Episode 034: Rachel Lanier │Gail Lucille Ingham, et al. v. Johnson & Johnson, et al. │$4.69 billion verdict
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Rachel Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm.
Case Details:
National Trial Lawyers Civil Plaintiff Top 40 Under 40 honoree Rachel Lanier discusses how she and other members of The Lanier Law Firm trial team secured the largest verdict in the United States in 2018. This landmark verdict secured justice for 22 women who developed ovarian cancer after continuous use of Johnson & Johnson’s best-selling baby powder and other talcum powder products containing cancer-causing asbestos. Rachel helped prove the multi-billion dollar, multi-national company had known about the asbestos for decades and covered it up with biased tests and skewed interpretations of test results. After a six-week trial, a St. Louis jury awarded $4.14 billion in punitive damages and $550 million in compensatory damages.
Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents
Guest Bio:
Rachel Lanier joined The Lanier Law Firm’s New York office as an associate in 2016 and practices in the areas of toxic torts, pharmaceutical litigation, mass torts, and product liability. In 2017, Ms. Lanier served on The Lanier Law Firm’s trial team in the Pinnacle hip implant litigation against DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. which led to a $247 million dollar verdict in favor of plaintiffs. In 2018, Ms. Lanier was on the trial team in St. Louis, Missouri representing twenty-two plaintiffs in the Talcum Powder litigation against Johnson & Johnson, and was instrumental in obtaining the $4.7 billion dollar verdict for the plaintiffs. Most recently, Ms. Lanier was appointed to Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the 3M Combat Earplug Multi-District Litigation.
Ms. Lanier is dedicated to representing injured clients and their families by pursuing justice for those who have been harmed by toxic substances and defective products. Prior to joining The Lanier Law Firm, Ms. Lanier was an associate at a mid-sized firm in Manhattan, where she focused on representing individuals suffering from asbestos-induced diseases, such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.
Ms. Lanier was recognized as a 2018 New York Rising Star in the practice area of personal injury–products and is a member of the American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, New York Bar Association, and New Jersey Bar Association. She enjoys speaking at Continuing Legal Education seminars and participated in a breakout panel at the annual Mass Torts Made Perfect seminar in Las Vegas, NV. In 2018, Ms. Lanier spoke on the recent Talc verdict at the HarrisMartin MDL Conference in Napa, CA, and presented at the HarrisMartin Talc and Asbestos Conference in Miami Beach, FL. She also participated on a panel at the Annual Complex Litigation Symposium in Louisiana and the 2019 National Trial Lawyers Summit in Miami Beach. Ms. Lanier has further been honored as a member of the National Trial Lawyers Civil Plaintiff Top 40 Under 40 and recently selected to serve on the 2019 Executive Committee for the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40.
Ms. Lanier is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.
