NEW JERSEY TEEN FILES PRODUCT LIABILITY LAWSUIT AGAINST JUUL MANUFACTURER

NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey teenager is suing the makers of the JUUL e-cigarette in federal court, claiming that the pervasive social media marketing of the popular device led to his nicotine addiction, hospitalization and serious health problems.

According to the filing, 18-year-old Matthew Divello of Medford, about 20 miles east of Philadelphia, began using JUUL devices in early 2017 while a junior in high school. In just the past 18 months, he has suffered behavioral and cognitive problems, declining academic status, and was hospitalized for three days in August.

During his hospitalization Mr. Divello battled fever, nausea, and severe vomiting, all symptoms tied to high levels of nicotine. The lawsuit notes that this exposure leads to lifelong risks for heart disease, stroke, cancer and depression, as well as long-term treatment for such conditions.

“Matthew’s health has been put at risk by a company that simply didn’t care about the welfare of its key targets, the teenagers of America,” said Mark Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm in Houston. “JUUL clearly was only concerned about sales and marketing, not safety and warnings. The result was a dangerous, pervasive product that quickly met its goal of getting young people addicted to nicotine.”

Mr. Lanier is consistently recognized as one of the top trial lawyers in the nation, having secured precedent-setting jury awards for people harmed by dangerous drugs, medical devices and consumer products. One example is last year’s $4.69 billion verdict against the makers of Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower.

At the time Mr. Divello began using JUUL products there were no warnings about nicotine or the risks of nicotine addiction anywhere on the product’s packaging. Studies have shown that e-cigarettes, initially marketed in flavors such as fruit medley and crème brulee, contain three times more nicotine than a pack of cigarettes marketed to adults.

The case is Matthew Divello v. JUUL Labs, Case No. 2:19-cv-16915, in U.S. District Court, Newark Division, for the District of New Jersey.

For more than 30 years, the men and women at the Lanier Law Firm have worked tirelessly, throughout the United States, to find unique and effective solutions for its clients. More than 60 skilled attorneys practice law in a broad array of areas, including commercial litigation, asbestos exposure and contamination, personal injury, business fraud, among others. Named an Elite Trial Law Firm by The National Law Journal, the Lanier Law Firm has offices in Houston, New York,  Los Angeles and Oklahoma City. To learn more about Mark Lanier and the Lanier Law Firm, visit http://www.lanierlawfirm.com.

NINE LANIER LAW FIRM ATTORNEYS RECOGNIZED ON 2019 LIST OF TEXAS SUPER LAWYERS

HOUSTON – Nine attorneys from The Lanier Law Firm have earned spots on the 2019 list of Texas Super Lawyers.  No more than 5 percent of Texas attorneys are named to the list each year.

Firm founder Mark Lanier was again named one of the Top 10 attorneys in the state based on his work in class actions and mass torts and was selected to the list for the 16^th consecutive year. In July of 2018, Mr. Lanier secured one of the largest plaintiffs’ personal injury verdicts in history, nearly $4.7 billion on behalf of 22 women who developed ovarian cancer after longtime use of asbestos-laced talcum powder made by Johnson & Johnson.

That verdict follows the firm’s success in three federal court jury verdicts totaling almost $2 billion against J&J and its Pinnacle division based on claims from multiple plaintiffs who suffered serious medical complications caused by the company’s defective hip implant devices. These results cumulatively put Mr. Lanier close to $20 billion in verdicts during his highly acclaimed career.

Richard D. Meadow, the firm’s National Mass Tort Leader and Director of Business Development, is named to the Super Lawyers list for the eighth time. Mr. Meadow has more than 30 years of experience in representing individuals who have been injured by dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices and defective products and has successfully tried more than 25 cases to verdict.

Appellate lawyer Kevin P. Parker also earned a spot on the list for the eighth time. He leads the firm’s Issues and Appeals practice group, where his team analyzes and briefs legal issues at the trial and appellate court levels.

Alex J. Brown is named on the Super Lawyer list for a third consecutive year. The Managing Attorney of the firm’s Commercial Litigation section, Alex has represented companies and individuals in high-stakes business litigation across the country at both the trial and appellate level, and in domestic and international arbitration forums.

Dara Hegar, the Managing Attorney for the firm, is a multiple year honoree on the Super Lawyers roster.  Ms. Hegar has represented clients in each of the firm’s practice areas and has focused on trial coordination in complex litigation matters. While her proficiency spans across all of the firm’s practice areas, Ms. Hegar’s specialty has been managing complex litigations and providing specific insight at trial that has resulted in many significant verdicts and settlements over the past 20 years.

Four firm attorneys earned Texas Super Lawyers honors for their representation of personal injury clients.

Sam E. Taylor II was recognized for the 11^th year for his accomplishments in the courtroom. As lead counsel, he has tried more than 40 personal injury jury cases, including wrongful death and other incidents that resulted in serious personal injuries.

Lawrence P. Wilson earned recognition for the eighth time based on his experience in cases involving personal injury, industrial plant explosions, FELA/railroad claims and other transportation-related claims.

Patrice McKinney was honored for the third time by Texas Super Lawyers. She has secured numerous jury awards and substantial settlements for hard-working people who have been severely injured by the negligence of others.

Judson A. Waltman was named to the prestigious list for the second consecutive year. He serves as Managing Attorney in Houston over Personal Injury, Product Liability and Maritime Litigation and has tried numerous cases to verdict. He also produced two of the firm’s largest settlements on behalf of clients who were catastrophically injured by trucking companies.

To develop the list of Texas’ top attorneys, researchers with Thomson Reuters conduct a statewide survey asking attorneys to nominate their top legal peers. A blue-ribbon panel of lawyers then assists Texas Super Lawyers staff with final selections.

RACHEL LANIER FEATURED ON GREAT TRIALS PODCAST TO DISCUSS GROUNDBREAKING $4.69 BILLION VERDICT

Episode 034: Rachel Lanier │Gail Lucille Ingham, et al. v. Johnson & Johnson, et al. │$4.69 billion verdict

This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Rachel Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm.

Case Details:

National Trial Lawyers Civil Plaintiff Top 40 Under 40 honoree Rachel Lanier discusses how she and other members of The Lanier Law Firm trial team secured the largest verdict in the United States in 2018. This landmark verdict secured justice for 22 women who developed ovarian cancer after continuous use of Johnson & Johnson’s best-selling baby powder and other talcum powder products containing cancer-causing asbestos. Rachel helped prove the multi-billion dollar, multi-national company had known about the asbestos for decades and covered it up with biased tests and skewed interpretations of test results. After a six-week trial, a St. Louis jury awarded $4.14 billion in punitive damages and $550 million in compensatory damages.

Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents

• 5th Amended Petition
• Opening Statements
• Closing Arguments
• Verdict A
• Verdict AA
• Verdict BB

Guest Bio:

Rachel Lanier joined The Lanier Law Firm’s New York office as an associate in 2016 and practices in the areas of toxic torts, pharmaceutical litigation, mass torts, and product liability. In 2017, Ms. Lanier served on The Lanier Law Firm’s trial team in the Pinnacle hip implant litigation against DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. which led to a $247 million dollar verdict in favor of plaintiffs. In 2018, Ms. Lanier was on the trial team in St. Louis, Missouri representing twenty-two plaintiffs in the Talcum Powder litigation against Johnson & Johnson, and was instrumental in obtaining the $4.7 billion dollar verdict for the plaintiffs. Most recently, Ms. Lanier was appointed to Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the 3M Combat Earplug Multi-District Litigation.

Ms. Lanier is dedicated to representing injured clients and their families by pursuing justice for those who have been harmed by toxic substances and defective products. Prior to joining The Lanier Law Firm, Ms. Lanier was an associate at a mid-sized firm in Manhattan, where she focused on representing individuals suffering from asbestos-induced diseases, such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Ms. Lanier was recognized as a 2018 New York Rising Star in the practice area of personal injury – products and is a member of the American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, New York Bar Association, and New Jersey Bar Association. She enjoys speaking at Continuing Legal Education seminars, and participated in a breakout panel at the annual Mass Torts Made Perfect seminar in Las Vegas, NV. In 2018, Ms. Lanier spoke on the recent Talc verdict at the HarrisMartin MDL Conference in Napa, CA, and presented at the HarrisMartin Talc and Asbestos Conference in Miami Beach, FL. She also participated on a panel at the Annual Complex Litigation Symposium in Louisiana and the 2019 National Trial Lawyers Summit in Miami Beach. Ms. Lanier has further been honored as a member of the National Trial Lawyers Civil Plaintiff Top 40 Under 40 and recently selected to serve on the 2019 Executive Committee for the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40.

Ms. Lanier is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.