Practice Area

Mass Tort

Practice Area

Mass Tort

Mass Tort

Mass tort lawsuits occur when numerous individuals have been injured or harmed by the same act of negligence of another party, from faulty prescription drugs or medical devices to toxic contamination or defective consumer products. These types of claims provide the compensation each plaintiff needs, rather than a settlement that is split with the other plaintiffs.

Stranch, Jennings & Garvey has the experience and resources to confront the corporations responsible for the harm inflicted on plaintiffs. Our attorneys are well-versed in the necessary strategies for negotiating and litigating mass tort lawsuits, and have successfully represented numerous clients in claims against companies and corporations. Our efforts have produced significant monetary recovery and/or benefits for plaintiffs from many jurisdictions.

Our firm’s Founding and Managing Member J. Gerard Stranch IV, served on the plaintiff’s steering committee in the New England Compound Pharmacy Product Liability Action, brought on behalf of consumers harmed from exposure to contaminated drugs produced at the company’s Framingham, Massachusetts facility, which resulted in a nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis. More than 750 individuals, including 100 Tennesseans, were injured from the outbreak, and more than 60 individuals, including 17 Tennesseans, lost their lives. Stranch facilitated both the $210 million tort trust established as a result of claims settlements and the negotiation of outstanding Tennessee claims.

Hon. Judge (ret.) John “Jack” Garvey, the founding member who leads our St. Louis, Missouri office, has been involved as co-counsel in the ongoing Paxil litigation of Orrick v. GlaxoSmithKline, St. Louis City Circuit #1322-CC00079-01. The company pleaded guilty to U.S. criminal charges in 2012 and agreed to pay $3 billion for promoting Paxil and Wellbutrin for unapproved uses. The settlement was the largest at the time between the Justice Department and a drug company.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance, please consult with an attorney.

Mass Tort

Cases Served

  • In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation. J. Gerard Stranch IV, the firm’s founding and managing member, was appointed as class counsel for the negotiation class in the multi-district national prescription opioid litigation (MDL 2804) in Cleveland, Ohio. Plaintiffs alleged that the manufacturers of prescription opioids grossly misrepresented the risks of long-term use of those drugs for persons with chronic pain, and distributors failed to properly monitor suspicious orders of those prescription drugs — all of which contributed to the current opioid epidemic. National settlements of up to $26 billion were reached in 2021 to resolve litigation brought by states and local political subdivisions against three pharmaceutical distributors (McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen) and manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its parent company Johnson & Johnson. Hon. Judge (ret.) John “Jack” Garvey, the founding member who leads SJ&G’s St. Louis office, was instrumental in securing a settlement with these companies for Missouri’s counties and cities in the amount of $183.2 million, as part of a $458 million overall settlement for the state.

Attorneys in this practice area

Mass Torts

Colleeen Garvey

Colleeen Garvey

Hon. John (Jack) Garvey

Hon. John (Jack) Garvey

Caleb Harbison

Caleb Harbison

Michael G. Stewart

Michael G. Stewart

J. Gerard Stranch IV

J. Gerard Stranch IV