Career
Matt Holian is a leading strategist in complex, multi-jurisdictional product liability and related lawsuits, particularly federal multi-district litigation (MDL). In those cases, Matt defends his clients from start to finish, beginning with risk assessments before litigation commences and continuing through pretrial discovery, bellwether trials and, ultimately, resolution. As part of DLA Piper's team, Matt has won precedent-setting, litigation-ending victories involving general causation and preemption defenses and, where those defenses are not available, he has led efficient and favorable resolutions that protect his clients' business interests. Matt's MDL cases primarily involve the pharmaceutical, medical device, and chemical industries. He also has litigated cases involving the False Claims Act, consumer fraud, and commercial disputes relating to licensing agreements.
In addition to his litigation practice, Matt also has an active regulatory and enforcement practice, which includes conducting compliance investigations, counseling clients regarding research and development issues (including defending hundreds of claims asserted by patients in clinical trials) and advising life sciences and other clients on a wide range of emerging regulatory issues, such as product labeling, First Amendment challenges to promotional restrictions, real word evidence and value-based contracts. From 2016-2024, Matt served as the Global Co-Chair of DLA Piper's Life Sciences Sector.