Ms Diane Sullivan > Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP > Princeton, United States > Lawyer Profile

‘Creative and innovative in approach’, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP blends deep subject matter knowledge with exceptional strategic litigation prowess, and is a popular choice for leading consumer brands to handle large-scale product liability actions. As a ‘very effective litigator’, group co-head Diane Sullivan is regularly involved in bet-the-company litigation and has recently worked alongside the firm’s insolvency team to advise clients on exposure to potential tort and product liability claims through the so-called ‘Texas Two-Step’ bankruptcy legal maneuver. Recognized as a ‘good problem solver’, Theodore Tsekerides has also been involved in high-profile bankruptcy proceedings emanating from product liability claims, and worked with Sullivan in connection with the bankruptcy proceedings of J&J’s talc supplier, Imerys Talc America, which involved indemnity claims relating to talc claims liability. Washington DC-based individual Arianna Scavetti has gained a strong reputation advising manufacturers, including those within the food and beverages space, on consumer protection class actions brought by plaintiffs alleging false or misleading product labeling and marketing. Silicon Valley-based partner David Singh co-heads the product liability and mass tort group alongside Sullivan and regularly handles class actions including the defense of clients against allegations of false and deceptive advertising.

Drawing upon the expertise of litigators with product liability and consumer class action experience, as well as those with overarching commercial disputes prowess, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP provides ‘creative and innovative’ legal strategies to pharmaceutical clients fending off potentially-brand threatening plaintiff challenges. The firm is able to advise on matters from cradle to grave, including on risk management processes, discovery and motions through to trial and appeal. New Jersey-based trial expert Diane Sullivan is one such lawyer who is in demand for her exceptional advocacy skills and ability to provide highly persuasive arguments to juries, often involving highly technical scientific information, and is regularly parachuted in on the eve of high-profile bellwether MDL trials. Recognized as an ‘excellent problem solver’, New York-based Theodore Tsekerides ‘executes and resolves’, both at a trial stage, as well as in relation to the overarching litigation strategy. On the West Coast, Silicon Valley-based David Singh co-heads the team with Sullivan and has experience of handling false advertising consumer class actions in the sector.

Diane Sullivan at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, who operates between New Jersey and New York, is a leading trial lawyer in the area product liability and environmental mass torts, but also has a wide-ranging and versatile practice across commercial, antitrust, patent, mass tort, and class action cases. Sullivan appears in cases which are often groundbreaking in their respective industry, a recent example of which was securing victory in an important plaintiff patent infringement jury verdict. This trial for Altria and Philip Morris USA against competitor RJ Reynoldsworth had ramifications for the future of the e-vapor technology industry.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP  fields a deep bench of ‘top tier talent’ that is adept across the entire breadth of commercial litigation, frequently handling class actions in state and federal courts across the United States. Consumer fraud, unfair competition, alter ego liability, insurance, trade secrets litigation, and alleged violations of federal RICO or antitrust laws are among the core pillars of the group’s practice. New York’s David Lender and Gregory Silbert jointly chair the department alongside Washington DC-based Andrew Tulumello. Lender continues to litigate complex business-critical cases, including successful representing several minor league baseball teams as lead trial counsel in connection with significant breach of contract and antitrust litigation brought against Major League Baseball, while trial lawyer Tulumello routinely tries cases before every level of the court system in the United States. Diane Sullivan is based in New Jersey and is a key name when it comes to all aspects of commercial, antitrust, patent, mass tort, and class action cases. Chantale Fiebig is another important contact within the firm’s Washington DC office.

With a robust bi-coastal disputes offering which draws from strong core toxic tort/product liability expertise as well as broader general complex commercial litigation prowess, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is regularly seen in high-profile class action and MDL litigation in venues throughout the country, including many traditionally plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions. In addition to being well-versed in leading the overarching strategy on cases involving accusations of damage caused by toxins in the soil, air and water, as well as a result of topical and oral use, the team is frequently brought in on the eve of important bellwether trials, often where another firm is national coordinating counsel. In this regard, New Jersey-based litigator Diane Sullivan regularly achieves success in bet-the-company trials in mass tort cases throughout the country, including in cases involving first-of-its-kind, novel issues of law. Along with Silicon Valley-based co-head David Singh, Sullivan recently successfully represented Burger King in a high-profile case brought by a class of plaintiffs regarding “forever chemicals” in the packaging. An ‘excellent problem-solver’, New York-based Theodore Tsekerides is also recommended and has recently been integral to the firm’s work for Johnson & Johnson regarding its liability in relation to asbestos poisoning in its talc products, particularly in light of his combined product liability and toxic tort and restructuring expertise.