About Kendra Goldhirsch 

Kendra Y. Goldhirsch is Of Counsel with Chaffin Luhana in the firm’s New York office. 

Ms. Goldhirsch—a 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 Super Lawyers Rising Star for the New York Metro area—focuses on complex product liability, pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, as well as significant personal injury matters. In 2023, Ms. Goldhirsch was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) in the In Re: Hair Relaxer Marketing, Sales Practices, And Products Liability Litigation before the Honorable Mary M. Rowland (MDL No. 3060). The litigation focuses on allegations that the defendants failed to warn about the risk of certain cancers associated with the use of their Hair Relaxer products. She works on the discovery committees for manufacturing defendants that develop the liability theories and prepare the cases for trial. Ms. Goldhirsch was also appointed to the Leadership Development Committee (LDC) in the In re: Zantac (Ranitidine) Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2924).

Ms. Goldhirsch has been a member of multiple trial teams in pharmaceutical bellwether cases tried to verdict in state and federal courts. Ms. Goldhirsch has 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, including Daubert, drug labeling, and federal preemption.

Before joining Chaffin Luhana, Ms. Goldhirsch was an associate at another national plaintiffs’ firm. While there, Ms. Goldhirsch was part of the Actos MDL trial team, which secured an $11 billion-dollar verdict. (See Allen, et al. v. Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., et al., Case No. 6:12-cv-00064). She was lead brief writer for the successful general and case specific Daubert motions for plaintiffs’ uro-oncologist, trial motions, and post-trial motions. In a DePuy ASR California state-court bellwether case, Ms. Goldhirsch briefed a successful motion in limine that resulted in the admission of evidence of a hip implant recall.

Additionally, Ms. Goldhirsch has worked on Electronically Stored Information (ESI) discovery in numerous MDLs. In the DePuy ASR Hip Implant MDL, Ms. Goldhirsch managed the document review teams and assignments reviewing over 60 million pages of corporate discovery. Ms. Goldhirsch negotiated the ESI protocol, including search terms, in a dietary supplement MDL. She managed a team responsible for targeted document review in the Fosamax MDL to support plaintiffs’ preemption briefing before the trial court and for appeal.

In addition to mass tort litigation, Ms. Goldhirsch litigates catastrophic single-event cases from inception. She is responsible for researching and investigating theories of liability and causation, drafting pleadings, motions, and discovery, and preparing experts, trial submissions and settlement materials.

Ms. Goldhirsch is a frequent panelist on Mass Tort litigations. In 2023, she presented at the NJAJ Meadowlands Conference and at the 2024 Spring American Association of Justice Spring Conference.

Charity Nominations 

2023: Kendra’s Chaffin Luhana Foundation charity donation was to Verses Project this year. Verses Project’s mission is to encourage aspiring artists to pursue their dreams by providing financial support through the Verses Project Grant initiative, and by nurturing talent and growth through mentoring and programming opportunities.

2018-2022: Kendra’s Chaffin Luhana Foundation charity donation was to The Campaign Against Hunger (TCAH) for five (5) years. TCAH started in 1998 as a food pantry, servicing communities in Brooklyn, N.Y. TCAH has grown to be the largest food pantry in Brooklyn and connects local Brooklyn residents much-needed services, including healthy living programs, financial services, and educational programs.

Select Successes

Member of the trial teams for pharmaceutical bellwether trials in:

• In Re: Actos [Pioglitazone] Products Liability Litigation, MDL Docket No. 2299;
• In Re: Fosamax Products Liability Litigation II, MDL Docket No. 2243 (D.N.J.) (femur fracture)
• New Jersey State Court Accutane bellwether case, Kathleen Rossitto v. Hoffman-La Roche, 007481-10

Lead brief writer for:

• Plaintiff’s case-specific and general medical causation Daubert opposition brief in In Re: Actos [Pioglitazone] Products Liability Litigation, MDL Docket No. 2299
• Plaintiff’s case-specific and general medical causation Daubert opposition brief In Re: Fosamax Products Liability Litigation II, MDL Docket No. 2243
• Plaintiffs’ opposition to Order to Show Cause on Preemption in In Re: Fosamax Products Liability Litigation II, MDL 2243 (D.N.J.) (femur fracture)
• Plaintiff’s Summary Judgment opposition and oppositions to motions to exclude plaintiffs’ experts (Kemp motions) in New Jersey State Court Seroquel bellwether cases
• Plaintiff’s Summary Judgment opposition on the adequacy of the label and proximate causation in a New Jersey State Court Accutane bellwether case 

Areas of Practice 

• Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Mass Torts
• Product Liability
• Premises Liability
• Automobile Accidents
• Trucking Accidents
• Workplace Injuries

Bar Admissions

• State of New York
• United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
• United States District Court, Southern District of New York
• United States Supreme Court