Steve W. Berman, Managing Partner
Steve Berman co-founded Hagens Berman in 1993 and is the firm’s managing partner. He represents consumers, investors and employees in large, complex litigation held in state and federal courts. Berman’s trial experience has earned him significant recognition and led The National Law Journal to name him one of the 100 most powerful lawyers in the nation, and to repeatedly name Hagens Berman one of the top 10 plaintiffs’ firms in the country. Berman was inspired to build a firm that vociferously fought for the rights of those unable to fight for themselves. His innovative approach, tenacious conviction and impeccable track record have earned him an excellent reputation and numerous historic legal victories. He is considered one of the nation’s most successful class-action attorneys and and has been praised for securing record-breaking settlements and tangible benefits for class members, including an $89 million settlement for consumers in In Re: Bextra and Celebrex Marketing, Sales Practices, and Product Liability Litigation. Judge Breyer stated, "The attorneys on both sides were sophisticated, skilled, professional counsel whose object was to zealously pursue their clients’ interest..."
In taking on Big Pharma, Mr. Berman has represented clients in various actions ranging from price-fixing schemes to antitrust activities (more than $1 billion in aggregate settlements). He served as lead counsel in an action that led to a rollback of benchmark prices of hundreds of brand name drugs, and a $350 million settlement for third-party payers and insurers. He also served as lead trial counsel, securing trial verdicts against three drug companies that paved the way for a settlement of $338 million, and was lead counsel for a nationwide class of local governments that resulted in an $82 million settlement for drug price-fixing claims in McKesson Governmental Entity Litigation. more »
Thomas M. Sobol, Partner & Executive Committee Member
Tom Sobol is a member of Hagens Berman's executive committee and leads the firm's Boston office, where he spearheads the firm's drug pricing litigation efforts against numerous pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Mr. Sobol was voted one of 10 leading litigators in Massachusetts and has been involved in some of Hagens Berman's most prominent victories.
Currently. Mr. Sobol serves as court-appointed lead counsel for In re Skelaxin Antitrust Litigation , In re Nexium Antitrust Litigation , In re Lipitor Antitrust Litigation , In re Effexor Antitrust Litigation and In re Wellbutrin XL Antitrust Litigation. He has also been appointed lead counsel in MDL No. 2419: In re New England Compounding Pharmacy Inc. Products Liability , representing more than 700 victims who contracted fungal meningitis or other serious health problems as a result of receiving contaminated products produced by NECC, resulting in a $200 million settlement. Mr. Sobol was lead counsel to the Prescription Access Litigation (PAL) project, the largest coalition of health care advocacy groups that fight illegal, loophole-based overpricing by pharmaceutical companies.
His recent successes in pharma fraud litigation include Neurontin class action marketing settlement ($325 million), NECC meningitis outbreak settlement ($200 million), Flonase direct purchaser litigation settlement ($150 million), Wellbutrin XL direct purchaser litigation ($37.5 million), First Databank litigation (4% price reduction of most retail drugs), and McKesson litigation ($350 million) among others. more »
Robert B. Carey, Partner & Executive Committee Member
Rob Carey is a member of Hagens Berman's executive committee and leads the firm's Phoenix office. His practice focuses on complex litigation and fraud cases and routinely handles jury trials for high-value cases. His recent successes include helping originate the Toyota Sudden Unintended Acceleration case, filing the initial Hagens Berman complaints for a case that eventually settled for $1.6 billion.
Mr. Carey has been involved in numerous jury verdicts in trials, including complex matters, phasing of threshold issues, liability and damages, trials with more than $75 million at stake and recoveries of treble and punitive damages. His notable cases include Rexall Sundown Cellasene Litigation. more »
Lauren Guth Barnes, Partner
Lauren Guth Barnes is a partner at Hagens Berman's Boston office where she focuses on antitrust, consumer protection and RICO litigation against drug and medical device manufacturers in complex class actions and personal injury cases for consumers, large and small health plans, direct purchasers and state governments.
She helped reach a $73 million class settlement for direct purchasers in MDL No. 2343: In re. Skelaxin Antitrust Litigation and served as co-lead class counsel for direct purchasers in In re Niaspan Antitrust Litigation. Ms. Barnes also was appointed liaison counsel for In re Fresenius Granuflo/Naturalyte Dialysate Products Liability Litigation and c o-lead class counsel for direct purchasers in the Suboxone and Solodyn MDLs. She represents health benefit providers in the firm's Ketek and copay subsidies class litigation, and individuals harmed by pharmaceuticals such as Yaz, Actos and Granuflo and medical devices including pelvic mesh.
In her pro bono work, she served as counsel in a successful constitutional challenge to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ exclusion of legal immigrants from the state’s universal healthcare program. more »
Kristen A. Johnson, Partner
Kristen A. Johnson is a partner at Hagens Berman's Boston office where she focuses on combating waste, fraud, and abuse in the healthcare industry. Her notable work includes securing a $142 million verdict against Pfizer for suppressing and manipulating results of scientific studies, for which she received a nomination from Public Justice for Trial Lawyer of the Year, with the rest of the Neurontin trial team. She was personally appointed alternate lead counsel in the In re New England Compounding Pharmacy Litigation Multidistrict Litigation (MDL 2419). During the nascent stages of the MDL, Ms. Johnson was appointed 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 produced by NECC.
Ms. Johnson is actively involved in In re Nexium Antitrust Litigation (D. Mass., MDL No. 2409); In re Loestrin Antitrust Litigation (D.R.I., MDL No. 2472); and In re Celebrex Antitrust Litigation, (E.D. Va. 14-cv-00361). She was instrumental in the recent Neurontin marketing ($350 million), Prograf antitrust ($98 million), Flonase antitrust ($150 million) and Wellbutrin XL antitrust ($37.5 million, partial) settlements. more »
Jessica R. MacAuley, Partner
Jessica R. MacAuley is a partner at Hagens Berman's Boston office where she focuses on nationwide antitrust class actions and consumer fraud litigation. She was instrumental in reaching a $98 million settlement for direct purchasers of the immunosuppressant, Prograf, and co-lead class counsel for direct purchasers In re: Solodyn Antitrust Litigation, a multi-district litigation challenging anticompetitive conduct by pharmaceutical drug makers. more »
Barbara Mahoney, Senior Counsel
Barbara Mahoney is Senior Counsel at Hagens Berman's Seattle office where she is involved in many areas of the firm's most complex litigation, including pharmaceutical fraud. She was extensively involved in several lawsuits against McKesson Corporation relating to allegations that the company engaged in a scheme that raised the prices of more than 400 brand-name prescription drugs. That litigation has resulted in two separate national class-action settlements for $350 million and $82 million. Ms. Mahoney is currently involved in related litigation on behalf of the commonwealth of Virginia and the state of Arizona. more »
