ATLANTA – Feb. 3, 2016 – International law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP announced today that a team led by Lori Cohen, shareholder and chair of the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Litigation and Trial practices as well as co-chair of the firm’s Atlanta Litigation Practice, obtained a complete defense verdict on behalf of C. R. Bard, Inc. in Sherrer v. Boston Scientific, et al., Case Number 1216-CV27879, in the 16th Judicial Circuit of Missouri. In addition to Cohen, key trial team members included shareholder Cliff Merrell and associates Marcella Ducca, Sean Jessee, Sara Deskins Tucker, and Eric Schnapp.
Greenberg Traurig serves as national coordinating counsel and trial counsel for C.R. Bard, a Fortune 500 medical device manufacturer of women’s health products, in the national and international pelvic mesh litigation. The Sherrer trial began on November 30, 2015, and the jury began deliberations on February 1, 2016. On the afternoon of February 2, 2016, the jury announced a complete defense verdict for C.R. Bard and co-defendant Boston Scientific. This was the first pelvic mesh trial to involve two different manufacturers and the first in Missouri state court. The plaintiff requested $28 million in compensatory damages, claiming that the companies' pelvic mesh implants rendered her incontinent and suffering from pain and other ailments. The plaintiff also sought punitive damages against both defendants.
Cohen has a national litigation practice focusing on product liability litigation and specifically, medical device and pharmaceutical litigation. She is widely recognized for her trial skills, and the Sherrer verdict is her 57th defense verdict at trial. She was profiled in Law360’s 2015 “Trial Aces,” 2012 "Top Female Trial Attorneys," The Financial Times, and The National Law Journal’s “Winning - Successful Strategies From Some of the Nation’s Top Litigators,” a special report recognizing 10 attorneys from across the United States. The National Law Journal recognized her as one of "The 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America” and recognized two of her defense trial victories as “Top Defense Wins” in recent years. She has also been recognized by Georgia Super Lawyers magazine as one of its "Top 10 Georgia Super Lawyers" for the last four years, and one of the "Top 100 Georgia Super Lawyers" and "Top 50 Female Georgia Super Lawyers" for the last 12 years. In addition, she is one of a very small group of attorneys selected nationally for inclusion in the 2010-2015 editions of Chambers and Partners USA Guide's national Pharmaceutical Industry Products Liability Table.
Greenberg Traurig's Trial Practice is a multi-disciplinary group of experienced trial attorneys who regularly try complex cases in nearly every state and federal court throughout the United States. At times, members of our Trial Practice are also called on to step in at the last minute in complex, risky trials in which the litigation was previously handled by prior counsel. The firm has in-house technological capabilities to swiftly and efficiently prepare for and handle multiple trials simultaneously and can transition seamlessly from one trial to the next if necessary. The Trial Practice is an integral part of the firm’s Litigation Practice, comprised of more than 600 litigators across the U.S. and abroad.
The Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Litigation Practice is nationally recognized for its dynamic courtroom presence, responsiveness to clients and deep subject matter knowledge. Recent recognitions include national rankings for 2015 “Products Liability & Mass Torts” from Chambers USA Guide; national rankings for 2015 “Practice Liability & Mass Torts Defense: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices” from The Legal 500 United States; and a first-tier national ranking for "Litigation – Mass Tort Litigation and Class Actions – Defendants" from U.S. News – Best Lawyers® 2015 Best Law Firms.