NEW YORK– Jan. 19, 2022 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has won 2021 Law360 Practice Group of the Year awards in two categories: Product Liability and Hospitality. The annual awards series recognizes practice groups that worked on the biggest deals or achieved the biggest wins in the most important cases over the prior year.
“We are proud to see our Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Litigation, Products Liability & Mass Torts, and Hospitality practices recognized by Law360 for their stellar work on behalf of our clients,” said Lori G. Cohen, Vice Chair of Greenberg Traurig and Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Litigation Practice and Trial Practice. “Our attorneys’ numerous successes in a uniquely challenging year exemplify the strong commitment to client service that is a hallmark of Greenberg Traurig. We congratulate these groups on their well-deserved win.”
The firm’s recognition in the Product Liability category was based on several victories the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Litigation Practice achieved over the past year, significant both in dollar amount and precedent for the drug and device industries. Thanks to the team’s innovative, proactive approach, client C.R. Bard (now part of Becton Dickinson) obtained full defense victories in cases related to its inferior vena cava (IVC) filter devices, including summary judgment wins in several cases. In Couturier v. C. R. Bard, Inc., the Greenberg Traurig trial team obtained a defense verdict after just 90 minutes of deliberations following a nine-day trial with 21 witnesses in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Greenberg Traurig also helped to secure an important appellate victory for C.R. Bard in the pelvic mesh litigation that establishes the admissibility of FDA evidence and sets important precedent for the medical device industry.
The Greenberg Traurig team also obtained a full summary judgment on behalf of client Sandoz in Stewart v. Sandoz, the first bellwether case for Sandoz in the 12,500+ case federal MDL and the first scheduled trial against a defendant with a 505(b)(2) “paper NDA” docetaxel product. And the firm obtained important victories for client Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. in several litigations involving pharmaceuticals and nitrosamine chemicals, including a full dismissal from the In re Zantac (rantidine) Products Liability Litigation MDL.
“Our team has succeeded at all levels across many mass torts, MDLs and significant individual cases on motions, at trial and on appeal, demonstrating our capabilities at all stages of litigation and in venues nationwide, so we are very pleased to see their tremendous efforts honored by Law360,” said Sara K. Thompson, Chair of the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Litigation Practice and Francis A. Citera, Co-Chair of the firm’s Products Liability and Mass Torts Litigation Practice and co-chair of the Chicago Litigation Practice. “These wins – individually and collectively – preserve patient access to many life-saving medicines and devices, and we are devoted to helping pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers defend their important products and business reputations.”
During 2021, Greenberg Traurig’s Hospitality Practice handled hundreds of millions of dollars of deals for both long-time clients and new clients who turned to the team for legal representations, including numerous unique and complex transactions in the ever-evolving hospitality sector. When Two Way Stadiums, Inc. wanted to negotiate management agreement with Dakia UMUSIC Hospitality LLC for a massive mixed-use project in Colombia valued at approximately $700 million, it turned to Greenberg Traurig’s Hospitality Practice to get the deal done. The Two Way Stadiums property included a 500-guest room hotel, 100 branded residences, a 50,000-seat stadium, and multiple entertainment venues, retail, and food and beverage outlets. The team also represented JC Hospitality LLC in the opening of the newly branded Virgin Hotel Las Vegas, Curio Collection by Hilton, a project valued in excess of $100 million. In addition, Greenberg Traurig represented global investment firm JV with Schulte Hospitality Group involving a $262 million trade of W Hotel in downtown D.C. and Lowe with the purchase of a hotel portfolio for $252 million.
“Being an integral part of several of the hospitality industry’s most ambitious deals over the past year was very rewarding to the team in assisting clients achieve important business goals,” said Michael J. Sullivan, Richard F. Davis, and Nelson F. Migdal, co-chairs of the Hospitality Practice. “We continue to help our hospitality clients respond to the changing market dynamics, which impact consumer demand, leading to the need for repositioning of assets and operational changes to respond to today’s fluid and fast-moving environment.”
About Greenberg Traurig’s Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, & Health Care Litigation Practice and Products Liability & Mass Torts Litigation Practice: Greenberg Traurig’s Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Litigation Practice and Products Liability & Mass Torts Litigation Practice are integral parts of the firm’s 600+ attorney Litigation Practice, and include more than 100 trial attorneys representing clients in complex litigation in courts across the country. These teams are nationally recognized for their dynamic courtroom presence, responsiveness to clients, and deep subject matter knowledge and were The American Lawyer’s 2018 “Products Liability Litigation Department of the Year.” The Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Healthcare Litigation team regularly serves as national, regional, special trial, or science counsel – in both mass torts and individual cases – to leading global companies that produce innovative, life-saving products. Recent recognitions include Regional Litigation Department of the Year for Georgia and a finalist in the Best Client-Law Firm Team category of The American Lawyer 2021 Industry Awards; shortlist for Benchmark Litigation’s 2020 “Product Liability Firm of the Year”; national rankings for 2021 “Product Liability & Mass Torts” from Chambers USA Guide; and national rankings for 2021 “Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action Defense: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices” from The Legal 500 United States. In addition, the Products Liability & Mass Torts Litigation team received national rankings for “Product Liability & Mass Torts” from Chambers USA and for “Product Liability & Mass Torts Defense” from The Legal 500 United States; and a first-tier national ranking for “Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants” from U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms.” In addition, Greenberg Traurig is recognized as a “Product Liability Litigation Leader” in the 2022 BTI Litigation Outlook, published by BTI Consulting Group.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Hospitality Group: Greenberg Traurig’s Hospitality Group advises developers, owners and operators of hotel, resort and club properties, as well as governments, private government corporations, governmental and private financial institutions, and financial consultants on virtually all aspects of their involvement in the hospitality industry in the United States, the Americas, and overseas. Our multidisciplinary team brings corporate, real estate, tax, and environmental attorneys together with recognized industry leaders experienced in the development and financing of hotel and resort properties, as well as the design and implementation of club and resort membership programs.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2,300 attorneys in 41 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 25 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certified Plus. Web: www.gtlaw.com