We are pleased to announce that Lieff Cabraser partners Lexi J. Hazam and Annika K. Martin have been named to The National Law Journal’s 2021 list of Elite Trial Lawyers – Elite Women of the Plaintiffs’ Bar. Lexi and Annika are two of only eleven female class action law practitioners in the U.S. to make the list. Both women are featured in the NLJ’s “The 2021 Elite Trial Lawyers: Our Winners” special edition, which discusses their past successes and ongoing case work in individual profiles.
The NLJ’s profile on Lexi highlights her role as Co-Lead Class Counsel representing individuals who were injured or suffered losses in the massive wildfires in Southern California in 2017 and 2018. Individual plaintiffs involved in the Thomas Fire/mudslide and Woolsey Fire cases have recovered approximately $1 billion to date.
The Journal’s coverage on Annika focuses on her groundbreaking work serving as Co-Lead Class Counsel representing women sexually abused at USC by gynecologist George Tyndall over multiple decades. On behalf of Tyndall’s victims, Annika helped negotiate a $215 million settlement with USC and Dr. Tyndall; the settlement’s tiered structure for recovery, was unique, as it allowed victims to choose the level of engagement they wished to have with the claims process and how they wished to communicate their stories.
Congratulations to Lexi and Annika on this prestigious recognition!
About Lexi Hazam
An emergent leader within the plaintiffs’ bar, Lexi J. Hazam represents clients in mass torts cases and qui tam actions, as well as complex class actions. In addition to her leadership roles in the Abilify MDL litigation, she has also been appointed by the court overseeing the nationwide Benicar MDL litigation to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee therein and serves as Co-Chair of the Benicar MDL Plaintiffs’ Science and Experts Committee. Lexi has spoken at multiple conferences on the Abilify cases, along with others on Benicar injuries and lawsuits and recent California wildfire and mudslide cases.
Lexi currently represents plaintiffs who suffered losses in the 2017 North Bay Wine Country fires, serving in leadership roles in lawsuits against PG&E as Co-Chair of the Class Action Committee and on the Individual Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, as well in litigation against Southern California Edison on behalf of those who whose homes, businesses, and lives were devastated by the 2018 Woolsey Fire and the Thomas Fire and mudslides in Southern California in late 2017 and early 2018, where she serves as Co-Lead Counsel. In 2016, Lexi was elected as Chair Elect of the American Association for Justice’s Section on Toxic, Environmental, and Pharmaceutical Torts (STEP) after previously serving as vice-chair. In 2018, Lexi was also elected as Vice-Chair of the American Association for Justice’s Section on Qui Tam Litigation after previously serving as Co-Secretary.
About Annika K. Martin
A partner in Lieff Cabraser’s New York office, Annika K. Martin served as co-lead counsel for plaintiff abuse victims in the USC student sexual abuse lawsuit that led to a $215 million settlement with USC and Dr. Tyndall and significant institutional changes. She is currently representing men who were sexually abused as students by University of Michigan physician Robert Anderson.
Annika also represents plaintiffs in class action and mass tort litigation concerning consumer fraud, environmental issues, and products liability. She served as co-lead counsel for plaintiffs in the successful national consumer fraud class action brought against General Motors Company over allegedly defective air conditioning systems, and has a similar role in the more recent similar product defect case against Mercedes over their allegedly defective vehicle HVAC systems.
Annika represented individuals, property owners, and business owners across the Gulf Coast in class action litigation against BP, Transocean, Halliburton, and other companies responsible for the 2010 blowout on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig which resulted in the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Annika was deeply involved in negotiating, implementing, and gaining court approval for the economic and medical class action settlements with BP that are compensating hundreds of thousands of victims of the tragedy.
Annika has also represented plaintiffs with physical and economic injuries arising from GM vehicles with defective ignition switches, and patients nationwide suffering from the widespread outbreak of meningitis and other serious maladies caused by contaminated medication. Annika is the current co-chair of AAJ’s Class Action Litigation Group.
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