Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Class Actions and Mass Torts

Partner - Litigation and Investigations

Liz Blackwell has over twenty-five years of experience defending global manufacturers of consumer, industrial, agricultural, dietary supplement and food products in high profile litigation across the nation. Liz has broad experience litigating class actions, mass tort litigation involving large and small consolidations, as well as cases pending in multidistrict litigation (“MDL”) proceedings. She regularly defends clients against product defect and failure to warn claims, environmental and toxic exposure claims, nuisance claims, consumer fraud claims, false labeling and advertising claims, and claims for punitive damages at both the trial court and appellate level.

Liz’s litigation experience includes landmark cases, such as the $280 billion civil RICO case brought by the United States against the tobacco industry, the first medical monitoring class action tried to verdict, a multi-billion dollar health care cost-recovery lawsuit, and a mass consolidation of more than 1,200 individual plaintiffs' personal injury claims.

A member of the American Law Institute, Liz has served on national legal strategy teams for major consumer product manufacturers for many years. Clients frequently call upon her to develop legal strategy across an entire portfolio of litigation.  Liz has acted as lead legal issues and appellate counsel at trial in many cases, and has handled appeals in state and federal court in litigation spanning a wide range of issues.  Liz is regularly called upon to advise clients and develop briefing on complex issues including federal preemption, First Amendment protections, limitations on punitive damages, and federal jurisdictional issues. For many years, Liz served on the national punitive damages defense team for a major consumer product manufacturer.

Liz also serves in firm management, including as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors, as Co-Leader of the Firm's Food, Ag and Nutrition Mass Torts Team, and as Co- Chair of the firm's global LGBTQ* Lawyers Network and the U.S. LGBTQ+ Affinity Group. She is invested in helping to foster a positive and inclusive culture within BCLP.