With product liability litigators spread throughout the country, including many with first chair trial experience, King & Spalding LLP has developed a market-leading reputation for its effective representation of numerous leading brands facing high-stakes, bet-the-company litigation. Under the overarching guidance of Miami-based Ursula Henninger and Charlotte-based Cory Hohnbaum, the team continues to represent RJ Reynolds in tobacco litigation, securing a raft of favorable jury verdicts relating to 'Engle progeny' wrongful-death cases. Led out of Atlanta by Geoffrey Drake, the firm is also acting as national co-counsel to TikTok, one of the defendants, in connection with several hundred high-profile lawsuits that allege harm to underaged users of social media. Work within the food and beverages sector is also a key strength, particularly on the West Coast, with Los Angeles-based attorneys Keri Borders and Dale Giali regularly defending clients in consumer product false advertising matters. In New York, John Hooper employs ‘sound strategies to manage product liability and mass tort litigation’, including matters within the consumer product field. Bruce Hurley in Houston and Shaila Rahman Diwan in New York co-lead the overarching trial and global disputes team, alongside Henninger.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘They take a very strategic approach to the litigation entrusted to them. They are hands-on and make good use of local firms to supplement their capabilities and drive efficiency.'
‘John Hooper is very energetic, engaged and interested in employing sound strategies to manage product liability and mass tort litigation. John is a good negotiator, and I recommend him as a lead negotiator for mass tort resolutions.'
Key clients
- AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI AMERICA
- Beech-Nut Nutrition Company
- Boehringer Ingelheim
- Campbell Soup Company
- Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc.
- Foster Poultry Farm
- General Motors LLC
- GlaxoSmithKline LLC
- Home Depot, U.S.A., Inc.
- Kenvue (formerly known as Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.)
- KIND
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
- Mine Safety Appliances
- Nestle USA, Inc.
- Organon
- The Procter & Gamble Company
- R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
- Snap, Inc.
- TikTok
- Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.
- Viking Group, Inc.
- Walmart, Inc.
Work highlights
- Acting as national co-counsel to TikTok in connection with several hundred high-profile lawsuits that allege harm to underaged users of social media.
- Representing leading baby food manufacturer Beech-Nut Nutrition Company in litigation alleging that its baby food products contain dangerous levels of heavy metals, causing autism and ADHD.
- Obtained a complete victory in the Ninth Circuit for The Procter & Gamble Company in a published decision affirming the granting of a motion to dismiss in a putative class action bought on behalf of California consumers who purchased Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion shampoo and conditioners alleging that P&G, by including the language 'NatureFusion' and a photo of an avocado, represented that the products are natural, when, in fact, they contain non-natural and synthetic ingredients.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Ursula Henninger, Bruce Hurley, Shaila Rahman Diwan