary. JaMar has argued numerous motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment on behalf of this client. He was also part of a trial team that successfully obtained a defense verdict in a wrongful death case in which the plaintiff alleged that the grocery store’s pharmacy had misfilled a patient prescription when it failed to provide proper patient warnings and instructions.
In addition to handling products liability and pharmaceutical defense matters, JaMar maintains a diverse commercial litigation practice where he has represented Maryland hospitals at Medicare and Medicaid appeal hearings, large hotel and hospitality clients in premises liability matters, and a law firm to defend against claims of malpractice and discrimination.
JaMar graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland School of Law, where he was an associate editor for the Journal of Health Care Law and Policy and a writing fellow for the Legal Writing Center. During law school, JaMar spent two years working with the Access to Justice Clinic. As a member of the clinic, JaMar represented incarcerated poor and low-income people accused of nonviolent crimes at bail hearings in Baltimore City District Court. JaMar was also part of a team of students who assisted on litigation to secure legal representation for indigent criminal defendants during bail hearings before district court commissioners in the state of Maryland.
JaMar graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2009, where he was a resident assistant for the South Campus Commons for three years. He became interested in practicing law after serving as a presiding officer of the University Student Judiciary. JaMar is also a proud alumnus of the CIVICUS Living Learning Program at UMD.
Related Practices
Related Industries
Experience
Representative Matters
- Served as lead counsel for a pharmaceutical company in a lawsuit alleging birth defects from maternal use of antiepileptic medication and obtained dismissal of all claims in the action through a motion for summary judgment
- Represented a manufacturer of a coronary stent device in a lawsuit alleging cardiac injuries and obtained dismissal of all claims through a motion to dismiss on the basis of federal preemption
- Served as a member of seven trial teams for a pharmaceutical company in litigation claiming that antiepileptic medication caused birth defects and developmental delays from maternal use of the product
- Represented a vaccine manufacturer in litigation involving allegations that a vaccine causes autoimmune injuries. Contributed to overall litigation and discovery strategy and assisted in the preparation and defense of company witness depositions
- Represented the manufacturer of an adult vaccine in lawsuits alleging neurological injuries resulted from vaccination. Served as lead counsel, managed fact discovery, and took fact witness depositions, eventually leading to stipulated dismissal of all claims
- Led fact discovery in numerous lawsuits against a manufacturer of an adult vaccine alleging neurological and other bodily injuries in multidistrict litigation, taking plaintiff, prescriber, and treating physician depositions
- Worked with a team of Venable attorneys as co-national counsel in multidistrict litigation (MDL) and consolidated state court litigation involving proton pump inhibitor drugs and allegations of kidney injuries
- Represented a vaccine manufacturer in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging fraudulent conduct and worked with a team to depose the primary regulatory expert
- Served as a member of a trial team that obtained a defense verdict in Virginia state court in a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that the pharmacy misfilled a prescription and failed to warn of risks
- Represented a law firm in a lawsuit brought by a former client alleging legal malpractice and discrimination
- Represented Maryland hospitals at Medicare and Medicaid claim appeal hearings, successfully securing compensation for treatment and services provided by the hospitals
- Represented a Maryland hospital in declaratory judgment action to obtain access and approval for use of charitable funds held by the hospital
- Represented a leading American grocery store chain in a number of cases, facing allegations of pharmacy error and successfully negotiated favorable settlements
- Represented a major hotel company in numerous cases involving premises liability allegations. Led the team to identify, develop, and prepare expert witnesses to assist in defense of cases. Negotiated favorable settlements on behalf of the company
Pro Hac Vice Admissions
- California
- Florida
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- Virginia
Insights
Credentials
Education
- J.D. magna cum laude University of Maryland School of Law 2012
- Order of the Coif
- Associate editor, Journal of Health Care Law & Policy
- Writing fellow and teaching assistant
- B.A. Government & Politics University of Maryland, College Park 2009
- Omicron Delta Kappa
- CIVICUS Living and Learning Program
- Presiding officer, University Student Judiciary
Bar Admissions
- Maryland
Professional Memberships and Activities
- Member, Hiring Committee, Venable’s Baltimore office
- Member, Venable Foundation
- Member, International Association of Defense Counsel
- Member, Board of Directors, Disability Rights Maryland
- Graduate, IADC Trial Academy, Stanford Law School (an intensive, week-long program designed to develop defense trial advocacy skills), 2018
- Pathfinder, Leadership Council on Diversity, 2017
Recognition
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star, Maryland, 2021 – 2022
- The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, 2021 – 2024
- The Network Journal, 40 Under Forty, 2019
- Legal 500, Dispute resolution - Product liability, mass tort and class actions - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices, 2022 – 2024