Litigation Department of the Year, Products Liability/Mass Torts: Dechert
Dechert's 70-lawyer PLMT group has a reputation for developing new defense strategies and for moving the law. The team has a lengthy track record of securing dismissals of entire MDLs before the trial of any case.
October 22, 2020 at 01:06 PM
4 minute read
What are some of the department's most satisfying successes of the past year and why? It's been a tremendously satisfying year for Dechert. After sustained success in 2018, with high-profile court wins for Pfizer in the Zoloft and Lipitor cases, and for State Farm in a breach of contract matter against Connecticut homeowners, we maintained momentum with a run of notable successes over the ensuing 12 months. In September 2019, as national defense counsel for Purdue Pharma, we spearheaded the first proposed comprehensive global resolution of all state and federal cases against a defendant in the Opioid Litigation. As multiple state attorneys general and hundreds of counties and municipalities brought lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, Purdue was facing 2,800 cases relating to its prescription pain medication, OxyContin. Just weeks ahead of the first trial, the company announced a tentative landmark settlement valued at $10 billion to $12 billion and supported by 24 state AGs, five U.S. territories, and the lead plaintiff's counsel. Consistent with the proposed settlement, Purdue filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with the intent of ultimately transitioning its assets into a new public trust operating for public benefit. As a result, Purdue was severed from the first MDL trial and the cases against it stayed. The bankruptcy court has since enjoined all opioid-related litigation against Purdue until October 2020. The team also scored important victories for long-time client Pfizer in litigation relating to its top-selling statin, Lipitor. After securing dismissal of the MDL in June 2018, we obtained key judgments in Michigan and Missouri state courts, and, more recently in the Southern District of New York, where a federal judge found all claims barred by federal preemption and by New York's three-year statute of limitations. We also secured dismissal for Saint-Gobain in litigation relating to the tragic fire at London's Grenfell Tower in 2017. A number of UK residents and their estates brought an action in Pennsylvania, alleging that Saint-Gobain, and other U.S. companies, manufactured and supplied products that caused or contributed to the fire. SaintGobain secured an order of dismissal in March 2020 due to its lack of involvement in the fire or products at issue.
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