Current Role
  • Partner & Management Committee Member, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
  • Ms. Johnson excels in leading multidistrict and complex civil litigation involving multiple defendants, complex regulatory regimes, cross-discipline expert work and highly technical fact patterns.
  • Her work at the firm focuses on rigorously combating waste, fraud and pricing abuse in the pharmaceutical industry.
Career Highlights
  • In re New England Compounding Pharmacy Litigation Multidistrict Litigation, 12-md-2419, D. Mass. (Saylor, J., Zobel, J.), In this sprawling 100+ defendant litigation, the Honorable F. Dennis Saylor, IV initially appointed Ms. Johnson as liaison counsel to speak for the hundreds of victims who contracted fungal meningitis or suffered other serious health problems as a result of receiving contaminated products made and sold by NECC. Ms. Johnson was later appointed lead counsel (alternate) alongside her partner Thomas M. Sobol. The case resulted in a settlement of about $200 million on behalf of tort victims.
  • In In re Neurontin Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, 04-md-1629, D. Mass. (Saris, J.), Ms. Johnson was a member of the trial team that achieved a $142 million civil RICO jury verdict against Pfizer for suppressing and manipulating results of scientific studies concerning the drug Neurontin. Post-trial, the third-party payer class settled with Pfizer for an additional $325 million.
  • Has served as court-appointed lead or co-lead counsel in seven MDLs and similarly complex litigations, including:
    • In re Celebrex (Celecoxib) Antitrust Litigation
    •  In re New England Compounding Pharmacy Litigation Multidistrict Litigation
    • In re Loestrin 24 FE Antitrust Litigation
    • In re Restasis (Cyclosporine Ophthalmic Emulsion) Antitrust Litigation
    • In re Ranbaxy Generic Drug Application Antitrust Litigation
    • In re Zetia (Ezetimibe) Antitrust Litigation
    • In re Lipitor Antitrust Litigation
Current Cases
  • In In re Lantus Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, 18-cv-2086, D. Mass. (Dein, J., Sorokin, J.), Ms. Johnson is involved in the firm’s work combating criminally high insulin prices. The First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court’s dismissal of antitrust litigation premised on wrongfully listing patents covering insulin injector pens in the FDA’s Orange Book. Ms. Johnson directs day-to-day litigation efforts among plaintiffs on all pretrial and litigation strategy matters. 
  • In In re Revlimid & Thalomid Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, 2:19-cv-07532, D.N.J. (Salas, J.), Ms. Johnson — as counsel for a large health plan — directs discovery and pretrial matters among health plans, retailer plaintiffs and a proposed class of end payers. She recently argued pay-for-delay aspects of the pending motion to dismiss.
  • Ms. Johnson is part of the litigation team pursuing claims of negligence and unjust enrichment against Progress software and numerous other defendants for the 2023 MOVEit data breach, which compromised the sensitive personal information of more than 65 million people.
Recent Success
  • In In re Suboxone (Buprenorphine Hydrochloride and Naloxone) Antitrust Litigation, 23-md-2445, E.D. Pa. (Goldberg, J.), Ms. Johnson’s role as a key part of the trial team helped secure a settlement valued at $385 million on behalf of direct purchasers in this decade-long product switch antitrust litigation. The settlement is pending final approval from the court.
  • In In re Zetia Antitrust Litigation, 2:18-md-2836, E.D. Va. (Smith, J., Miller, J.), Ms. Johnson served as court-appointed co-lead counsel for direct purchasers. She conducted the examination of a key expert during a pre-trial evidentiary hearing. The court ruled in the plaintiffs’ favor, and the defendants settled on the courthouse steps minutes before jury empanelment was to begin.
  • In In re: Ranbaxy Generic Drug Application Antitrust Litigation, 1:19-md-02878, D. Mass. (Gorton, J., Kelley, J.), Ms. Johnson served as court-appointed co-lead counsel in RICO and antitrust litigation against generic manufacturers Ranbaxy and Sun. She successfully argued against summary judgment and helped negotiate a proposed global $485 million settlement on the eve of trial ($340 million for the direct purchaser classes), the second largest U.S. antitrust settlement of 2022, per a 2022 Antitrust Annual Report. The litigation alleged Ranbaxy fraudulently obtained a series of 180-day exclusivities that blocked generic versions of Diovan, Nexium and Valcyte from coming to market for years. 
  • In In re Glumetza Antitrust Litigation, 3:19-cv-05822, N.D. Cal. (Alsup, J.),Ms. Johnson was an important part of the Hagens Berman team that litigated antitrust claims on behalf of a proposed class of direct purchasers of brand and generic Glumetza. The litigation resulted in settlements totaling $453.85 million for the direct purchaser class, the largest U.S. antitrust settlement of 2022, per a 2022 Antitrust Annual Report. The litigation alleged that generic company Lupin agreed to delay its launch of a generic form of Valeant’s extended-release metformin product in exchange for Valeant’s promise not to launch a competing generic product.
  • In In re Restasis (Cyclosporine Ophthalmic Emulsion) Antitrust Litigation, 18-md-2819, E.D.N.Y (Gershon J.), Ms. Johnson served as court-appointed interim co-lead/liaison class counsel for the proposed direct purchaser class and helped negotiate a $51.25 million settlement with defendant Allergan. This multidistrict litigation alleged Allergan engaged in an anticompetitive scheme including abuse of the FDA’s petitioning process to delay generic versions of Restasis from coming to market. 
  • In In re Loestrin 24 Fe Antitrust Litigation, 1:13-md-02472, D.R.I. (Smith, J., Sullivan, J.), Ms. Johnson served as co-lead counsel for the certified class of direct purchasers. She directed Hagens Berman’s litigation efforts and ran the patent team up to trial. The parties reached a proposed $120 million settlement shortly before trial. 
Recognition
  • 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers, Lawdragon, 2023-2024
  • Boston’s Rising Stars 40 outstanding lawyers under 40, The National Law Journal, 2014-2015
  • Trial Lawyer of the Year, nominated with the Neurontin trial team for securing a $142 million verdict against Pfizer for suppressing and manipulating the results of scientific studies that showed Neurontin did not work to treat the off-label indications Pfizer was heavily promoting, Public Justice, 2011 
Notable Cases
  • In In re Flonase Antitrust Litigation, 08-cv-3149, E.D. Pa. (Brody, J.), Ms. Johnson’s contributions helped achieve $150 million settlement for the direct purchaser class in an antitrust case alleging GSK submitted a baseless petition to the FDA to delay the FDA’s approvals of generic versions of Flonase.
  • In In re Prograf Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2242, D. Mass. (Zobel, J.), Ms. Johnson helped reach a $98 million settlement for the class of direct purchasers in an antitrust case alleging Astellas delayed generic entry of transplant antirejection drug Prograf by abusing the FDA’s petitioning process.
  • In In re Celebrex (Celecoxib) Antitrust Litigation, 2:13-cv-361, E.D. Va (Wright, J., Miller, J.), Ms. Johnson served as court-appointed co-lead counsel and helped achieve a $94 million settlement for the certified class of direct purchasers in this antitrust case alleging Pfizer obtained reissuance of a follow-on patent by defrauding the Patent and Trademark Office.
Personal Insight

Ms. Johnson grew up in a family law practice in Canfield, Ohio. Her grandfather, uncles and father practiced together, and her mother ran the office. Her brother and sister later joined the family firm. Ms. Johnson’s career choice was perhaps inevitable, though she hopes her daughters will at least consider another profession.