The product liability & mass tort practice at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP represents global corporations in their most critical product-related disputes, often involving multi-front challenges with significant financial and reputational risks. The firm’s client roster includes leading global corporations such as Apple, Johnson & Johnson, ExxonMobil, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, and L’Oréal. Amongst the firm’s most significant recent matters are its defense of L’Oréal in a product liability and consumer protection lawsuit mass tort multi-district litigation involving over 8,000 cases. The firm has also been engaged in representing ExxonMobil in a highly-publicized public nuisance litigation concerning plastic pollution. The practice’s most prominent attorneys include New York based Diane Sullivan, a renowned trial lawyer with decades of experience, who has secured major defense verdicts for companies such as Merck, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson in bet-the-company mass tort cases. As the head of the firm’s California litigation practice, David Singh is a leading class action defense attorney representing high-profile clients like Apple and PepsiCo.  Arianna Scavetti works out of the firm's Washington DC office, and focuses on false advertising class actions, achieving notable victories for global consumer brands.
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Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Good knowledge of the issues and able to draw on other CPG experience to get results. ’

  • ‘Arianna Scavetti is a newer partner but who has taken on a leadership role with defenses on our brands. She has done a nice job taking on some larger projects. ’

Key clients

  • L’Oréal, S.A.
  • ExxonMobil Corporation
  • PepsiCo
  • Apple
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Nike
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Frito-Lay
  • Paramount Global
  • General Electric Co.

Work highlights

  • Representing L’Oréal in one of the largest mass tort MDLs filed against the personal hair-care industry, which encompasses more than 8,000 cases in total.
  • Representing Lululemon to defend a class action in Florida federal court, alleging Lululemon's "Be Planet" marketing campaign misleads consumers into believing the company's products and practices positively contribute to the environment and restoration of a healthy planet, when in reality, Lululemon's actions and products cause significant environmental harm through greenhouse gas emissions, plastic pollution, and more.
  • Representing PepsiCo against claims brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, which is one in a series of separate high-profile lawsuits that seek to hold PepsiCo and other major consumer products companies liable for plastic pollution in certain waterways.

Lawyers

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Next generation partners

Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

Diane Sullivan; David Singh; Drew Tulumello; Theodore E. Tsekerides; Arianna Scavetti; Pravin Patel