Lieff Cabraser's Trials Across America
Trials in alphabetical order
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is dedicated
to advancing the rights of our clients, bringing their claims to trial
when necessary to achieve justice. We represent our clients in federal
and state courts throughout the country.
For the last six years, the National Law Journal has selected
Lieff Cabraser as one of the top plaintiffs' law firms in the United
States, recognizing our verdicts and settlements in addition to overall
track records.
Lieff Cabraser has taken mutiple cases to trial over the past several
years, including the following:
Faulty Park Transmission Lawsuits Against
Chrysler. Lieff Cabraser, with local co-counsel, has successfully litigated two
wrongful death cases against Chrysler on the false park transmission
defect. There have been hundreds of accidents where people suffered debilitating
physical injuries when the Chrysler vehicle suddenly moved into reverse.
It is likely that at least 13 people have died as a result of the defect.
Chrysler has refused to accept legal responsibility for these injuries.
Instead, it regularly blames the driver for the accident and denies its
vehicle was defective.
In California in 2007, Lieff Cabraser attorneys obtained a $54 million
verdict against DaimlerChrysler in a wrongful death case (Mraz v.
DaimlerChrysler). The judgment included a $50 million award of punitive
damages. The jury found that the evidence showed the vehicle at issue,
a 1991 Dodge Dakota, had a defective transmission and that DaimlerChrysler
acted with malice and with a conscious disregard for the health and safety
of others.
In Louisiana in 2008, Lieff Cabraser again prosecuted a wrongful death
case (Guillot v. DaimlerChrysler) against Chrysler involving a
1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The jury held DaimlerChrysler liable for the
death of the infant, Colin Guillot, and returned a $7.2 million verdict
(including interest). The jury found that the park to reverse defect
in the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s transmission played a substantial
factor in Collin Guillot’s death and the severe injuries suffered
by Mr. and Mrs. Guillot and their daughter.
In re Vioxx Products Liability Litigation.
We represent patients that suffered heart attacks or strokes, and the
families of loved ones who died, after having being prescribed the arthritis
and pain medication Vioxx. In individual personal injury lawsuits against
Merck, the manufacturer of Vioxx, our clients allege that Merck falsely
promoted the safety of Vioxx and failed to disclose the full range of
the drug's dangerous side effects.
In 2006, a federal jury in
New Orleans found unanimously that Merck
had failed to warn doctors about Vioxx’s
risks and was responsible for the heart attack
suffered by retired FBI agent, Gerald Barnett
and awarded $51 million in damages.
Lieff Cabraser was co-counsel
in the Barnett case. Lieff Cabraser attorneys Don
Arbitblit and Jennifer Gross participated in the
trial, working closely with attorneys Mark Robinson
and Andy Birchfield. The court subsequently vacated
the jury award and ordered a new trial. Lieff Cabraser
is continuing to work with co-counsel in the prosecution
of the Federal court Vioxx cases.
West v. G&H Seed Co., et al. In
March 2004, Lieff Cabraser began impaneling
a jury for a Louisiana state court class
action against Aventis Crop Sciences and
others on behalf of about 1,500 crawfish
farmers. Over four weeks, the crawfish
farmers put on evidence that their crawfish
crops were devastated by a defective and
toxic pesticide sold by Aventis and used
in rice fields at or near their crawfish
ponds. Prior to the conclusion of trial,
the parties reached a $45 million settlement.
To learn
more about the Crawfish settlement, click
here.
In re Tri-State Crematory. In March 2004, trial
commenced with Lieff Cabraser partner Kathryn E. Barnett delivering the opening statement in
a class action by families whose loved ones were improperly cremated and desecrated by Tri-State
Crematory in Noble, Georgia.
The families also asserted claims against the funeral homes that delivered
the decedents to Tri-State Crematory for failing to ensure that the crematory
performed cremations in the manner required under the law and by human
decency. One week into trial, settlements with the remaining funeral
home defendants were reached and brought the settlement total to approximately
$37 million. The Marsh defendants, the operators of Tri-State Crematory,
however, withdrew from the tentatively approved settlement.
Trial on the class
members' claims against the Marsh defendants
began in August 2004. Soon thereafter, the
Marsh defendants entered into a $80 million
settlement with plaintiffs. As part of the
settlement, all buildings on the Tri-State
property will be razed. The property will remain
in a trust so that it will be preserved in
peace and dignity as a secluded memorial to
those whose remains were mistreated, and to
prevent crematory operations or other inappropriate
activities from ever taking place there. Earlier
in the litigation, the Court granted plaintiffs'
motion for class certification in a published
order. 215 F.R.D. 660 (2003).
Claghorn v. Edsaco. In Claghorn v.
Edsaco, a federal jury in California
in April 2002 returned a $170.7 million verdict
against the defendant for securities fraud. Following the Edsaco
trial, the parties reached a settlement of
the action on favorable monetary terms to the
class, which included Edsaco's relinquishment
of its right to appeal and the plaintiffs'
agreement to vacate the jury verdict. Commenting
on Lieff Cabraser's trial work, U.S. District
Court Judge Susan Illston observed:
"[C]ounsel for the plaintiffs did a
very good job in a very tough situation of
achieving an excellent recovery for the class
here. You were opposed by extremely capable
lawyers. It was an uphill battle. There were
some complicated questions, and then there
was the tricky issue of actually collecting
anything in the end. . . .[T]he recovery
that was achieved for the class in this second
trial is remarkable, almost a hundred percent.
Blood Factor Litigation. Lieff Cabraser
is representing hundreds of hemophiliacs, or
their survivors and estates, from America and
across the globe who contracted HIV and/or
Hepatitis C (HCV) from contaminated and defective
blood factor products produced by American
pharmaceutical companies. This ground breaking
litigation has been filed in United States
federal court, and follows upon a two-month
trial directed by Richard
M. Heimann in 2003 in California state
court on behalf of an HIV-positive hemophiliac.
Although the jury was unable to render a verdict,
the evidence produced at trial was sufficient
to convince the defendant to enter into one
of the largest individual settlements in the
history of the blood factor litigation on the
eve of retrial.
Lehman Brothers/First Alliance Mortgage
Litigation. In 2003, a federal
jury in California held Lehman Brothers,
Inc., liable for knowingly assisting First
Alliance Mortgage Corporation in committing
fraud. First Alliance was accused of misrepresenting
the true cost of home loans and of charging
borrowers as much as 24% in loan origination
and other fees. The jury found that First
Alliance systematically defrauded borrowers,
and that Lehman Brothers aided and abetted
the fraudulent scheme. The verdict showed
that the community will hold Wall Street
responsible for knowingly serving as a financial
backer to abusive lenders.
Please note: Lieff Cabraser does
not offer any guarantee of case results. Please
read our disclaimer.
About Lieff Cabraser
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is a fifty-plus attorney law firm that has represented plaintiffs nationwide since 1972. We have offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. We represent plaintiffs in class and group actions and in individual lawsuits in cases involving substantial losses. For the last six years, the National Law Journal has selected Lieff Cabraser as one of the top plaintiffs' law firms in the nation.
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