Overview
- Prior to becoming of counsel, served as Chair of the Mass Tort Practice Group for more than 15 years
- Has experience in complex civil litigation, with emphasis upon multi-state, multi-party and class action litigation.
- Testified before Federal Congressional Committees and State Legislative Committees on issues related to products liability, the Food and Drug Administration, and tort reform.
- Law Clerk to the Honorable Harry H. MacLaughlin, Minnesota Supreme Court
Credentials
Education
University of Kansas School of Law, J.D. (1973), Note Editor, Kansas Law Review University of Minnesota
Selected Results
Representative Matters
Lead partner responsible for negotiating a settlement against major cigarette manufacturers on behalf of the State of Minnesota and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. The case was settled for $6.13 billion on behalf of the State of Minnesota and $469 million on behalf of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
One of the partners in charge of the litigation on behalf of the Government of India arising out of the Bhopal gas leak disaster.
While serving as lead partner, successfully tried or negotiated the settlements of the firm’s Bjork-Shiley heart valve, breast implant, L-Tryptophan, Gammagard, Fen-Phen, and St. Jude Silzone Heart Valve cases.
Recognition
- Named a “North Star Lawyer” by the Minnesota State Bar Association for providing at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services (2014)
Community
Civic
- Member and former Chair of the Board of Directors of The Center for Public Integrity, Washington, DC.
Professional
- American Bar Association
- American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America)
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- District of Columbia Bar Association
- Minnesota Association for Justice (formerly Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association)
- State Bar of California
News & Insights
Legal Insights
Speeches
- Overview of Rosebud Sioux Tribe lawsuit against the Indian Health Service
Coalition of Large Tribes (COLT) (July 24, 2017)
Admissions
- California
- District of Columbia
- Minnesota
- South Dakota
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court, Minnesota
- U.S. Federal Court of Claims
- U.S. Supreme Court
