Kimberly Branscome

Branscome, a trial lawyer with an emphasis in complex litigation, said she loves high-stakes product liability work because it often requires her to pair her legal expertise with scientific and engineering knowledge. “Over time, I fell in love with the case-specific side of product liability, meaning the individual plaintiff’s story and what may have caused or contributed to the condition at issue in the lawsuit.”

“It also had such fascinating scientific issues, so I got to employ my scientific background, working with experts, particularly in large scale product cases, which often involves innovative products, and understanding the mechanisms by which those medicines work, and then how the body’s processes work,” she continued.

In the last three years, she’s defended Johnson & Johnson in highly publicized trials involving claims that the health care giant’s baby powder was contaminated with asbestos.

In November 2019, Branscome secured her second complete defense verdict on behalf of Johnson & Johnson after a hard-fought 10-week jury trial in Los Angeles in which the plaintiff alleged that the company’s baby powder caused her terminal cancer. Pui Fong and Thai Wong v. Imerys Talc America Inc., BC675449 (L.A. Sup. Ct., filed Sept. 11, 2017).

A year earlier, Branscome obtained a significant trial victory in a similar case also involving Johnson & Johnson and asbestos claims. Branscom and her litigation team traveled to Eureka, where she enjoyed conducting detective-like research at the local library in preparation of the trial, she said. Carla Allen v. Brenntag North America Inc., et al., DR180132 (Humboldt Sup. Ct., led March 2, 2018).

“Leading up to the trial, we were actually at the local library, looking at environmental reports that had been done in the area and they kept them in a special research section of the local library,” Branscome said. “We were actually sorting through old newspaper articles and things like that and that’s why I love products work is that you get that component, as well as cutting edge science.”

— Blaise Scemama