Product Liability and Mass Torts

Venable's product liability attorneys have won verdicts in the toughest jurisdictions in the United States and abroad. We are trial lawyers backed by a full-service firm of hundreds of attorneys with multidisciplinary backgrounds.

We have one of the most active and respected product liability and mass torts practices in the United States, serving as lead counsel for clients in a wide array of industries. We are particularly well known for our defense of pharmaceutical, vaccine, medical device, consumer products, and chemical manufacturers. Our attorneys have won verdicts named among the "top defense verdicts of the year" by the National Law Journal, and several members of our team are Fellows in the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Venable attorneys have served as lead counsel for manufacturers in federal multidistrict litigations (MDLs) and statewide coordinated proceedings in more than a dozen jurisdictions. We have also assisted clients in responding to congressional investigations and in defending against mass tort claims abroad. Our attorneys have similarly represented clients in consumer class actions, defeating class certification in federal courts across the country.

We are also skilled appellate advocates. Our product liability lawyers have won cases in the U.S. Supreme Court; the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, Fourth, Eighth, and Ninth Circuits; and numerous state appellate courts.

National Coordinating Counsel

Many of our product liability attorneys have spent decades as national coordinating counsel for major companies around the world. That experience has instilled in us a deep appreciation for business realities and a focus on the bottom line. Our attorneys have managed the overall litigation strategy for toxic tort claims and mass torts involving pharmaceutical and biotech products, medical devices, food, automobiles, industrial chemicals, consumer electronics, and construction materials.

Developing Expert Witnesses

Clients trust us to develop expert witnesses. We have led expert witness teams in multiple MDLs or mass torts, and we have strong relationships with experts in more than 50 medical fields and dozens of other industries, working with them on drafting reports, preparing and defending them at deposition, deposing plaintiffs' experts, and examining experts at trial.

Regulatory Compliance and Investigations

Our clients face challenges from many directions. We help them remain compliant with federal regulations enforced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and with state regulations like California's Proposition 65 and emerging state regulations. Clients facing a government inquiry can rely on our full-service firm to handle the investigation and any resulting regulatory enforcement, litigation, or fallout, whether it is tied to product safety, advertising and marketing compliance, patent disputes, or other regulatory needs.

Crisis and Risk Management

In times of crisis, including government investigations or product recalls, we recognize the need to not only be business-minded, but also to think broadly and strategically to manage the whole process from beginning to end. Our experienced trial attorneys employ coordinated strategies at the front end of any crisis, taking into account the legal and business issues that will play out and impact any resulting regulatory action or litigation. This includes advising on insurance coverage, public relations, all aspects of conducting a product recall, engagement of consulting experts, and management of commercial relationships.

Experience
+

  • Lead counsel for hormone replacement therapy manufacturer in federal MDL in the Eastern District of Arkansas
  • Lead counsel for contact lens solution manufacturer in statewide coordinated proceedings in Orange County, California
  • Lead counsel for prescription drug manufacturer in statewide coordinated proceedings in Orange County, California
  • Lead counsel for prescription drug manufacturer in statewide coordinated proceedings in San Francisco County, California
  • Lead counsel for prescription drug manufacturer in several multi-plaintiff proceedings in St. Clair County, Illinois
  • Lead counsel for Parkinson’s disease medication manufacturer in federal MDL in the District of Minnesota
  • Lead counsel for two prescription drug manufacturers in two separate statewide coordinated proceedings in Atlantic County, New Jersey
  • Lead counsel for prescription drug manufacturer in federal MDL in the District of New Jersey
  • Lead counsel for prescription drug manufacturer in federal MDL in the Southern District of New York
  • Lead counsel for prescription drug manufacturer in statewide coordinated proceedings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Recognition
+

  • Chambers USA
    • Client Service Award, 2016
    • Award for Excellence Shortlist, Product Liability, 2014, 2016
    • Product Liability & Mass Torts, Nationwide, 2016 – 2024
  • Legal 500, Liability and Mass Tort Defense, 2016 – 2023
  • LMG Life Sciences, Product Liability & Recall, 2019