Personal Background
Prior to joining the Lanier Law Firm, she spent six years as an associate at a prominent Texas defense firm, where her efforts were focused primarily on bankruptcy-related litigation and environmental litigation matters. Ms. Carreras lives in Houston, with her husband, and enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, and art.
Representative Cases
Since joining the appellate section, she has worked on a wide variety of cases, including mass tort, products liability, personal injury, business litigation, and sports law litigation.
- Key member of the firm’s bellwether trial team that obtained jury verdicts in favor of the plaintiffs in MDL 2244, In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, resulting from injuries caused by the “Pinnacle” metal-on-metal hip implants sold by Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, DePuy Orthopaedics:
$1 billion verdict in 2016
Rosa Metzler, et al. v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 12-2066; Michael Weiser v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 13-3631; Judith Rodriguez v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 13-3938; Linda Standerfer v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 14-1730; Kathleen Davis, et al. v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 15-1767; Marvin Andrews, et al. v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 15-3484. (Six cases consolidated for trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division)
$502 million verdict in 2016
Aoki v. DePuy Orthopedics, et al., No. 3:13-cv-01071-K; Christopher v. DePuy Orthopedics, et al., No. 3:14-cv-01994-K; Greer v. DePuy Orthopedics, et al., No. 3:12-cv-01672-K; Klusmann v. DePuy Orthopedics, et al., No. 3:11-cv-02800-K; and Peterson v. DePuy Orthopedics, et al., No. 3:11-cv-01941-K. (Five cases consolidated for trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division)
$247 million verdict in 2017
Alicea v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 3:15-cv-03489-K; Barzel v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 3:16-cv-01245-K; Kirschner v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 3:16-cv-01526-K; Miura v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 3:13-cv-04119-K; Stevens v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 3:14-cv-01776-K; Stevens v. DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., et al., No. 3:14-cv-02341-K (Six cases consolidated for trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division)
- In addition to the trials, Ms. Carreras was the leader of the teams that handled the appeals from the Aoki and Metzler Pinnacle trials. She successfully obtained favorable rulings from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on a number of legal issues, including personal jurisdiction and parent corporation liability.
- Member of the trial team that obtained jury verdicts totaling $4.7 billion in favor of twenty-two plaintiffs in Ingham, et al. v. Johnson & Johnson, et al., Cause No. 1522-CC10417-01, resulting from personal injuries caused by Johnson & Johnson’s asbestos-contaminated talc products. The cases were consolidated for trial in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Missouri.
Key member of the Law & Briefing team in MDL 2804, In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation, in the District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. She represents the interests of various local governmental entities in this massive and complex litigation involving the pharmaceutical industry’s improper promotion, distribution, and dispensing of prescription opioid medications. She was a key member of the firm’s bellwether trial team that obtained jury verdicts in favor of Lake and Trumbull Counties (in Ohio) against Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart for causing a public nuisance in those counties through their improper dispensing of prescription opioids.
Admissions and Certification
- Member of the State Bar of Texas
- Licensed in the United States Supreme Court
- Licensed to practice law in the State of Texas
- Licensed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- Licensed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- Licensed in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
- Licensed in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals
- Licensed in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
Education
- J.D. – University of Chicago Law
- Bachelor of Arts in English and Anthropology from Rice
Awards
- The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 in Texas – 2020 – 2022
- The Best Lawyers in America: Appellate Practice – 2021 – 2022
- Best Lawyers 2024 – Appellate Practice
Community and Professional Activities
- Member of the Texas Bar Foundation
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- She has been published multiple times in The Legal 500: Country Comparative Guide on Product Liability
- Former member of the State Bar of Texas District 4-F Grievance Committee
