Weitz & Luxenberg

As co-lead counsel in the federal Roundup multidistrict litigation and the first firm to sue Monsanto in 2015, Weitz and Luxenberg helped negotiate a $10.9 billion settlement resolving approximately 125,000 non-Hodgkin lymphoma claims against Bayer-owned Monsanto.

Ellen Relkin served as court-appointed co-lead plaintiffs counsel in the DePuy ASR hip implant MDL, helping negotiate a $2.5 billion settlement for roughly 8,000 patients who required revision surgery after the metal-on-metal device failed.

A New York County jury awarded $117 million to William Durbec and his wife Victoria in May 2025, the largest single-plaintiff asbestos verdict in New York State history, after Durbec developed pleural mesothelioma from asbestos-containing fireproofing he breathed during years of sheet metal work at the original World Trade Center.

A NYCAL jury awarded Romeo Maffei $38 million after finding boiler manufacturer Burnham LLC 85% liable for his asbestos-caused lung cancer, despite his 40-year smoking history.

A Louisiana federal jury awarded Terrence Allen $9 billion in punitive damages against Takeda and Eli Lilly after finding they hid Actos's bladder cancer risk for years, with W. Mark Lanier serving as lead trial counsel in the first federal bellwether trial of the massive MDL.

On February 27, 2026, a Los Angeles jury found the former Mole-Richardson company 100 percent liable for the mesothelioma of George Stephenson, an 80-year-old Army veteran and Hollywood cameraman exposed to asbestos in studio lighting equipment. The jury also found malice. It awarded non-economic damages only, after Stephenson waived economic damages. The case resolved before the punitive phase was completed.

A Manhattan jury returned a $190 million consolidated verdict against boiler manufacturers Cleaver-Brooks and Burnham LLC on behalf of five tri-state tradesmen who developed mesothelioma from occupational asbestos exposure, setting a record as the largest consolidated asbestos verdict in New York history.

As chair of the plaintiffs' negotiating committee and Liaison Counsel in the Vioxx multidistrict litigation, Russ Herman directed the negotiations that produced a $4.85 billion settlement with Merck resolving approximately 45,000 to 50,000 personal-injury claims.

Hours before opening arguments in the first federal opioid bellwether trial, Cuyahoga and Summit counties in Ohio secured a $260 million settlement from distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson, plus manufacturer Teva.

San Francisco Unified School District's case was the first JUUL bellwether trial against Altria; after the plaintiffs rested, Altria agreed to pay $235 million to resolve roughly 6,000 pending e-vapor claims nationwide.