Butler Snow is thrilled to recognize the firm’s pharmaceutical trial teams for achieving an impressive nine out of nine trial wins in 2022, resulting in an undefeated record. Garnering national attention, these trial victories highlight the elite level of expertise within Butler Snow’s Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare practice group and the consistent drive to deliver excellence to our clients across the board.
These impressive trial wins have been recognized in top legal publications such as Law360 (Texas Pelvic Mesh Trial, Arkansas & Texas Trials) and Law.com’s article covering the July 1 defense verdict from a federal jury in Denver, CO. In addition to national legal coverage, one trial verdict was even named in the top 5 of 10 most impressive defense verdicts of 2022 by Court View Network. This critical case involved the plaintiff seeking over $28 million, representing a massive win for these attorneys.
We congratulate our Butler Snow attorneys on this extraordinary success as we kick off 2023. See below for details on the nine winning trials, including the Butler Snow attorneys serving as trial and appellate trial counsel, as well as their support teams:
Shears v. Ethicon, Inc., et al. (March 7 – 16, 2022), Case No. 1:20-cv-00264, (Northern District of West Virginia)
Trial Counsel: Kim Bueno (Butler Snow), Phil Combs (Thomas Combs)
Appellate Trial Counsel: Amy Pepke (Butler Snow)
Attorney Support: Caroline Walker and Margaret Loveman (Butler Snow), Natalie Akinson (Thomas Combs), Sarah Meadows (Thomas Combs)
McBroom v. Ethicon, Inc., et al. (March 7 – 15, 2022), Case No. 2:20-cv-02127, (District of Arizona) Butler Snow served as lead trial counsel in a 7-day trial involving pelvic mesh that resulted in a defense verdict.
Trial Counsel: Kari Sutherland, Matt Smith, and Tara Blake (Butler Snow)
Appellate Trial Counsel: Susanna Moldoveanu (Butler Snow)
Attorney Support: Beth Roper and Mitch Morris (Butler Snow)
Shostrom v. Ethicon, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson (June 21 – July 1, 2022), Civil Action No. 1:20-cv-01933-WJM-STV (District of Colorado)
Trial Counsel: Daniel Higginbotham (Thomas Combs), Heather Perkins (Faegre Drinker)
Appellate Trial Counsel: Amy Pepke (Butler Snow)
Attorney Support: Sarah O’Brien (Butler Snow), Rebecca Trela (Faegre Drinker)
Knoth v. Apollo Endoscopy U.S., Inc. et al. (June 27 – 30, 2022), Case No. 5:18-CV-00049-DCB-MTP (Southern District of Mississippi).
Trial Counsel: Chad R. Hutchinson and Kari L. Sutherland (Butler Snow)
Attorney Support: Adam D. Porter (Butler Snow)
Burris v. Ethicon, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson (July 11 – 20, 2022), Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-01450-JRK (Northern District of Ohio, Toledo)
Trial Counsel: Sherry Knutson and Tariq Naeem (Tucker Ellis)
Appellate Trial Counsel: Mike Ruttinger (Tucker Ellis)
Attorney Trial Support: Margaret Loveman and Jordan Walker (Butler Snow)
Freeman v. Ethicon, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson (September 6 – 19, 2022), Case No. 2:20-cv-10661-CBM-SKC (Central District of California, Los Angeles)
Trial Counsel: Kim Bueno (Butler Snow), Eric Rumanek (Troutman Pepper)
Appellate Trial Counsel: Zach Tafoya (O’Melveny & Myers LLP)
Attorney Trial Support: Matt Smith, Pamela Ferrell, and Adam Porter (Butler Snow); Brett Tarver (Troutman Pepper)
Jarrett v. Ethicon, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson (October 5 – 12, 2022), Case 4:20-cv-01517-BRW, (Eastern District of Arkansas)
Trial Counsel: Kari Sutherland and Chad Hutchinson (Butler Snow)
Appellate Trial Counsel: Susanna Moldoveanu (Butler Snow)
Attorney Support: Margaret Loveman and Chad Byrd (Butler Snow)
Richards v. Ethicon, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson (October 3 – 13, 2022), Case 5:21-CV-00092-RSW, (Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana).
Trial Counsel: Paul V. Cassisa, Jr. and Paul S. Rosenblatt (Butler Snow) and Kate Skagerberg (Nelson Mullins)
Appellate Trial Counsel: Christopher R. Cowan (Butler Snow)
Attorney Support: Marshall Bowen and Kasey Adams (Butler Snow)
Snowden v. Ethicon, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson (November 28-December 22, 2022), Cause No. CC-19-05461-D, (Dallas County Court of Law No. 4, Dallas, Texas)
Trial Counsel: Kat Gallagher (Rodman & Rodman, LLC), Victor Vital (Barnes & Thornburgh), Christopher R. Cowan (Butler Snow)
Appellate Trial Counsel: Amy Pepke (Butler Snow)
Attorney Support: Kasey Adams, Marshall Bowen, Jordan Walker, Kyle Cummins (Butler Snow)
Butler Snow’s Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare Industry practice group provides clients with a comprehensive, multidisciplinary legal team to minimize legal exposure, litigate through resolution, and handle crisis management. Few firms in the United States have been called upon as often as this firm to serve as local, regional or national counsel in significant pharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare cases. The firm’s litigators play leading roles in federal multi-district proceedings and try a broad range of cases, including bellwether cases. Butler Snow attorneys are experienced in responding to complex regulatory, compliance and policy challenges. The firm’s litigators have tried cases to verdict in state and federal courts and on appeal in virtually every state and numerous foreign countries. Butler Snow regularly leads trial teams in some of the most challenging jurisdictions in the country with significant experience navigating complex cases involving a broad array of products and medical devices brought by single plaintiffs and more often class actions, involving anywhere from hundreds to thousands of plaintiffs.
