R. Brent Wisner

Los Angeles

PLAINTIFFS' PHARMACEUTICAL & TOXIC TORT LITIGATION

In the span of 11 years, R. Brent Wisner has led Wisner Baum LLP on numerous mass tort cases, earning jury verdicts worth a combined $2.427 billion while negotiating settlements in excess of $1 billion.

In June, after getting a judge to deny his opponent's motion to dismiss, Wisner was able to negotiate a confidential settlement with Zantac in a products liability case weeks before it was scheduled for trial, which would have been the first of its kind in the state. "It was the first case settled by these defendants in the entire litigation nationally, which was a significant development in these types of matters," he said.

The lawsuit alleged Zantac caused bladder cancer in Wisner's client and that Zantac manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline failed to provide warnings of the risk. James Goetz v. GlaxoSmithKline, LLC, RG20061705 (Alameda Cty. Sup. Ct., filed Oct. 21, 2019).

Wisner leads additional efforts to fight many other Zantac cancer cases filed in both California and Delaware State Court, where over 77,000 cases are pending.

He said he is currently trying another Zantac cancer case in Alameda Superior Court, which is set for trial in November, as well as 16 more throughout the rest of this year and next.

"The formation of a new venue for these cases creates more opportunity for our clients and others stricken with cancer after taking a drug that we believe is dangerous," he added. "We look forward to presenting evidence at trial that Zantac causes cancer and that the defendants have known about the risk for decades."

He is also heavily involved in toxic baby food litigation cases, which allege that the heavy metals in baby food cause brain injuries that often manifest into autism and ADHD.

In October, he's scheduled to take the first baby food lawsuit of this nature to trial in the state.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a seven-year-old boy with autism and ADHD, accusing Gerber, Walmart and other major baby food companies of knowingly selling infant and baby food products containing dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, and mercury exposure. N.C. v. Hain Celestial Group, Inc. et al., 21STCV22822 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Sept. 7, 2021).

"This case sets the stage for a massive legal battle between thousands of children throughout the country with neurodevelopment disorders and several of the country's largest baby food companies," he said.

--Devon Belcher