Chaffin Luhana Expands Its Leadership In The Zantac MDL
Chaffin Luhana LLP, a national plaintiffs-only law firm, is pleased to announce that Associate Kendra Goldhirsch was recently appointed by U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg to the Plaintiffs’ Leadership Development Committee (LDC) in the In re: Zantac (Ranitidine) Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2924).
Ms. Goldhirsch is one of what the court called a “new slate” of LDC members, each of whom has played an important role on the plaintiffs’ leadership team in prosecuting the multidistrict litigation (MDL). The court expressed its opinion that this next generation of MDL leaders “will be well suited to assume even greater leadership roles in future MDLs.”
Ms. Goldhirsch is continuing the firm’s efforts on the forefront of the Zantac litigation. She joins Partner, Roopal Luhana, who was appointed as the Chair of the ESI/Document Production Committee at the inception of the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee (PSC) in May 2020.
“We are so proud of Kendra being appointed to the LDC for the Zantac litigation. She goes above and beyond not only for our clients but all plaintiffs who have suffered due to negligent actions by these drug manufacturers,” says Partner, Roopal Luhana.
The court interviewed over 60 applicants in May 2020 in preparation for the initial appointments. Judge Rosenberg noted in the pretrial order that the court was impressed by the insights of each of these applicants. The court considered many factors before making its selections, including an applicant’s skill, background, ethical standards, professionalism, collaboration, other leadership positions, and reputation earned from colleagues and judges in other litigations.
The court also sought to “appoint a diverse leadership team that is representative of the inevitable diversity of the plaintiffs and a team that affords younger and slightly less experienced attorneys an opportunity to participate in a leadership role in an MDL.”
“We continue to support our attorneys in obtaining unique opportunities to lead national litigations and grow their skills. Kendra will continue to do a stellar job in an important litigation for our clients. And we are proud that two of our attorneys have been appointed by the court,” says Managing Partner, Eric Chaffin.
Ms. Goldhirsch has worked extensively on the Zantac MDL since its inception and has been involved in the day-to-day management of the firm’s Zantac cases on behalf of clients who suffer from cancer due to their alleged Zantac use. Ms. Goldhirsch has worked on extensively on MDLs during her career, including the In re: Sorin 3T Heater-Cooler System Products Liability Litigation, working on a broad range of matters including ESI and discovery, depositions, briefing, and with experts.
Ms. Goldhirsch has been a member of several trial teams in pharmaceutical bellwether cases that were tried to verdict in state and federal courts. She was a member of the Actos Multidistrict Litigation trial team that secured a multibillion-dollar verdict. (See Allen, et al. v. Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. et al., Case No. 6:12-cv-00064). She has also briefed successful dispositive and evidentiary motions and oppositions addressing a variety of topics including, jurisdiction, removal and remand, forum non-conveniens, complex expert and regulatory matters, drug labeling, and federal preemption.
On April 1, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested the removal of all Zantac and generic ranitidine products from the market due to the potential for contamination with N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a cancer-causing agent. The FDA first warned of the presence of NDMA in Zantac back in September 2019 and suggested all manufacturers test their products for the impurity. Later, investigators discovered that the level of NDMA in Zantac could increase over time and when exposed to higher temperatures, such as those that occur during shipping and storage. Several companies had already recalled their medications before the April FDA request, and now all ranitidine products have been removed from the market.
Plaintiffs filing lawsuits against Zantac manufacturers argue that the defendants were aware of the risks associated with ranitidine for decades yet concealed these risks from healthcare providers and the general public.
About Chaffin Luhana: Chaffin Luhana LLP is a plaintiffs-only national trial firm focused on representing injured survivors and their families in catastrophic and complex cases. Started by former federal prosecutors Eric Chaffin and Roopal Luhana, the firm is comprised of former state and federal prosecutors, former large defense firm attorneys, former judicial law clerks, and caring and compassionate staff including an in-house social worker. The firm has been appointed by federal and state courts to important national litigations including the 3T Heater-Cooler Litigation, the Transvaginal Mesh Litigation, the Yaz Birth Control Litigation, and the Denture Cream Zinc Poisoning Litigation, among others. Notably, Ms. Luhana was recently appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) in the Zantac (Ranitidine) Products Liability Litigation (S.D.FL.). With over 130 years of combined legal experience, Chaffin Luhana’s attorneys have recovered over $1 billion for their clients nationwide.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or death due to an accident, dangerous medication, defective medical device, or faulty product, contact Chaffin Luhana LLP for a free and confidential case review at 888-480-1123 or visit their website at https://www.chaffinluhana.com/.
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CONTACT
Dan Reo
Chaffin Luhana LLP
(888) 480-1123