HOUSTON – The National Law Journal has recognized The Lanier Law Firm on its annual list of the nation’s Top 100 Verdicts for two trial victories in federal court against pharmaceutical and medical device giant Johnson & Johnson. Both jury trials involved the claims that J&J hid flaws in its Pinnacle artificial hips that caused the devices to prematurely fail and left the victims facing surgeries, pain and other debilitating conditions.
In December 2016 the firm secured a verdict of more than $1 billion on behalf of six individuals, while in March 2016 a federal jury returned a verdict of $502 million on behalf of another group of patients who were injured by Pinnacle hip implants.
The December verdict ranks as the fourth largest in the nation for 2016, and the two wins are listed as the first and second largest products liability verdicts of the year.
In both cases jurors concluded that the devices were defective and that company officials knew about the flaws but failed to warn patients and doctors of the risks. While both awards were later reduced to align with Texas state laws limiting punitive damages, those rulings are currently being appealed.
The rankings are based on research by ALM’s VerdictSearch, the recognized leader in U.S. verdict information.
The Lanier Law Firm was named one of the nation’s 25 Most Influential Law Firms for 2017 by the National Trial Lawyers Association. The firm was also recognized by U.S. News/Best Law Firms as a National Tier 1 practice in Mass Torts and Class Actions.
With offices in Houston, New York and Los Angeles, The Lanier Law Firm is committed to addressing client concerns with effective and innovative solutions in courtrooms across the country. The firm is composed of outstanding trial attorneys with decades of experience handling cases involving pharmaceutical liability, asbestos exposure, commercial litigation, product liability, maritime law, and sports and entertainment law.