We are delighted to announce that Law360 has named Lieff Cabraser partner Andrew Kaufman a “Product Liability Law Rising Star” for 2024. Law360’s Rising Stars are attorneys “under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.” After reviewing more than 1,200 submissions, a team of editors selected 158 honorees. Andrew is one of only five product liability law practitioners in the U.S. to make the list.
Law360’s profile of Andrew highlights his work as a member of the lead plaintiffs’ counsel team in the JUUL e-cigarette multi-district litigation which resolved with a historic settlement in 2024. Kaufman told Law360 that the cases involving Altria Group presented significant challenges due to its role as a successor to Philip Morris USA. (Despite holding a minority stake in Juul during the MDL, Altria was not directly involved in much of Juul’s alleged misconducts.)
Kaufman discussed the complexities of explaining Altria’s liability, noting that it was particularly challenging because Altria was not the primary wrongdoer and had entered the market later. Demonstrating why Altria should be held accountable for leveraging Juul’s market share required innovative legal arguments.
Navigating the complex legal terrain during the multiweek trial, especially after most Juul defendants had settled, was demanding. Ultimately, Altria reached a $235 million settlement in the MDL midway through its San Francisco bellwether trial. This remarkable settlement, notable for its scope and speed, marked the end of a four-year effort by plaintiffs and their counsel to hold Altria accountable for contributing to the youth nicotine crisis, often likened to a modern-day cigarette epidemic.
Read the full profile of Andrew on Law360’s website.
Congratulations to Andrew on this prestigious recognition!
About Andrew Kaufman
A partner in Lieff Cabraser’s Nashville office, Andrew Kaufman has represented plaintiffs in consumer protection, financial fraud, and product defect cases. His successes at the firm include representing Nashville General Hospital (the Hospital Authority of Metropolitan Government of Nashville) in a class-action antitrust case against Momenta Pharmaceuticals for monopolizing enoxaparin, the generic version of the blockbuster life-saving anti-coagulant Lovenox, which in 2019, settled for $120 million, the second largest indirect-purchaser antitrust pharmaceutical settlement fund in history, after Cipro.
In 2024, Andrew was included in the Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” list for the second consecutive year, and he also received an Elite Trial Lawyers award from The National Law Journal (NLJ) and was named among the “Rising Stars of the Plaintiffs Bar.” Additionally, Andrew was recognized by Lawdragon as one of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers in America” for both 2023 and 2024 and was named a lawyer “On the Rise” by The Daily Report as part of their 2023 Southeastern Legal Awards. Lawdragon further acknowledged him in their “500 X – The Next Generation” list for 2023 and 2024.
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